Former Tennessee basketball star Nate Ament inked his rookie contract with the Milwaukee Bucks late last week after they selected him with the 13th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Ament was one of two first round picks for the rebuilding Bucks along with Arizona guard Brayden Burries who Milwaukee selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the draft. How much money will Ament make in his rookie contract?
NBA rookie contracts include two years of guaranteed money and then a team option for both the third and fourth year. Ament will make $5,502,000 during his rookie year and $5,77280 during his second year for $11,279,280 guaranteed, according to spotrac.
Ament’s third-year option is worth $6,052,200 while his fourth-year option is worth $8,648,594. In the most general terms, Ament’s rookie contract is a four-year deal worth $25,980,074 with $11.28 million guaranteed.
An NBA rookie contract is not an open negotiation. Each draft slot has an allotted value and teams can sign players to a deal worth between 80% and 120% of the slot value. The 13th pick in the draft has $4,586,100 rookie year slot value meaning Ament could sign with Milwaukee for between $3,668,880 and $5,503,320.
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Ament’s deal is at the high end of what he could have possibly made. It also largely validates his decision to forego his remaining college eligibility to declare for the NBA Draft.
The Virginia native has played in two NBA Summer League games with Milwaukee to date. Ament totaled six points, three rebounds and two assists in his debut against the Miami Heat. He followed it up with a seven-point, five-rebound and three-turnover performance against the San Antonio Spurs.
Ament is coming off a standout freshman season at Tennessee where he averaged 16.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. The 6-foot-10 forward shot 39.9% from the field, 33.3% from three-point range and 79% from the foul line.
The freshman got better over the course of the season and played better in SEC play than he did in non conference play. In 16 SEC games, Ament averaged 19 points and six rebounds per game. He scored 20-plus points in 11 games while scoring a career-high 29 points in wins over Alabama and Ole Miss as well as in a loss against Oklahoma.
