Hoops Rumors Originals

With the NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee date for 2024/25 behind us, it’s worth checking in once again on which teams have open spots on their 18-man rosters.

As our roster count tracker shows, these are the teams that don’t currently have full rosters consisting of 15 players on standard rest-of-season contracts and three on two-way deals:

Teams with standard roster openings:

• Boston Celtics
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Detroit Pistons
• Golden State Warriors
• Houston Rockets
• Miami Heat
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New Orleans Pelicans
• New York Knicks
• Oklahoma City Thunder *
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Phoenix Suns
• Sacramento Kings
• Toronto Raptors *

The Thunder and Raptors, marked with asterisks, technically have full 15-man standard rosters at the moment, but they’re each only carrying 14 players on full-season contracts, with one player on a 10-day deal. Those 10-day deals will expire later this month, at which time both Oklahoma City and Toronto will once again have an open roster spot.

Most teams in this group likely won’t sign a player to a rest-of-season or multiyear contract until sometime after the trade deadline, when they know they won’t need to use that 15th roster spot to accommodate a trade in which they acquire more players than they send out.

In between now and the trade deadline, some of these clubs could join OKC and Toronto in signing free agents to 10-day contracts. However, nine of these 14 teams project to be taxpayers, so those nine teams likely won’t be eager to bring in a 15th man unless he’s actually going to play.

Besides the Thunder and Raptors, the other clubs not projected to be taxpayers are the Pistons, Rockets, and Kings, though Detroit is operating with cap space and may try to avoid cutting into that room by signing a 15th man between now and the deadline.

Teams with two-way openings:

• Golden State Warriors
• Orlando Magic
• Philadelphia 76ers

The deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract won’t arrive until March 4, so there’s no urgency for these clubs to fill their openings right away.

Golden State’s and Orlando’s actions don’t suggest we should count on them to make two-way signings soon — the Warriors‘ third two-way slot has been open since they traded Reece Beekman to Brooklyn on December 15, while the Magic have left one of their two-way slots open all season.

Still, the prorated portion of a two-way salary is such a minor financial commitment for an NBA franchise that we may see one or more of these teams bring in a new two-way player sooner rather than later, even if they’re not certain he’ll hold that spot for the rest of the season.

On January 5, NBA teams became eligible to sign players to 10-day contracts, and many of the signings that take place between now and the end of the regular season in April will be of the 10-day variety. Hoops Rumors maintains a database that allows you to keep on top of those deals, tracking every 10-day signing all season long.

Besides featuring all of this year’s 10-day deals, our 10-Day Contract Tracker includes information on all 10-day contracts signed since the 2006/07 season. The search filters in the database make it easy to sort by team, player, and/or year.

For instance, if you want to see all the 10-day contracts that the Raptors have signed since 2007, including Eugene Omoruyi‘s current deal, you can do so here. If you want to view Omoruyi’s history of 10-day deals, that list is here.

You can also see whether a player and team signed a second 10-day contract or if those short-term deals led to an agreement that covered the rest of the season. Additionally, our tracker notes which 10-day deals remain active, saving you the hassle of having to figure out whether a particular contract ends on Wednesday or Thursday.

A link to our 10-Day Contract Tracker can be found at any time in the right sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features” on our desktop site. On our mobile site, you can find it on our “Features” page. We’ll be keeping it up to date for the rest of the season, so be sure to check back to keep tabs on the latest signings as they become official.

Entering the day on January 7, there were 25 players who were signed to standard, full-season contracts but whose salaries for the 2024/25 campaign weren’t fully guaranteed.

The deadline for teams to waive those players and avoid having their full ’24/25 salaries become guaranteed was on Tuesday, January 7 at 4:00 p.m. CT.

Although their salaries won’t technically become guaranteed until January 10, those players would still receive their full-season guarantees if they’re cut today or tomorrow, since they wouldn’t clear waivers before Friday’s guarantee deadline.

Here’s a roundup of the decisions teams made with those 25 players:

Players on standard contracts who will have their salaries guaranteed:

Each player’s salary is noted here. His cap hit is identical to his salary unless otherwise indicated.

