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Players Waived After Sunday Won’t Be Playoff-Eligible

By | at February 27, 2026 8:02 am

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.

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Community Shootaround: Who Will Come Out Of The East?

By | at February 25, 2026 11:00 am

The Pistons have held the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference since early November and have maintained a firm grip on that spot. At 42-14, Detroit has a 4.5-game lead on its next-closest competitor in the conference and has a 10-2 record against the other Eastern teams currently in playoff (ie. top-six) position.

However, there are still questions about the Pistons’ ability to win three consecutive playoff series and represent the Eastern Conference in the 2026 NBA Finals. A relative lack of postseason experience is one potential concern. Detroit’s first-round exit last spring represented the team’s first playoff appearance since 2019 and the only taste of the postseason that young stars like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren have gotten so far.

A lack of offensive firepower is another possible red flag for the Pistons. The team leans heavily on Cunningham for scoring and shot creation and lacks reliable play-makers and knock-down shooters alongside him. Detroit ranks 28th in the NBA in three-point makes per game (11.1).

Monday’s loss to San Antonio exposed those flaws and cast a spotlight on Trajan Langdon‘s decision not to be more aggressive at this month’s trade deadline, notes Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required). The Pistons’ only real pre-deadline acquisition was wing Kevin Huerter, who has struggled with his outside shot this season and fallen out of the team’s rotation in the past three games.

If not the Pistons, who else could come out of the East this spring? Well, the Celtics hold the No. 2 seed despite being without Jayson Tatum all season as the All-NBA forward recovers from an Achilles tear. With Jaylen Brown taking on the primary role, Boston has built the best offense in the conference without its usual leading scorer, writes Esfandiar Baraheni of The Athletic, posting a 120.0 offensive rating that exceeds the team’s mark from 2024/25.

Still, there’s no guarantee Tatum will be able to return to action before the end of this season, and the Celtics would miss him more in big postseason moments than they do in a typical regular season game. And even if Tatum does make it back in the coming weeks, is it realistic to expect him to be back to his old self in time for the playoffs after such a lengthy layoff and challenging rehab process?

The Knicks, who have the NBA’s third-best offensive rating, hold the No. 3 spot in the East at 37-22 and are coming off a conference finals appearance in 2025. New York is a good team, but under new head coach Mike Brown, the club has also looked “like a world beater one quarter and a bottom-feeder the next,” according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, who suggests we may not know for sure until the playoffs how good the Knicks really are.

Interestingly, none of those three teams are currently the betting favorites to win the East, according to most sportsbooks. That honor belongs to the Cavaliers, who have looked resurgent in recent weeks after a shaky start to the season and have pulled into a tie with the Knicks at 37-22. The Cavs, winners of 13 of their past 15 games, have “renewed confidence” following the deadline acquisition of James Harden, head coach Kenny Atkinson said following his team’s victory over New York on Tuesday (story via Jamal Collier of ESPN).

“We understand we’re a better team,” Atkinson said. “That spirit, that confidence for some strange reason, it makes you play harder, compete harder, compete harder defensively. I felt like we were kind of missing that edge, that belief. I feel like we’re regaining that. A lot of it has to do with who we added in the trade.”

The Cavaliers were widely viewed as a favorite to win the East in the fall after winning 64 regular season games in 2024/25 and being derailed by injuries in the playoffs. Enthusiasm about their ceiling waned as they hovered around .500 through Christmas, but it has been building again as of late. For what it’s worth, the Cavs are also the only one of the East’s projected playoff teams that doesn’t have a losing record against the Pistons so far in ’25/26 — the teams have split their two matchups.

The Raptors, Sixers, Magic, Heat, Hawks, and Hornets are all lurking in the Eastern Conference playoff picture as potential threats.

A Philadelphia team that has Joel Embiid and Paul George wouldn’t be an easy out. The same is true of a fully healthy Orlando squad, though we haven’t seen that very often in the past year or two. Charlotte still has a ways to go to even make the playoffs and would be an underdog in a first-round series, but few teams have been hotter in recent weeks — since January 22, only the Cavs (12-2) and Spurs (11-2) have a better record than the Hornets (12-3).

