January 7 represents a key date for the NBA players who are on non-guaranteed contracts for the 2019/20 season. While their salaries won’t technically become guaranteed until January 10, the players who remained under contract through 5:00pm ET today are now assured of those guaranteed salaries. If released tomorrow, they wouldn’t clear waivers by the start of January 10, so they’ve survived the cut.
While a handful of players with non-guaranteed contracts were released in recent days, most appear to be safe. We’ll use the space below to break down those decisions from around the league.
The following players will have their non-guaranteed 2019/20 salaries become fully guaranteed on Friday:
- Dragan Bender (Bucks): $1,678,854
- Trey Burke (Sixers): $2,028,594 ($1,620,564 cap hit)
- Bruno Caboclo (Grizzlies): $1,845,301
- Wenyen Gabriel (Kings): $1,445,697
- Javonte Green (Celtics): $898,310
- Shaquille Harrison (Bulls): $1,620,564
- Isaiah Hartenstein (Rockets): $1,416,852
- Dewan Hernandez (Raptors): $898,310
- Dwight Howard (Lakers): $2,564,753 ($1,620,564 cap hit)
- Amile Jefferson (Magic): $1,529,007
- Caleb Martin (Hornets): $898,310
- Jalen McDaniels (Hornets): $898,310
- Ben McLemore (Rockets): $2,028,594
- Juwan Morgan (Jazz): $746,054
- Georges Niang (Jazz): $1,645,357
- Kendrick Nunn (Heat): $1,416,852
- Royce O’Neale (Jazz): $1,618,520
- Jahlil Okafor (Pelicans): $1,702,486
- Justin Patton (Thunder): $1,620,564
- Gary Payton II (Wizards): $1,090,781 ($1,052,909 cap hit)
- Duncan Robinson (Heat): $1,416,852
- Derrick Walton (Clippers): $1,445,697
- Christian Wood (Pistons): $1,645,357
The following players were waived within the last few days before their salaries could become fully guaranteed. Their dead-money cap hits are noted:
- Marquese Chriss (Warriors): $758,804
- Gary Clark (Rockets): $708,246
- Tyler Cook (Cavaliers): $50,000
- Alfonzo McKinnie (Cavaliers): $708,871
- Justin Robinson (Wizards): $395,865
- Johnathan Williams (Wizards): $106,181
Technically, some of these players remain on waivers, so their salaries could still become fully guaranteed – and their cap hits could be fully removed from their old teams’ books – if they’re claimed by a new team.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.
Trey Burke is an interesting case, most players here that could be waived aren’t really worth much, but Burke could help a few teams out with their bench if 76ers feel he’s expendable.
Would the Sixers trust Raul Neto to be their backup PG?
Caboclo is in his 6th year of “development”