• Zion Williamson, Pelicans: $36,725,670
• Taj Gibson, Hornets: $3,303,771 *
• James Johnson, Pacers: $3,303,771 *
• Doug McDermott, Kings: $3,303,771 *
• Markieff Morris, Mavericks: $3,303,771 *
• Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers: $3,303,771 *
• Jae Crowder, Kings: $2,620,232 ^
• Talen Horton-Tucker, Bulls: $2,425,403 *
• James Wiseman, Pacers: $2,237,691
• Dalano Banton, Trail Blazers: $2,196,970
• Lindy Waters, Warriors: $2,196,970
• Sam Merrill, Cavaliers: $2,164,993
• Keon Johnson, Nets: $2,162,606
• Keon Ellis, Kings: $2,120,693
• Jaylin Williams, Thunder: $2,019,699
• Ricky Council, Sixers: $1,891,857
• Andre Jackson, Bucks: $1,891,857
• Craig Porter Jr., Cavaliers: $1,891,857
• Gui Santos, Warriors: $1,891,857
• Jalen Wilson, Nets: $1,891,857
• Landry Shamet, Knicks: $1,682,008 #
• Ariel Hukporti, Knicks: $1,064,049

(*) cap hit of $2,087,519
(^) cap hit of $1,655,619
(#) cap hit of $1,343,690

Besides Williamson, whose maximum salary was already mostly guaranteed prior to Tuesday, each of the players on a non-guaranteed contract who was retained through January 7 is earning his minimum salary for the season, so the financial impact of keeping those players is relatively minor for their respective teams.

Still, open roster spots are valuable at this time of year. A handful of these players were fortunate not to be let go by a club prioritizing flexibility ahead of the trade deadline; many others have played regular rotation minutes during the first half or hold long-term value and were never candidates to be cut.

Players on standard contracts who were waived before their salaries became guaranteed:

Each player’s cap hit is noted here. The team would no longer be on the hook for that cap charge if a player is claimed off waivers.

• Bruno Fernando, Raptors: $1,115,128
• Orlando Robinson, Kings: $959,779
• Branden Carlson, Thunder: $365,767

All three of these players were on minimum-salary contracts. Carlson is a rookie who was signed well after the regular season  began, which is why his cap hit is so modest compared to the others.

These players are all still on waivers, so they’re technically candidates to be claimed on Thursday. A team that places a claim on one of those players would have to commit to guaranteeing his salary for the rest of the season, so it’s unlikely.

There were several other players with partially or non-guaranteed salaries who were cut earlier in the season. That group consisted of the following players, listed in the order they were waived (with their accompanying cap hits):

• Alex Reese, Thunder: $79,804
• Malevy Leons, Thunder: $126,356
• Jaylen Nowell, Pelicans: $278,782
• Elfrid Payton, Pelicans: $274,809
• Moses Brown, Pacers: $306,660
• Paul Reed, Pistons: $2,485,563
  • Note: After clearing waivers, Reed was re-signed to a guaranteed minimum-salary contract.
• Javante McCoy, Pistons: $32,596
• Matt Ryan, Knicks: $621,438
• PJ Dozier, Timberwolves: $1,051,255

These moves didn’t go down to the wire like the others listed above, having occurred well in advance of the salary guarantee deadline.

Players on two-way contracts who were waived before their salaries became guaranteed:

Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the league-wide salary guarantee date of January 10 also applies this season to players on two-way contracts. Prior to 2024, the guarantee date had been Jan. 20 for two-way salaries.

Two-way salaries are only worth half of the rookie minimum and don’t count against the salary cap, so many teams likely weren’t feeling a ton of pressure to make rest-of-season decisions on their two-way players by Tuesday. Two-way contracts can be signed until March 4, so there will be many clubs that make changes between now and then.

Still, there were seven players on two-way contracts who were waived between the start of January and Tuesday’s waiver deadline. Those players, who subsequently won’t receive their full two-way salaries this season, are as follows:

• David Jones, Jazz
• Jaylen Martin, Nets
• Daishen Nix, Timberwolves
• Cole Swider, Pistons
• Alondes Williams, Pistons
• Pete Nance, Sixers

The seventh player in that group, Tristen Newton, was waived by the Pacers but was claimed two days later by the Timberwolves and retained through Tuesday’s deadline, so he’ll still earn his full two-way salary despite being cut within the last week.

There are currently three open two-way slots around the NBA, belonging to the Warriors, Magic, and Sixers.

The full list of players who are still on two-way contracts and earned full guarantees can be found right here.

Sunday was the first day this season that an NBA team can sign a player to a standard 10-day contract. As we explain in a glossary entry, a 10-day deal allows a club to temporarily add a player to its 15-man roster without any commitments beyond those 10 days.

Under the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, all 10-day contracts are worth a player’s minimum salary. The minimum salary in a given season differs from player to player, based on his years of NBA service entering the season. For instance, in 2024/25, a rookie on a full-season minimum deal will earn $1,157,153, whereas a 10-year veteran who is earning the minimum will make $3,303,771.

[RELATED: NBA Minimum Salaries For 2024/25]

The same is true for 10-day deals. A rookie will earn significantly less over the course of his 10 days with a team than a tenured NBA veteran will.