We want to know what you think. Which team do you expect to represent the East in the NBA Finals this season? Is Tatum’s potential return the wild card that could swing your decision or are there other factors you think will ultimately determine how the postseason plays out in the Eastern Conference?

Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!

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Rest-Of-Season NBA Dates, Deadlines To Watch

By | at February 24, 2026 9:31 am

With the All-Star break behind us, we’re entering the home stretch of the 2025/26 NBA season. Here are a few noteworthy dates and deadlines to keep an eye on before the playoffs begin in April.

February 28

A team with cap room can renegotiate a player’s current-year salary to give him a raise as part of a contract extension. There are no legitimate candidates for a renegotiation at this point in the season though, with 29 teams operating over the cap and no Nets players renegotiation-eligible.

March 1

  • Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.

As we outline in our glossary entry on buyouts, a player doesn’t need to be signed by March 1 in order to retain his playoff-eligible — he simply can’t be waived after that date. A player who is waived on March 1 and signs with another team on April 8 would be playoff-eligible for his new team, but a player who is waived on March 2 and signs on March 5 wouldn’t be.

This rule doesn’t apply to players on 10-day contracts, since they don’t pass through waivers when their deals expire. A player whose 10-day contract expires on March 3, for instance, could still sign a rest-of-season contract in March or April and be playoff-eligible.

March 4

Under the previous Collective Bargaining Agreement, the deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract was January 15, but it has been pushed back in the current CBA and teams are taking full advantage. In each of the past two years, at least 14 two-way deals were officially finalized during the first four days of March.

Since the February 5 trade deadline, 17 players have signed new two-way contracts. That number figures to continue growing until the end of the day on March 4, with six two-way spots still open around the NBA right now and several teams who don’t currently have openings still likely to make two-way moves.

March 10

The Mavericks have a pair of disabled player exceptions available, with six other teams – including the Pacers ($14.1MM) and Rockets ($12.5MM) – also still holding DPEs. Those exceptions could be used to sign a player to a rest-of-season contract or to claim a player with an expiring contract off waivers.

However, disabled player exceptions are used more frequently at the trade deadline than after it, and most of the teams with DPEs still available are unlikely to be aggressive in bidding for any current free agents. The likeliest scenario is that most or all of these exceptions expire without being used.

April 9

  • Last day to waive a player on an expiring contract or a player with an option for 2026/27 (4:00 pm CT).

Players with at least one year still left on their contracts can be waived during the postseason or offseason, but if a team wants to part ways with a player who has the ability to reach free agency this summer, he must be cut in time to clear waivers before the last day of the regular season.

April 12

  • Last day of the NBA regular season.
  • Last day players can sign contracts for 2025/26.
  • Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
  • Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.

Several teams around the NBA have at least one open spot on their 15-man rosters. We can probably assume that most – if not all – of those clubs will fill their openings by April 12.

Playoff teams will want to make sure they have as much veteran depth as possible, just to be safe, while lottery teams will look at signing younger players to multiyear deals that include little to no guaranteed money beyond this season in order to get a longer look at them in the summer.

April 13

  • Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).

April 14-17

  • NBA play-in tournament.

April 18

  • NBA playoffs begin.

While they wait for the play-in tournament to conclude, the top six teams in each conference will get a few days off between the regular season and the postseason, giving them some time to recharge before the playoffs begin.

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Seven NBA Teams Have An Open Two-Way Slot

By | at February 22, 2026 12:18 pm

After a busy trade deadline, we’ve reached the portion of the season where teams make changes to the back ends of their roster in preparation for the playoffs and the future. That often involves promoting players from the G League to either 10-day deals or two-way contracts, and converting two-way standouts to standard deals.

While 16 two-way standouts have been promoted in the past few weeks, that’s not always the case. Minnesota recently waived Johnny Juzang after he reached his 50-game active limit, for example, and Oklahoma City did the same a few weeks ago with Chris Youngblood.

