The offseason isn’t over in Cleveland by a long shot. Thanks to lingering negotiations with Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith, the Cavs have seemingly stalled as they possess 11 fully guaranteed deals but haven’t signed anyone else. They’ll have to sign at least two more players, and it’s likely they sign several more before the start of training camp.
A glance at the teams that have fewer than 15 fully guaranteed deals provides a chance to see where this year’s remaining free agents might fit in. Six teams already have 15 full guarantees on their books, while the Pistons, Celtics and Timberwolves would appear among the most likely to make a trade before opening night. That’s because those teams have more than 15 full guarantees, so they’d surely like to avoid eating salary.
Here’s a look at where each team stands. Players without full guarantees are listed by the names of the teams with open spots on their 15-man rosters. Teams can carry as many as 20 players in the offseason, but they must cut down to 15 for opening night.
Four open spots
- Cavaliers — No players have contracts without full guarantees.
Three open spots
- Heat — Tyler Johnson ($422,530), Hassan Whiteside ($245,337), James Ennis ($0)
- Lakers — Tarik Black ($0), Jabari Brown ($0), Jonathan Holmes (unknown), Robert Upshaw (unknown)
- Nets — Willie Reed ($500K), Markel Brown ($150K)1, Ryan Boatright ($75K guaranteed), Quincy Miller ($50K), Donald Sloan ($50K)
- Pelicans — No players have contracts without full guarantees.
- Rockets — Chuck Hayes (unknown)
- Sixers — Scottie Wilbekin ($200K), Robert Covington ($0), JaKarr Sampson ($0), Hollis Thompson ($0), T.J. McConnell (unknown), Jordan McRae (unknown), J.P. Tokoto (unknown)
Two open spots
- Bulls — Cameron Bairstow ($425K), Cristiano Felicio (unknown)
- Hawks — Mike Muscala ($473,638), Terran Petteway ($75K), Lamar Patterson ($75K)
- Jazz — Jack Cooley ($0), Bryce Cotton ($0), Chris Johnson ($0), Elijah Millsap ($0)
- Knicks — Langston Galloway ($220K)2, Thanasis Antetokounmpo ($75K), Wesley Saunders (unknown, but no more than $75K), Darion Atkins (unknown)
- Magic — Melvin Ejim ($150K), Devyn Marble ($0), Keith Appling (unknown)
- Spurs — Matt Bonner ($749,594), Jimmer Fredette ($507,711), Reggie Williams ($0), Youssou Ndoye (unknown), Keifer Sykes (unknown)
- Suns — No players have contracts without full guarantees.
- Warriors — James McAdoo ($100K), Chris Babb ($0), Ian Clark (unknown)
One open spot
- Clippers — Yanick Moreira (unknown)
- Grizzlies — JaMychal Green ($150K)
- Hornets — Elliot Williams ($80K), Aaron Harrison ($75K)
- Kings — David Stockton ($0), Vince Hunter (unknown)
- Raptors — Ronald Roberts ($75K), Michale Kyser ($0), Axel Toupane ($0), Shannon Scott (unknown)
- Trail Blazers — Cliff Alexander ($100K), Tim Frazier ($0), Phil Pressey ($0)
No open spots
- Bucks
- Mavericks
- Nuggets
- Pacers
- Thunder
- Wizards
Overloaded
- Pistons (17 full guarantees)
- Celtics (16 full guarantees)
- Timberwolves (16 full guarantees)
1 — Brown’s salary with the Nets would become fully guaranteed at the start of training camp.
2 — Galloway’s salary with the Knicks would become $440K guaranteed before the start of training camp.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.
Which battle over roster spots in training camp are you most looking forward to? Leave a comment to let us know.
Another good thing to include in this thread is unsigned first- and second-round picks. For example, Houston hasn’t signed Harrell, and they have to offer him at least the minimum, I think. That certainly factors in to the roster count calculus.