NBA teams commonly tack an extra, non-guaranteed year onto a deal when they make a midseason signing, but data from 2012/13 shows most of those players don’t remain under contract as this season begins. Twenty-four players received midseason deals in 2012/13 that covered 2013/14 without a full guarantee. Only five of them are still on on NBA rosters,
Just four players are still with the team that signed them last season. The fifth, James Anderson, remains under contract thanks to the Sixers, who claimed his deal off waivers from the Rockets this summer. Houston also cut fellow midseason signee Tim Ohlbrecht at the same time, and the Sixers claimed him when they picked up Anderson, but Philadelphia put Ohlbrecht back on waivers last month. That’s similar to what happened with Josh Akognon. He signed a deal with the Mavericks in April that included a non-guaranteed season for 2013/14, but Dallas waived him while in a financial squeeze in late July. The Grizzlies claimed the player the Mavericks wished they could have kept, but Memphis waived Akognon in early October, and he hasn’t resurfaced in the NBA since.
Four other players signed to non-guaranteed multiyear deals last season filtered through a second team over the summer by way of trades, but none of them were on an opening-night roster. Two other players landed multiyear deals in the middle of the 2012/13 season that included full guarantees for 2013/14. Aron Baynes remains under contract with the Spurs, but the Timberwolves waived Chris Johnson last month in spite of his guarantee.
Since Baynes and Johnson had full guarantees, they’re not reflected here among the categories of players signed to non-guaranteed multiyear deals after the 2012/13 season began:
Remain with the team that signed them
- Jeff Adrien, Bobcats
- Shelvin Mack, Hawks
- Patrick Beverley, Rockets
- Maalik Wayns, Clippers
Claimed off waivers
- Josh Akognon, Mavericks (Grizzlies claimed him off waivers in August, but put him back on waivers in October).
- James Anderson, Rockets — (Sixers claimed him off waivers)
- Tim Ohlbrecht, Rockets — (Sixers claimed him off waivers in July, but put him back on waivers in October).
Waived, became free agents
- Mickael Gelabale, Timberwolves
- Donte Greene, Grizzlies (traded to Celtics prior to hitting waivers)
- Terrel Harris, Pelicans (traded to Trail Blazers prior to hitting waivers)
- Justin Holiday, Sixers
- Dwayne Jones, Warriors
- Kevin Jones, Cavaliers
- Kris Joseph, Nets (traded to Celtics prior to hitting waivers)
- Jerel McNeal, Jazz
- Scott Machado, Warriors
- Chris Quinn, Cavaliers
- Shavlik Randolph, Celtics
- Willie Reed, Grizzlies
- DaJuan Summers, Clippers
- Malcolm Thomas, Bulls
- Jarvis Varnado, Heat
- Terrence Williams, Celtics
- D.J. White, Celtics (traded to Nets prior to hitting waivers)