Teams can convert players on two-way contracts to standard deals until April 12, the last day of the regular season. However, March 4 is the final day for a team to sign a player to a two-way contract, and several clubs currently have a two-way opening ahead of that deadline.

As our tracker shows, a total of seven two-way spots are vacant around the NBA, and each opening is for a different team. Here’s the full list:

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Boston Celtics
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • New Orleans Pelicans
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • Sacramento Kings

Each of these seven teams is virtually certain to fill its open two-way spot in the next several days. Two-way contracts don’t count against the salary cap, so there’s no financial reason to not have all three spots filled by March 4.

Players on two-way contracts generally bounce back and forth between the NBA and G League, but remain under team control and can’t be poached by rival franchises. You can learn more about two-way deals in our glossary entry.

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Projected NBA Taxpayers For 2025/26

By | at February 20, 2026 9:12 am

While seven NBA teams are still operating in luxury tax territory following the All-Star break, that total has been cut in half since the start of the month.

Prior to an eventful trade deadline week, a total of 14 teams projected to be taxpayers, per Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link), with the 16 non-taxpayers on track to receive about $13.8MM apiece in tax distribution money at that point.

However, the Celtics, Nuggets, Suns, Mavericks, Sixers, Magic, and Raptors all ducked below the tax line with their pre-deadline transactions, while a few other teams remained in the tax but took steps to significantly reduce their end-of-season bills.

Cleveland, for instance, had been projected to pay nearly $164MM in tax penalties, according to Marks. The Cavaliers will likely still have the NBA’s highest tax bill, but their deadline deals reduced their projected payment by more than $95MM, according to Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom.

Here are the current projected tax penalties, per Pincus’ data:

  1. Cleveland Cavaliers: $68.67MM
  2. Golden State Warriors: $65.67MM *
  3. New York Knicks: $44.44MM
  4. Los Angeles Lakers: $22.65MM *
  5. Houston Rockets: $7.07MM
  6. Los Angeles Clippers: $6.67MM *
  7. Minnesota Timberwolves: $5.48MM
    Total: $220.65MM

Note: Teams marked with an asterisk are paying repeater tax rates.

These numbers may fluctuate a little before the end of the season. For instance, the Clippers recently increased their projected bill when they promoted Jordan Miller to their standard roster, while the Knicks did the same when they signed Jeremy Sochan. The Warriors, Rockets, and Timberwolves all have open roster spots that they could fill before the end of the season, which would increase their respective tax bills. Various contract incentives that go earned or unearned could also impact the end-of-season tax totals.

Based on the current figures from Pincus, each non-taxpayer is projected to receive a payout of about $4.8MM. That figure is determined by cutting the total league-wide tax penalties in half, then dividing them evenly among the non-taxpaying teams (in this case, 23 clubs).

While it’s no real surprise that that figure is far below the $13.8MM projection from a few weeks ago, it’s worth noting that it’s significantly less than what non-taxpayers received last year. In 2024/25, 10 taxpayers paid a total of $461.21MM in penalties and the 20 non-taxpayers received $11.53MM apiece, according to Pincus.

Assuming these are the seven teams that finish the season in tax territory, the Warriors, Lakers, and Clippers would all be subject to repeater penalties in 2026/27 if they’re taxpayers again next season. Additionally, the Bucks, Celtics, Suns, and Nuggets would pay repeater rates if they’re in the tax in ’26/27, since all four clubs were in the tax for three straight years from 2023-25. They’ll each need to spend one more season as a non-taxpayer in order to reset the repeater clock.

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Roster Moves Required For Wolves, Nuggets, Celtics

By | at February 17, 2026 8:54 am

NBA roster rules require teams to carry at least 14 players on standard contracts for most of the regular season. Clubs are permitted to dip below 14 players for no more than 14 days at a time and 28 days in total during a season.

