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For most of the last few weeks, we've made reference to the end of October as a deadline by which a number of decisions must be made by NBA teams. Whether it's cutting rosters down to 15 players, exercising 2013/14 rookie contract options, or signing fourth-year players to extensions, teams have plenty of decisions to make by the end of the month. Here's a quick rundown of what to look for in the next week:

Monday, October 29th (Last day of offseason)

• Teams must reduce rosters to a maximum of 15 players. Players must be released by Saturday at 4:00pm CT in order to clear waivers by Monday.
• Last day for summer contracts to clear waivers without applying to team salary.
• Last day to complete sign-and-trade deals this season (for taxpaying teams, this will be the last day they can ever make a sign-and-trade deal, until they become a non-taxpayer).

Wednesday, October 31st

• Last day teams can sign players entering the final year of their rookie contracts to extensions.
• Last day teams can exercise 2013/14 team options for second-year and third-year players on rookie contracts.

While a number of decisions are due within the next week, not all of the important early-season deadlines occur in October. For instance, most non-guaranteed contracts don't become guaranteed for the rest of the season until January 10th, 2013, unless a different date was written into a player's contract (ie. DeJuan Blair's 2012/13 salary becomes guaranteed on November 1st).

Larry Coon's Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.

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In the past week, the Cavaliers and Celtics waived players with partially or fully guaranteed contracts, and now that those guys have cleared waivers, the teams are obligated to pay them even though they won't be playing in Cleveland and Boston, respectively. It's a scenario that's likely to play out again between now and opening night of the regular season, when rosters must be trimmed to 15. Several teams have more players with guaranteed deals than they have roster space available, so unless they're able to work out a trade, they'll be on the hook for guys who won't be contributing this year.

Most, if not all, of the players who hit the waiver wire in the next week will have less than $1MM in guaranteed money, but sometimes teams are willing to let go of someone making much more. In the case of Rashard Lewis, whom the Hornets owe $13.7MM this year, the decision to waive him and pay his partially guaranteed amount saved the team an extra $9MM they would have had to shell out if they kept him around at the full amount left on his deal.

Teams can erase the guaranteed portions of a player's salary from their books using the amnesty provision, but they can only do so once, and only on players who signed prior to last year's lockout. We're keeping track of amnesty cuts here, but this list is for players who still count against a team's cap. This list doesn't include cap holds for free agents or unsigned first-round draft picks, all of which count against the cap as well. Otherwise, if you know anyone we've missed, let us know in the comments.

Updated 10-23-12

Hawks

• Jordan Farmar ($1.5MM) — The Hawks bought him out of the final season of his deal, originally worth $4.25, in July.
• Jordan Williams ($762K) — Waived in September, despite a full guarantee.

Celtics

• Keyon Dooling ($854K) — Dooling retired in September, but the team is still on the hook for his minimum-salary deal.
• Dionte Christmas ($237K) — Waived on October 16th despite a guarantee that covered half of his minimum-salary deal.
• Jamar Smith ($25K) — Waived on October 16th despite a partial guarantee.

 Cavaliers

• Kelenna Azubuike ($1.07M) — Waived on October 14th despite a full guarantee.

Pistons

• Richard Hamilton ($6.07MM) — Agreed to a buyout in 2011.

Rockets

• *Derek Fisher ($644K) — It's unclear whether he remains on Houston's books. It was widely believed that Fisher had exercised his player option for 2012/13 before he agreed to a buyout from the Rockets in March, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com recently heard that Fisher did not opt in. 

Pacers

• Blake Ahearn ($25K) — Waived October 22nd despite a partial guarantee.
• Sundiata Gaines ($25K) — Waived October 22nd despite a partial guarantee.

Heat

• James Jones ($1.757MM) — Though Jones is with the Heat, he's still receiving money from a contract he signed in 2008 in addition to his current deal. Miami waived Jones in June 2010, on the final day they could do so before the partial guarantees on the three years remaining on his original deal became full guarantees. The move freed up cap space for the team to sign LeBron James, Chris Bosh and others that offseason, and Jones rejoined the team on a smaller deal later that summer.

Timberwolves

• Martell Webster ($600K) — Waived in July despite a partial guarantee.

Hornets

• Rashard Lewis ($13.7MM) — Waived in June despite a partial guarantee for 2012/13.

Knicks

• Renaldo Balkman ($1.675MM) — Waived in February despite a full guarantee for 2012/13.

Magic

• Christian Eyenga ($1.174MM) — Waived October 23rd despite a full guarantee.

Suns

• Brad Miller ($848K) — Waived in August despite a partial guarantee.

