In order to retain his postseason eligibility for a new NBA team, a player must be waived on or before March 1. That means that any player who remains on an NBA roster after Sunday won’t be eligible to suit up in the playoffs for a new team, though there’s at least one key exception to that general rule.
A player who is currently on a 10-day contract – or a current free agent who signs one after March 1 – will retain his playoff eligibility going forward. For instance, once Killian Hayes‘ 10-day deal with Sacramento expires next Wednesday night, he’d still be able to join a new team and play in the postseason for that club, since he’s not being placed on waivers after March 1.
That rule applies even if a player has his 10-day contract terminated early, since that player becomes a free agent immediately without being required to pass through waivers.
Here’s the list of players on 10-day contracts that run through at least March 1 who will retain their playoff eligibility when their current deals expire:
- Rayan Rupert, Grizzlies (runs through 3/3)
- Killian Hayes, Kings (runs through 3/4)
- Mo Bamba, Jazz (runs through 3/7)
Since it’s often a point of confusion, it’s worth clarifying that a player doesn’t have to sign with a new team by March 1 to be playoff-eligible — he simply can’t be placed on waivers after 11:59 pm Eastern time on Sunday.
Eric Gordon, for example, was waived by Memphis earlier this month. As long as he signs with a new team by the final day of the regular season (April 12), Gordon can play in the postseason (including play-in games).
The buyout market in 2026 hasn’t exactly been flooded with big names, but Jevon Carter, Cam Thomas, Jeremy Sochan, and Haywood Highsmith are among the veterans of note who have found new NBA teams after being waived in February. Kyle Anderson will join them once he clears waivers this weekend, having reached a deal with Minnesota.
All of those players – and those who have been waived but haven’t yet signed with new teams, such as Gordon, Lonzo Ball, and Chris Boucher – would be playoff-eligible for their new clubs. So would anyone waived on or before Sunday, with veteran forward Khris Middleton among the candidates to hit the waiver wire in the coming days. But anyone on a standard or two-way contract who is waived after Sunday won’t be appearing in the postseason this spring.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on the NBA’s transaction wire over the next few days to see who else might land on waivers before that deadline passes.