[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Roster Counts]

Several teams around the NBA dropped below 14 players on standard contracts earlier this month as a result of trade-deadline deals. While some have since made additions to get them back to the league-mandated minimum, there are a few exceptions who will have to make roster moves this week.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves went from 14 players on standard contracts to 13 on February 3, two days before this month’s trade deadline, when they sent Mike Conley to Chicago in a three-team trade that also involved the Pistons. That means they must re-add a 14th man on Feb. 17 — today.

It sounds like the Wolves’ new 14th man will look a whole lot like their old 14th man. Because Conley was subsequently flipped from Chicago to Charlotte before being waived by the Hornets, NBA rules don’t prohibit him from returning to Minnesota, and that’s reportedly the plan. Word broke back on Feb. 6 that Conley intended to re-sign with the Timberwolves after he cleared waivers.

At the time, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Conley and the Wolves were working on the timing of the deal. With Minnesota operating in luxury tax territory and the All-Star break around the corner, it made sense for the team to take advantage of its two-week allowance below 14 players and to give Conley a bit of a vacation before bringing him back. I expect he’ll officially sign on Tuesday.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets’ situation is pretty straightforward. They dipped from 14 players to 13 on Feb. 5, deadline day, when they traded Hunter Tyson to Brooklyn in order duck below the luxury tax line. They have until this Thursday (Feb. 19) to get back to the 14-man minimum, and there’s an obvious candidate to fill that roster spot: Spencer Jones.

The second-year forward, who is on a two-way contract, reached his limit of 50 active games prior to the All-Star break, but he suffered a concussion in that 50th game, which likely delayed his promotion to the 15-man roster.

Assuming Jones is fully healthy, it would be a surprise if anyone besides him is added to Denver’s 15-man roster on or before Thursday. If he still needs more time to recover, the Nuggets could add a veteran on a 10-day contract as their 14th man for the time being, but Jones’ promotion is happening sooner or later. The 24-year-old has started 34 games and averaged 23.6 minutes per night — Denver needs to make sure he’s eligible to play once he’s ready.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics, who had been carrying 14 players on standard contracts, made a series of trades on deadline day that saw them send out four players (Anfernee Simons, Xavier Tillman Sr., Chris Boucher, and Josh Minott) and bring back just one (Nikola Vucevic). They also promoted Amari Williams from his two-way contract to a standard deal on Feb. 5, but they’ve had just 12 players on their 15-man roster since then, so they’ll need to make two roster additions by this Thursday (Feb. 19).

Boston will have to operate very carefully to remain below the luxury tax line this season and has likely already plotted out the timing of its roster moves for the rest of the season. As we wrote in a post-deadline Front Office article, that plan will likely involve two-way players Max Shulga and John Tonje, since they’ll both count for the rookie minimum for tax/apron purposes if they’re promoted to standard contracts, whereas a rookie free agent wouldn’t due to the “tax variance” rule.

That doesn’t mean both Shulga and Tonje will be converted right away, but I expect at least one of them to be involved in Boston’s roster moves this week. A 10-day deal for Tonje along with a 10-day deal for a veteran free agent is one path the Celtics could take — that would allow them to dip back to 12 players for another two weeks after those 10-day contracts expire.

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Checking In On Active 10-Day Contracts

By | at February 13, 2026 10:21 am

NBA teams have been permitted to sign standard 10-day contracts since January 5 and hardship 10-days since October. However, the busiest period of the season for 10-day deals often occurs after the trade deadline — open roster spots no longer need to be preserved for possible trades, many teams have newly opened roster spots to be filled, and rebuilding clubs are more likely to give G League standouts a shot at NBA auditions.

As our tracker shows, six 10-day deals have been signed since last Thursday, and that number figures to continue growing steadily after clubs return from the All-Star break.

Here are the 10-day contracts that are currently active around the league:

It’s worth noting that 10-day contracts signed just before the All-Star break can sometimes technically run beyond 10 days. That’s because those deals are required to cover a minimum of three games.

Baldwin, Bassey, Gilbert, and Banton were under contract for at least three games prior to the All-Star break, which is why their deals will expire before the NBA schedule resumes. Richmond signed on Feb. 11, so his contract is perfectly timed to cover three games during those 10 days — the Wizards played on his first day under contract and will be in action again on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.