Trail Blazers

• Shawne Williams ($2.6MM) — The Blazers bought him out of the final year of his contract, originally worth $3.135MM, in July. 

Storytellers Contracts and ShamSports were used in the creation of this post.

Our list of non-guaranteed contracts for 2012/13 is fairly detailed, including not only players whose deals are fully non-guaranteed, but also those who have a partial guarantee on their contracts. If those players are waived by their respective teams, they'll still receive a portion of their salaries, though the club won't have to pay the entire amount.

To save you from sifting through our list of non-guaranteed deals, we've taken all the players believed to have partial guarantees on their contracts and listed them below. In many cases, these players will have the edge over non-guaranteed camp invitees when it comes to landing the final spot or two on their team's roster, since the club will have to pay them either way.

Based on the contract details reported to date, with a major assist from ShamSports, here are the players with partial guarantees, along with the amount of that guarantee. These players are assumed to be on minimum-salary contracts unless otherwise indicated:

• 76ers: Maalik Wayns ($75K)
• Bulls: Nate Robinson ($400K)
• Cavaliers: Micheal Eric ($300K), Daniel Gibson ($2.49MM; $4.79MM total salary), Kevin Jones ($50K), Samardo Samuels ($200K)
• Hawks: Kyle Korver ($500K; $5MM total salary)
• Hornets: Brian Roberts ($100K)
• Jazz: Kevin Murphy ($200K)
• Knicks: John Shurna ($50K), Henry Sims ($50K)
• Magic: E'Twaun Moore ($90K)
• Nuggets: Julyan Stone ($100K)
• Pacers: Blake Ahearn ($25K), Sundiata Gaines ($25K), Sam Young ($25K)
• Raptors: Jamaal Magloire (unknown amount), Dominic McGuire (unknown amount)
• Rockets: Shaun Livingston ($1MM; $3.5MM total salary), Scott Machado ($237K), Greg Smith ($381K)
• Suns: P.J. Tucker ($150K)
• Thunder: DeAndre Liggins ($25K), Daniel Orton ($100K), Andy Rautins ($25K), Hollis Thompson ($75K)
• Timberwolves: Will Conroy ($100K)
• Warriors: Kent Bazemore ($25K)
• Wizards: Shelvin Mack ($300K buyout), Jannero Pargo (unknown amount)

ShamSports was used in the creation of this list.

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Over a quarter of the NBA's 30 teams have made significant front office changes since the 2011/12 season ended, with nine clubs hiring or promoting executives for their general manager openings. But while many teams are making changes, a number of GMs have been with their current franchises for years, or even decades.

Most of their names at the top of our list of longest-tenured GMs are to be expected — Pat Riley, Joe Dumars, Mitch Kupchak, R.C. Buford, and Danny Ainge make up five of the top six, and each have brought championship banners to their respective franchises since taking over. Still, there are a few surprises, including the number one longest-tenured GM: Geoff Petrie of the Kings.

Not all of the executives listed below necessarily have the title of "general manager," as many top execs are their team's president of basketball operations, or hold a similar title. For clubs that have both a a general manager and a president of basketball ops, the GM is listed below, with the president indicated in parentheses.

Here's the list of the longest-tenured GMs in the NBA, along with the date they assumed the role:

1. Geoff Petrie, Kings: June 1994
2. Pat Riley, Heat: September 1995
3. Joe Dumars, Pistons: June 2000
4. Mitch Kupchak, Lakers: August 2000
5. R.C. Buford, Spurs: July 2002
6. Danny Ainge, Celtics: May 2003
7. Ernie Grunfeld, Wizards: June 2003
8. Donnie Nelson, Mavericks: June 2005
9. Bryan Colangelo, Raptors: February 2006
10. Daryl Morey, Rockets: May 2007
11. Sam Presti, Thunder: June 2007
12. Chris Wallace, Grizzlies: June 2007
13. John Hammond, Bucks: April 2008
14. Gar Forman, Bulls: May 2009
15. David Kahn, Timberwolves: May 2009
16. Chris Grant, Cavaliers: June 2010
17. Billy King, Nets: July 2010
18. Dell Demps, Hornets: July 2010
19. Lance Blanks, Suns: August 2010 (Lon Babby is president of basketball operations)
20. Masai Ujiri, Nuggets: August 2010
21. Glen Grunwald, Knicks: June 2011 (as interim GM; became permanent in April 2012)
22. Rich Cho, Bobcats: June 2011 (Rod Higgins is president of basketball operations)
23. Bob Myers, Warriors: April 2012
24. Neil Olshey, Trail Blazers: June 2012
25. Rob Hennigan, Magic: June 2012
26. Danny Ferry, Hawks: June 2012
27. Kevin Pritchard, Pacers: June 2012 (Donnie Walsh is president of basketball operations)
28. Dennis Lindsey, Jazz: August 2012 (Kevin O'Connor is executive VP of basketball operations)
29. Gary Sacks, Clippers: September 2012
30. Tony DiLeo, Sixers: September 2012

