Ask any NBA team executive or player agent, "What contract is the toughest to negotiate?" and both will point to rookie extensions.
These deals differ from free agency, where the market plays a role in how much teams are willing to offer; rookie extensions can only go up to five years for $224 million. And unlike in free agency, when an opposing team can sign a player with cap space, the only deadline a team faces is 6 p.m. ET on Monday.
Factor in a 2025 offseason where only the Brooklyn Nets are projected to have more than $30 million in cap space, and there's a reason a growing number of young players are willing to lock in guaranteed money in an extension amid the heavy restrictions facing teams via the new apron rules in the collective bargaining agreement.