However, Lovering signed with Memphis on Feb. 9, with just two games left on the team’s schedule prior to the All-Star break. As a result, his deal will extend to become a 12-day contract in order to cover the first post-All-Star game on the Grizzlies’ schedule on Feb. 20.

You can use our 10-day contract tracker to continue to keep tabs on all the 10-day deals signed for the rest of the season.

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2026 NBA Buyout Market Watch

By | at February 11, 2026 12:00 pm

The 2026 NBA trade deadline is behind us, but that doesn’t mean teams are finished making roster moves. With two months still left in the 2025/26 regular season, there are still many roster spots to be filled around the league, as well as veterans who might not finish the year with their current teams.

The NBA’s buyout market has been active since the trade deadline and could feature several more moves in the next couple weeks.

[RELATED: Hoops Rumors Glossary: Buyouts]

A veteran in an undesirable situation due to his playing time or his team’s place in the standings (or both) could ask to be released and may even be willing to give back a little money to accommodate the move. Some teams might make that decision unilaterally, opting to release a veteran to open up a roster spot for a younger player.

For the rest of the month, we’ll use the space below to monitor the buyout market, keeping tabs on which veteran players have been bought out or released, and which have found new teams. We’ll also keep an eye on players who are potential buyout candidates. The list will be updated regularly in the coming days and weeks.

A player on an NBA contract must be waived by the end of the day on March 1 in order to retain his playoff eligibility, so that will be a key date to watch.

Here’s our breakdown of the 2026 NBA buyout market:

Last updated 3-6-26 (11:00 am CT)

Veterans who have been recently bought out or waived and remain unsigned:

Not every player who has been waived this season will be mentioned here. This list is essentially just made up of players with at least a few years of NBA experience who could be of immediate interest to teams in the playoff mix.

For instance, Hunter Tyson and Malaki Branham are among those waived since the trade deadline, but neither one has ever been a regular, productive rotation player. They don’t fit the profile of a traditional buyout market pickup for a contending team and won’t be listed here for that reason.

It’s also worth noting that players like Highsmith and Niang are listed here despite dealing with injuries that have limited their availability this season. We’re still assuming that they’ll be healthy enough to contribute before the end of the season, whereas that’s not the case for recently waived players like Duop Reath or Dante Exum, who won’t play again in 2025/26 due to season-ending injuries.

Veterans who have been bought out or released and joined new teams:

Again, we’re primarily focusing here on players who fit the traditional buyout market profile, which means playoff teams – or at least playoff hopefuls – adding win-now help.

If a lottery-bound team signs a young player in order to audition him for the rest of this season, that signing won’t be listed here.

Other veterans who are candidates to be bought out or released:

Note: Players marked with an asterisk (*) have salaries above the non-taxpayer mid-level exception and would be ineligible to sign with a team operating over either tax apron.

The most realistic candidates:

Possible candidates:

Longer shots:

Not all of these players will be bought out or waived. In fact, outside of the guys in the “most realistic candidates” section, most will stay put rather than reach free agency. Still, until March 1 comes and goes, we’re viewing these players as worth monitoring.

Teams operating in tax apron territory:

As noted above, a player whose pre-waiver salary exceeds the non-taxpayer mid-level exception is ineligible to sign with a team operating over either tax apron. The non-taxpayer MLE this season is $14,104,000, so that restriction would apply to someone like Bogdanovic ($16,020,000) but not to Olynyk ($13,445,122).

Here are the teams in tax apron territory who are ineligible to sign a player who fits that bill:

  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Golden State Warriors
  • New York Knicks
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NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

By | at February 10, 2026 10:00 am

A number of free agent signings have been finalized in the days since last Thursday’s trade deadline, but there are still many teams around the NBA with one or more open spots on their respective rosters.

For clubs with just a single standard or two-way opening, there’s not necessarily any urgency to fill those spots, especially ahead of the All-Star break. But the clock is ticking for teams who have two or more openings on their standard rosters to make a move, since clubs are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time.

