Monday, October 21 is the last day of the 2019 NBA offseason and serves as the deadline for a number of roster- and contract-related decisions. Here are the deadlines that teams around the NBA are facing on Monday:
- Roster limits decrease from 20 players to 15, plus two two-way players (4:00pm CT)
- Last day for teams to sign a player to a rookie scale extension (5:00pm CT).
[RELATED: Players Eligible For Rookie Scale Extensions] - Last day for teams to sign an extension-eligible veteran player with multiple seasons left on his contract to an extension. An extension-eligible veteran player on an expiring deal can still be extended after October 21.
- Last day for teams to complete sign-and-trade deals.
- Last day for teams to convert an Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way contract.
[RELATED: 2019/20 Two-Way Contract Tracker]
While Monday is technically the roster cutdown deadline, most clubs will make their final moves today. That’s because players on non-guaranteed contracts must clear waivers before the first day of the regular season to avoid having their salaries begin to count against a team’s cap.
For instance, if the Timberwolves were to keep non-guaranteed vet Tyrone Wallace on their roster until Monday, then cut him, the team would be on the hook for a couple days’ worth of his salary, since he wouldn’t clear waivers until Wednesday. That’s not a huge chunk of money, but if clubs have already made their roster decisions, they’re more likely to just make their cuts today.
Teams who plan on releasing players with full or partial guarantees are more likely to wait until Sunday or Monday, since those salaries will count against their cap either way. The Raptors could be one team in this boat, since many of their players without fully guaranteed contracts have partial guarantees worth at least $50K. Those players will receive those guarantees whether they’re waived today or Monday.
Outside of roster cuts, it will be interesting to see how many more teams reach rookie scale extension agreements with their fourth-year players by Monday night at 5:00pm CT. Jamal Murray, Ben Simmons, and Caris LeVert have signed new deals already, but 17 players remain eligible. Pascal Siakam (Raptors), Jaylen Brown (Celtics), and Buddy Hield (Kings) are among the strongest candidates for rookie scale extensions in the coming days.
We’ll have updates on moves for all 30 NBA teams as they prepare their rosters for opening night, so be sure to check back often.