Dylan Harper set to make $21M more in rookie deal than dad Ron Harper’s entire NBA career earnings

NBA: Draft - Source: Imagn
Dylan Harper set to make $21M more in rookie deal than dad Ron Harper NBA: Draft - Source: Imagn

Dylan Harper was picked second by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2025 NBA draft on Wednesday, earning the Rutgers combo guard a lucrative contract worth $56 million over four years.

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Dylan's dad, Ron Harper was a 15-year NBA veteran and won five championships in the 1990s, but his career earnings will soon be eclipsed by son Dylan in just a few years.

According to Spotrac, Harper made $34,935,000 from four teams during his playing career. At the end of the 2028 season, Dylan Harper will have made $21,065,000 more than Ron when he will be eligible for his first max deal after his rookie contract.

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Adjusted for inflation to 2025, Ron Harper's career earnings are approximately $73.4 million, which is a little bit higher than Dylan's earnings from his rookie scale contract. The disparity underscores the skyrocketing salaries in today’s NBA, driven by lucrative TV deals and global market growth.

GM Brian Wright unconcerned by positional overlap of Dylan Harper and De'Aaron Fox

San Antonio Spurs general manager Brian Wright addressed concerns about Dylan Harper's potential positional overlap with De'Aaron Fox by emphasizing the positionless nature of modern basketball. He dismissed worries about positional congestion, using the example of the current NBA champions, the OKC Thunder.

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"Positions in this day and age don't matter as much," Wright said. "We just saw playoffs where the team that won had a 6-foot-5 wing that guarded centers, and you start to put offensive skill sets together. Now there's multiple people that can create, multiple people that can put pressure on the rim and make life easier for other players on the floor"
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Wright also highlighted Harper's dynamic skill set, including his versatility, which can complement Fox's scoring ability.

As the Spurs have a stellar reputation for developing young players, Wright noted that Harper, a Rutgers star, comes from a respected basketball family. His mother Maria played Division 1 basketball at the University of New Orleans from 1993-96 and coached him all the way through high school, and his father is Ron Harper. Wright was particularly impressed by Harper's character, crediting him with having a rare mix of confidence and humility.

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Carter Bryant, who was picked at No. 14 has a close relationship with Dylan Harper, and confidently declared that the Rookie of the Year trophy would stay in San Antonio after Stephon Castle and Victor Wembanyama's success in the last two years.

“I mean, one of us is gonna get it," Bryant said. "So whether it’s one or two or whoever gets it, doesn’t matter. I’m just trying to win basketball games at a high level.”

The familiarity between the two dating back to their AAU days should mean that the Spurs are getting a ready-made dynamic duo to add to their promising young roster.

Spurs Fan? Check out the latest San Antonio Spurs depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

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Edited by Amlan Sanyal
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