These situations remain fluid, with more roster moves being finalized each day. But with the help of our roster count tracker, here’s where things stand for all 30 teams around the NBA as of Tuesday morning. As a reminder, teams are typically permitted to carry up to 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

(Note: Teams marked with an asterisk have a player on a 10-day contract.)

Multiple open roster spots

  • Teams with multiple 15-man openings:
    • Boston Celtics
    • Denver Nuggets
    • Minnesota Timberwolves
  • Teams with one 15-man and one two-way opening:
    • Golden State Warriors
    • Sacramento Kings

The Celtics entered trade deadline week with 14 players on their standard roster and sent out four players (Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher, Xavier Tillman Sr., and Josh Minott) while only taking back one (Nikola Vucevic). They promoted Amari Williams from his two-way contract to the standard roster to get to 12 players, but they still have three roster openings.

Given how tight their margins are below the tax line, the Celtics will likely use their full two-week allotment and wait until February 19 before making two additions to get back to the roster minimum of 14.

The Nuggets dipped to 13 players on standard contracts by trading Hunter Tyson last Thursday and also have until Feb. 19 to get back to 14. Two-way standout Spencer Jones has reached his 50-game limit and is the obvious candidate to be promoted into that spot, though he’s in the concussion protocol for now, so Denver may not to need to make that move until after the All-Star break.

The Timberwolves went from 14 players to 13 when they sent out Mike Conley on Tuesday of trade deadline week, so they have until Feb. 17 to reach the roster minimum again. It sounds like their old 14th man will likely become their new 14th man, with Conley expected to re-sign in Minnesota after being dealt twice ahead of last week’s deadline.

As for the Warriors and Kings, both clubs both briefly went down to 13 players, but they’ve since promoted two-way players Pat Spencer and Dylan Cardwell, respectively, so they’re back to 14 and there’s no urgency for them to make additional moves. Still, it’s worth noting that both teams technically have multiple roster openings, since they’ve yet to sign new two-way players to replace Spencer and Cardwell. Both Golden State and Sacramento are carrying 14 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals.

One open roster spot

  • Teams with a 15-man opening:
    • Brooklyn Nets
    • Cleveland Cavaliers
    • Houston Rockets
    • Indiana Pacers
    • Miami Heat
    • New Orleans Pelicans
    • New York Knicks
    • Orlando Magic
    • Phoenix Suns
    • Utah Jazz
    • Washington Wizards *
  • Teams with a two-way opening:
    • Detroit Pistons
    • Los Angeles Clippers *
    • Milwaukee Bucks
    • Philadelphia 76ers **

The Nets, Cavaliers, Rockets, Pacers, Heat, Pelicans, Knicks, Magic, and Jazz are all carrying 14 players on full-season standard contracts and three on two-way deals, with no reported signings pending. They’re each free to carry that open roster spot for as long as they want to, though some figure to fill it sooner rather than later.

The Suns, meanwhile, are in the same boat as those teams but might create a second opening on their 15-man roster in the near future — the expectation is that they’ll waive newly acquired guard Cole Anthony. If they do so, they’d have 14 days to add a replacement.

The Wizards have perhaps the most fluid situation of any team in this group. They have 13 players on standard, full-season contracts, with Keshon Gilbert on a 10-day deal that will expire during the All-Star break. It’s also possible that D’Angelo Russell, acquired in the Anthony Davis blockbuster, won’t be on the roster much longer, with buyout rumors swirling around him. If Washington parts ways with Russell and doesn’t re-sign Gilbert, the team would have three 15-man openings and would need to fill at least two of them.

The Pistons, Clippers, Bucks, and Sixers all currently have full 15-man rosters and one open two-way slot, but L.A. and Philadelphia will soon open up standard roster spots.

The Clippers have Dalano Banton on a 10-day deal through next Monday, while the 76ers have Charles Bassey and Patrick Baldwin Jr. on 10-day pacts through Saturday. Both teams are at or near their limit of “under-15” games for two-way players, so if they want to continue using their players on two-way contracts, they’ll need to ensure they maintain full 15-man rosters.

