When the Wings selected Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 pick during Monday night’s WNBA draft, the guard became the highest-paid rookie to ever enter the league thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement passed last month.
Every player selected in the first round of the draft will receive a fully guaranteed four-year contract because of the new CBA. The money amount decreases slightly by each draft pick, meaning Fudd will earn the most expensive contract amongst her peers.
By being picked No. 1, Fudd will earn a $500,000 fully guaranteed contract in her first season in the W. In her second year, she’ll make $520,000, followed by $572,000 in her third season. By the final year of her contract, Fudd will be making $646,360.
For comparison, the highest-paid WNBA player ever up until this year was given a salary of $249,244—that’s quite a big difference. Veteran players can now receive up to $1.4 million supermax contracts, which some players like Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell already signed.
MORE SI: WNBA Draft Winners and Losers
How much money Paige Bueckers made as the 2025 No. 1 draft pick
Fudd’s former and new teammate Paige Bueckers (who she’s also rumored to be dating, at least in the past) was the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft also by the Wings. Bueckers was there to cheer on Fudd as she was picked first on Monday night.
As a reminder, the previous supermax contract mark set for WNBA players was $249,244, so when Bueckers was drafted first overall last year, her contract was significantly lower than what Fudd, and what the rest of the rookies, will earn in their first seasons. Bueckers’s rookie salary was set at $78,831. Her four-year contract was worth $348,000 total when she signed as a rookie. Fudd will earn more than six times the amount that Bueckers earned last year.
Bueckers is expected to see a pay increase, like the rest of the league, this year. She’s projected to earn $499,200 in salary with the new CBA, The Athletic reported. The 2025 draftees will earn four percent less than what the 2026 draftees will earn, which is quite the bump from the $80,408 Bueckers was originally expected to make this upcoming season.
Bueckers could receive a higher pay increase depending on how the Wings decide to spread out their money for the 2026 season. Regardless, though, she’ll see a raise.
How much money each WNBA rookie drafted in the first round will make
Under the new CBA, the rookie contract amounts increased significantly. Here’s a look at how much all 15 first-round draftees will make during their rookie season. Players selected No. 9 through 15 all earn the same amount.
| Draft Pick | Player | Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azzi Fudd | $500,000 |
| 2 | Olivia Miles | $466,913 |
| 3 | Awa Fam Thiam | $436,016 |
| 4 | Lauren Betts | $407,163 |
| 5 | Gabriela Jaquez | $380,219 |
| 6 | Kiki Rice | $355,058 |
| 7 | Iyana Martín Carrión | $331,563 |
| 8 | Flau’jae Johnson | $309,622 |
| 9 | Angela Dugalić | $289,133 |
| 10 | Raven Johnson | $289,133 |
| 11 | Cotie McMahon | $289,133 |
| 12 | Nell Angloma | $289,133 |
| 13 | Madina Okot | $289,133 |
| 14 | Taina Mair | $289,133 |
| 15 | Gianna Kneepkens | $289,133 |
All first-round draft picks will be making more during their rookie seasons than any WNBA players ever made in the past. That’s a pretty incredible milestone for the league.
Players selected in the second and third rounds will receive $270,000 during their first year, still making more than the previous high mark for WNBA contracts.
More WNBA from Sports Illustrated
- Why Caitlin Clark Might Want to Apologize to Raven Johnson, Who the Fever Took No. 10 in the WNBA Draft
- Valkyries GM Raises More Questions Than Answers With Mid-Draft Flau'jae Johnson Trade
- SI:AM | A Very Interesting WNBA Draft
- Dawn Staley Was Extremely Excited to See Raven Johnson Be Drafted to Fever
This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Much Money Will No. 1 Pick Azzi Fudd Make in Rookie Contract Under New CBA.