Because the 2024/25 regular season is 174 days long, a player’s full-season minimum salary can be divided by 174 to calculate his daily salary. From there, it’s just a matter of multiplying by 10 to determine his salary on a 10-day contract.

Using that formula, here’s the full breakdown of what salaries for 10-day deals look like in ’24/25:

Because the NBA doesn’t want teams to avoid signing veteran players in favor of cheaper, younger options, the league reimburses clubs who sign veterans with three or more years of service to 10-day, minimum-salary contracts.

In those instances, teams are on the hook for $119,972, the minimum salary for a player with two years of experience, while the NBA covers the difference. So a team would pay the same amount ($119,972) whether they sign a player with three years under his belt or a player with 12 years of NBA experience.

As of tomorrow – Sunday, January 5 – NBA teams can begin signing free agents to 10-day contracts.

A 10-day contract, as we outline in our glossary entry, allows a team to add a player to its roster for either 10 days or three games (whichever occurs later) without any commitment beyond that. A player can sign up to two 10-day deals with the same team in a single season — after those two contracts, the team must decide whether to sign him to a rest-of-season contract or part ways with him.

For some teams, the 10-day contract provides an opportunity to take a flier on a young player to see if he deserves a longer-term look. Other clubs may utilize 10-day deals for short-term injury fill-ins or simply to meet minimum roster requirements.

The NBA’s 10-day signing window always opens just ahead of the league-wide salary guarantee deadline. If a team wants to let go of a player on a non-guaranteed contract to avoid being on the hook for his full-season salary, it must release that player on or before Tuesday, January 7 to ensure he clears waivers prior to the guarantee date of Jan. 10.

The start of the 10-day contract period and the salary guarantee deadline go hand in hand, since teams cutting players before their salaries become fully guaranteed often sign players to 10-day contracts to fill those newly opened roster spots. In some cases, the same player who was waived at the salary guarantee deadline returns to his team on a 10-day contract, as clubs looks to maximize their roster flexibility.

The Timberwolves waived PJ Dozier last week before his full-season salary could become guaranteed. No other players on non-guaranteed deals have been cut since then, but we’ll likely see at least a small handful released by Tuesday evening.

Eleven teams, including Minnesota, currently have an 15-man roster opening, though most of those clubs won’t rush to fill their open roster spots with 10-day signees. Nine of the 11 teams with roster openings are in luxury tax territory and a 10th (Detroit) has cap room, so they won’t be eager to add even a modest 10-day cap hit to their books, since it would increase their tax penalty or cut into their cap room. The Rockets are the only team with an open roster spot that doesn’t fall into either category.

Teams may also want to maximize their roster flexibility in advance of the trade deadline — the majority of 10-day signings during a typical season occur after the deadline has passed.

At the start of the 2024/25 campaign, we looked ahead and identified several dates and deadlines to watch on the NBA calendar this season. While that list covered the general highlights, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of those key dates to keep an eye out for in January, which should be a busy month.

Let’s dive in…

Non-guaranteed contracts become guaranteed

January 10 is the date that all non-guaranteed NBA contracts for 2024/25 will officially become guaranteed, but January 7 is really the day to watch.

If a team wants to avoid having a salary become guaranteed, the player must clear waivers before January 10, which means he needs to be cut by January 7 — at the latest.

There are currently 23 players around the NBA who are on non-guaranteed deals. Many of those players without fully guaranteed salaries aren’t in danger of being waived by next Tuesday, but some teams will take the opportunity to save a little money and open up a roster spot.

[RELATED: Examining Upcoming Decisions On Non-Guaranteed Salaries]

Players on two-way deals (which are non-guaranteed) are subject to that January 7 waiver deadline as well, and will have their salaries become fully guaranteed if they’re still under contract as of January 8.

Prior to the 2023/24 season, the annual salary guarantee date for players on two-way contracts was January 20, but that changed in the NBA’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts

As of January 5, clubs will be able to sign players to standard 10-day contracts, which count against team salary for cap and tax purposes and require an opening on the 15-man roster to complete.

Prior to Jan. 5, teams were able to sign players to 10-day contracts only if they qualified for a hardship exception. While there were at least one or two injury-plagued teams who met the criteria for that exception in the fall, no teams have completed a hardship 10-day signing so far in 2024/25.

Rebuilding teams generally use 10-day contracts to audition G League standouts or other prospects to see if they might be worth investing in beyond this season. Contending clubs are more inclined to use 10-day contracts to bring in veterans who can step in right away to address a need or provide depth at a position hit hard by injuries.