No open roster spots

  • Atlanta Hawks
  • Charlotte Hornets
  • Chicago Bulls
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Los Angeles Lakers
  • Memphis Grizzlies *
  • Oklahoma City Thunder
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • San Antonio Spurs
  • Toronto Raptors

The Hawks, Hornets, Bulls, Mavericks, Lakers, Thunder, Trail Blazers, Spurs, and Raptors are all carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals. If they want to make a free agent addition during the season’s final two months, they’ll have to cut a player to do so.

In some of those cases, there’s an obvious release candidate on the roster. For instance, it’s believed to be just a matter of time until Toronto officially waives Chris Paul. A few of those clubs will also need to make room on their 15-man rosters to convert two-way players — Ryan Nembhard in Dallas and Sidy Cissoko in Portland are among the top candidates for promotions.

As for the Grizzlies, one of their 15 standard players – Lawson Lovering – is on a 10-day contract. His deal will expire after the team’s Feb. 20 game, opening up a roster spot in Memphis.

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2026 NBA Trade Deadline Recap

By | at February 6, 2026 12:43 am

Just over a month ago, some NBA executives were predicting a quiet trade deadline. And entering this past weekend, it looked like we might be headed that way, with just one trade – the Wizards acquiring Trae Young – having been completed through the first three-plus months of the 2025/26 season.

But that changed in a major way this week, with 28 separate deals completed between Sunday and Thursday. Twenty-seven of the NBA’s 30 teams took part in at least one trade this week — only the Heat, Rockets, and Spurs stood pat.

In total, 69 players on NBA rosters changed teams at least once in this week’s trades, including 67 players on standard contracts and a pair on two-way deals. Four more players’ draft rights were included in deals, for a total of 73 players on the move.

According to the NBA (Twitter link), the 28 trades made and 73 players dealt during deadline week both represent new records.

Two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo, this winter’s most intriguing trade candidate, wasn’t among the group of players on the move. But another former MVP (James Harden) was, and so was a former Defensive Player of the Year (Jaren Jackson Jr.).

Anthony Davis and Darius Garland were among the other multi-time All-Stars dealt, along with Nikola Vucevic, Khris Middleton, and Chris Paul. And All-Defensive center Ivica Zubac headlined a group of high-level role players involved in this week’s trades.

Thanks for following along with us at Hoops Rumors. Here’s a recap of all of 2026’s deadline deals, with the details reported and announced so far:

Trades completed during deadline week

The Cavaliers and Clippers swap star point guards (story)

The rebuilding Jazz become a buyer and upgrade their frontcourt (story)

The rebuilding Wizards become a buyer and upgrade their frontcourt (story)

The Pacers land their new starting center (story)

  • Pacers acquire Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown.
  • Clippers acquire Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected; 10-30 protected), the Pacers’ 2029 first-round pick, and the Mavericks’ 2028 second-round pick.
  • Note: If the Pacers’ 2026 first-round pick falls in its protected range, the Clippers will instead receive the Pacers’ 2031 first-round pick.

The Warriors bring the Kuminga saga to an end (story)

The red-hot Hornets add a potential long-term cornerstone to their backcourt (story)

  • Hornets acquire Coby White and Mike Conley.
  • Bulls acquire Collin Sexton, Ousmane Dieng, the Nuggets’ 2031 second-round pick, and the Knicks’ 2031 second-round pick.
  • Note: The Hornets also sent a 2029 second-round pick to the Bulls in the original version of this trade, but the two teams agreed to remove it after White’s physical exam revealed a calf issue.

The Timberwolves belatedly bring in a Nickeil Alexander-Walker replacement (story)

  • Timberwolves acquire Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips.
  • Bulls acquire Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, either the Nuggets’ or Warriors’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable); the Cavaliers’ 2027 second-round pick; either the Timberwolves’ or Warriors’ 2031 pick (whichever is most favorable); and either the Suns’ or Rockets’ 2032 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).

