While exceptions are permitted for up to two weeks at a time and up to 28 total days in a given season, an NBA team is generally required to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts.
The maximum standard roster size is 15 players, and many clubs will carry a full 15-man squad into the regular season -- the Thunder, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Hornets, Jazz, and Wizards all already have at least 15 players on guaranteed contracts, for example.
But a number of teams will leave their 15th roster spot open at the start of the season to maximize their roster and financial flexibility. And a handful of clubs are expected to leave that 15th spot unfilled because they literally don't have the ability to fill it -- currently, five teams are operating so closer to their respective hard caps that they're unable to legally sign a 15th man to their rosters.
We're taking a closer look at those five clubs in the space below, exploring how much wiggle room they have below their hard caps, how they got to this point, and when they'll be able to add a 15th player if their cap situations remain unchanged.