Currently, 11 teams have an open spot on their 15-man rosters, making them candidates to sign a player to a 10-day deal. That number will likely increase after next week’s salary guarantee deadline.

More players become trade-eligible

A significant portion of the NBA’s offseason signees became eligible to be traded on December 15, but there are still many players who can’t be dealt. By the end of January, that list of players ineligible to be traded will shrink further, since there are 28 players currently on track to have those restrictions lift between now and January 31.

January 15 is the key date, with 17 players becoming trade-eligible as of that Wednesday. That 17-player group includes several standouts who almost certainly aren’t going anywhere, such as OG Anunoby and Tyrese Maxey.

Still, a handful of players on the list could be involved in trade rumors in 2025. Some, like Patrick Williams, Precious Achiuwa, KJ Martin, and Josh Okogie, have already been the subjects of speculation.

Eleven other offseason signees have unique trade-eligible dates in January, since they either signed as a free agent in October or inked a veteran extension in July.

That list features names both big (like Bam Adebayo) and small (such as DaQuan Jeffries). None of the 11 players in that group have been at the center of any real trade rumors so far this season though.

Last day to apply for a disabled player exception

January 15 is the last day that teams can apply for a disabled player exception to replace an injured player who is deemed unlikely to return this season. If a player suffers a season-ending injury on January 16, his team would be ineligible to apply for a DPE.

A disabled player exception gives a club some extra cap flexibility, but not an extra roster spot, so they often go unused. So far this season, the Hornets, Jazz, and Nuggets have each been granted one DPE, while the Pacers have received two.

As we explained when we identified the players who will become trade-eligible on unique dates this season, there’s a small group of players whose trade restrictions won’t lift until sometime after the February 6 trade deadline. These players meet one of the following criteria:

1. They signed a free agent contract or were promoted from a two-way contract after November 6.
   • A player who signs a free agent contract or is promoted from a two-way contract is ineligible to be traded for at least three months.
2. They signed a veteran contract extension (meeting certain criteria) after August 6.
   • A player who signs a veteran extension that keeps him under contract for more than four total years (including his current contract), includes a first-year raise greater than 20%, includes a subsequent raise exceeding 5%, or includes a renegotiation is ineligible to be traded for six months.
3. They signed a super-max contract.
   • A player who signs a super-max contract (also known as a designated veteran contract) is ineligible to be traded for one year.

We identified all the players who fell into these three categories in our previous story on unique trade dates, but they may have slipped through the cracks amid the larger list of players we discussed in that article.

With that in mind, we want to specifically single them out today to make sure it’s clear which players won’t become trade-eligible at all until sometime after the 2024/25 regular season.

Here are the players who fall into the three aforementioned groups and who can’t be traded this season:

Players who have signed standard contracts since November 6:

• Branden Carlson (Thunder)
• Jae Crowder (Kings)
• Keshad Johnson (Heat)
• Paul Reed (Pistons)
• Landry Shamet (Knicks)

There hasn’t been a ton of action on the free agent market since the regular season began, with most players who have signed with NBA teams receiving two-way contracts rather than standard deals.

Still, the Thunder and Kings added 15th men on non-guaranteed contracts; the Heat promoted Johnson from his two-way deal; and the Knicks and Pistons re-signed veterans whom they waived earlier in 2024/25.

All of those players are ineligible to be moved this season, and this list will continue to grow if more free agents sign standard contracts between now and February 6.

Players who have signed veteran contract extensions meeting certain criteria since August 6:

• Wendell Carter Jr. (Magic)
• Alex Caruso (Thunder)
• Joel Embiid (Sixers)
• Aaron Gordon (Nuggets)
• Lauri Markkanen (Jazz)
• T.J. McConnell (Pacers)
• Jamal Murray (Nuggets)
• Ivica Zubac (Clippers)

A few players on this list wouldn’t have been trade candidates regardless of whether or not they signed extensions in recent months. Others, including Carter and Markkanen, had been the subject of offseason trade speculation. Now all of them are ineligible to be dealt until the 2025 offseason.

It’s not uncommon for some players who are eligible for in-season veteran extensions to sign new deals well into the season, as Caruso did last week, so it’s certainly possible more names will be added to this group before February’s trade deadline.

Players who have signed super-max contracts:

• Jayson Tatum (Celtics)

Tatum signed his designated veteran extension on July 6, 2024, which means he won’t become trade-eligible until July 6, 2025.

No other players will join the Celtics forward on this list prior to next month’s trade deadline, since super-max deals can’t be signed during the season.

Note: This article refers to players on standard contracts. Players on two-way contracts can’t be traded for 30 days after signing, meaning any player who signs a two-way deal after January 7 this season will be ineligible to be dealt by the deadline.