The Celtics save some money and fortify their frontcourt (story)

  • Celtics acquire Nikola Vucevic and the Nuggets’ 2027 second-round pick.
  • Bulls acquire Anfernee Simons and either the Pelicans’, Trail Blazers’, Timberwolves’, or Knicks’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).

The Cavaliers reshape their rotation while the Kings upsize on the wing (story)

The Lakers add some outside shooting (story)

Oklahoma City uses its draft-pick surplus to roll the dice on a promising youngster (story)

  • Thunder acquire Jared McCain.
  • Sixers acquire either the Thunder’s, Rockets’ (top-four protected), or Clippers’ 2026 first-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable); either the Thunder’s, Rockets’, Pacers’, or Heat’s 2027 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable); the Thunder’s 2028 second-round pick; and the Bucks’ 2028 second-round pick.

The Knicks create a little cap flexibility… (story)

… and add a New York native to their backcourt rotation (story)

  • Knicks acquire Jose Alvarado and the draft rights to Latavious Williams.
  • Pelicans acquire Dalen Terry, either the Magic’s, Bucks’, or Pistons’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable), either the Pacers’, Heat’s, Rockets’, or Thunder’s 2027 second-round pick (whichever is second-most favorable), and cash.

The Bulls take a shot on a former lottery pick while the Pistons bring in a shooter (story)

  • Pistons acquire Kevin Huerter, Dario Saric, and the right to swap their 2026 first-round pick for the Timberwolves’ 2026 first-round pick (top-19 protected).
  • Bulls acquire Jaden Ivey and Mike Conley.
  • Timberwolves acquire cash ($1.1MM; from Pistons).

The Raptors avoid the tax, the Nets use their cap room, and the Clippers and CP3 finally part ways officially (story)

The Raptors add some depth up front (story)

The Suns get out of the tax while the Bulls and Bucks add some size (story)

A journeyman center joins his fifth team in five NBA seasons (story)

Portland acquires a shooter (story)

  • Trail Blazers acquire Vit Krejci.
  • Hawks acquire Duop Reath, the Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick, and the Knicks’ 2030 second-round pick.
    • Note: The Hawks’ 2027 second-round pick was previously traded to the Trail Blazers.

The Sixers make room under the tax to sign Dominick Barlow (story)

  • Grizzlies acquire Eric Gordon and the right to swap their 2032 second-round pick for the Sixers’ 2032 second-round pick.
  • Sixers acquire the draft rights to Justinian Jessup.

Cleveland bails on a disappointing offseason acquisition (story)

  • Jazz acquire Lonzo Ball, the Cavaliers’ 2028 second-round pick, and the Cavaliers’ 2032 second-round pick.
  • Cavaliers acquire cash.

The Celtics sneak below the tax line, part one (story)

  • Jazz acquire Chris Boucher, the Nuggets’ 2027 second-round pick, and cash.
  • Celtics acquire John Tonje (two-way).

The Celtics sneak below the tax line, part two (story)

  • Nets acquire Josh Minott.
  • Celtics acquire cash ($110K).

The Celtics sneak below the tax line, part three (story)

  • Hornets acquire Xavier Tillman Sr. and cash ($3.5MM).
  • Celtics acquire the Hornets’ 2030 second-round pick (top-55 protected).

The Magic avoid being a taxpayer (story)

  • Hornets acquire Tyus Jones, either the Magic’s or Celtics’ 2027 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable), and the Magic’s 2028 second-round pick.
  • Magic acquire cash.

The Nuggets duck the tax (story)

  • Nets acquire Hunter Tyson and the Nuggets’ 2032 second-round pick.
  • Nuggets acquire either the Clippers’ or Hawks’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable).

The first of three Ousmane Dieng trades helps Oklahoma City avoid the tax (story)

  • Hornets acquire Ousmane Dieng and either the Hawks’ or Heat’s 2029 second-round pick (whichever is most favorable).
  • Thunder acquire Mason Plumlee.

Two Northwest rivals make a minor move (story)

Notable trade candidates who stayed put

Players waived on deadline day

Officially released:

Expected to be waived:

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