Awards season is winding down, which means the annual All-NBA team selections have arrived. These teams are now position-less: the top five vote-getters earn First Team, the next five get Second Team and the final five make the Third Team.
All-NBA selections are governed by a 65-game minimum eligibility requirement, mirroring other prominent NBA awards.
Financial Impact: Rose Rule and Supermax
The practical purpose of All-NBA selection under the collective bargaining agreement is determining which players qualify for higher max contracts.
The Derrick Rose rule allows players with 0-6 years of experience to receive 30% of the salary cap instead of the standard 25%.
The designated veteran rule (supermax) provides a similar bump for players with 7-9 years of experience, ranging from 30% to 35% of the cap.
To become eligible for these larger max contracts, a player must meet one of these criteria:
- Selected for All-NBA in two of the previous three seasons, or the most recent season
- Named Defensive Player of the Year in two of the previous three seasons, or the most recent season
- Won the MVP award in any of the last three seasons
Players Unaffected
2023 Draft Class
Victorem Wembanyama was both an All-NBA selection and Defensive Player of the Year, but hasn't earned Rose Rule eligibility yet. To qualify on a rookie extension, a player must achieve it in their second or third season, or separately in their fourth season.
Wembanyama will likely sign a max rookie extension bumping him to 30% if he makes All-NBA next season. No other player from the 2023 draft clinched Rose Rule eligibility.
2024 Draft Class
No player from the 2024 draft class was chosen for All-NBA either last year or this year. Those seeking Rose Rule eligibility must earn it in their fourth season (2027-28).
2021 Draft Class
Players like Cunningham and Johnson who signed five-year rookie extensions are too far from extension eligibility. Their All-NBA status in 2026 won't matter—they'll need to qualify in 2027 or 2028.
Veterans (10+ Years)
Players with 10+ years of experience—like Jokić, Mitchell or Dončić—are financially unaffected. They already qualify for 35% of the cap through experience alone.
Players Whose Futures Depend on All-NBA
When a player qualifies for a Rose Rule bump, teams almost always pay up. Evan Mobley and Cade Cunningham achieved it two-for-two last season. Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton both received their 30% a year earlier.
In those cases, the players had already signed rookie-scale extensions with Rose Rule language built in. They were viewed as max-level players—it was just a matter of which max they would receive.
Jalen Duren's Uncertain Future
That wasn't the case for Pistons big man Jalen Duren. He didn't sign a rookie extension with Rose Rule language...