The deadline for teams to reach rookie-scale extension agreements with eligible fourth-year players is a little more than two weeks away. Blake Griffin got the max from the Clippers in July, and Serge Ibaka reached a four-year, $49MM accord with the Thunder in August, but those are the only two players to sign extensions so far this offseason. History indicates there will be more, and all of them don't figure to be as lucrative as the deals Griffin and Ibaka got.  

Though some of the rules have changed since the new CBA was implemented in 2011, most notably the stipulation that only one player per team may receive a five-year deal, a look back at rookie-scale extensions from the last several years reveals some clues about the kind of players who might get extensions this year. The volume of secondary players on this list suggests guys like Eric Maynor, Gerald Henderson and Taj Gibson won't be overlooked by their teams, despite most of the extension talk centering around names like James Harden, Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings.

While the idea behind a rookie extension is to lock a player up long-term, it doesn't mean the player is a safe bet to finish the contract with his team. Jameer Nelson is the only one of the five players who inked a five-year extension in 2007 who remains with the team he signed with, and he's with the Magic only because he signed a new deal this summer after opting out of the final season of his extension.

The extension recipients are listed below by the year in which they signed. The extensions kick in the season after they're signed, meaning the agreements reached in 2007 didn't show up in the ledger until 2008/09. For more about players eligible for extensions this year, check out our Extension Candidate series. 

2011/12 (usual October deadline extended into January because of the lockout)

• Danilo Gallinari, Nuggets (four years, $42MM)
• Kosta Koufos, Nuggets (three years, $9MM)
• Kevin Love, Wolves (four years, $60.826MM)
• Russell Westbrook, Thunder (five years, $78.585MM)
• Derrick Rose, Bulls (five years, $94.315MM)

2010

• Mike Conley, Grizzlies (five years, $40MM)
• Jared Dudley, Suns (five years, $21.25MM)
• Al Horford, Hawks (five years, $60MM)
• Joakim Noah, Bulls (five years, $60MM)
• Kevin Durant, Thunder (five years, $89.163MM)

2009

• Rajon Rondo, Celtics (five years, $55MM)
• Renaldo Balkman, Nuggets (three years, $5.025MM)
• Thabo Sefolosha, Thunder (four years, $13.8MM)
• LaMarcus Aldridge, Blazers (five years, $62.5MM)
• Brandon Roy, Blazers (five years, $82.303MM)
• Andrea Bargnani, Raptors (five years, $50MM)

2008

• Danny Granger, Pacers (five years, $60MM)
• Jason Maxiell, Pistons (four years, $20MM)
• Martell Webster, Blazers (four years, $20MM)
• Andrew Bynum, Lakers (four years, $57.2MM)
• Francisco Garcia, Kings (five years, $29.6MM)
• Deron Williams, Jazz (four years, $62.6MM)
• Andrew Bogut, Bucks (five years, $60MM)
• Chris Paul, Hornets (four years, $62.6MM)

2007

• Kris Humphries, Raptors (three years, $9.3MM)
• Al Jefferson, Timberwolves (five years, $65MM)
• Jameer Nelson, Magic (five years, $38.5MM)
• Devin Harris, Mavericks (five years, $43MM)
• Kevin Martin, Kings (five years, $53MM)
• Dwight Howard, Magic (five years, $83.236MM)

Following up on the list of fully guaranteed minimum-salary contracts in the Eastern Conference, here is the corresponding Western Conference list. While the idea is to identify players who might be vulnerable to getting cut when teams pare their rosters down for the regular season, some on this list are safer than others — the Kings don't figure to cut loose Isaiah Thomas, for instance. Still, the guys on this list, along with the players on partial and non-guaranteed deals, would be the most financially friendly to cut. 

The league reimburses teams for the cost of veteran minimum-salary players who earn more than $854,389 based on their years of experience, so that's what everyone below is making, unless otherwise noted.

• Clippers: Matt Barnes, Ronny Turiaf, Ryan Hollins, Trey Thompkins ($762,195), Travis Leslie ($762,195) 
• Hornets: Roger Mason, Darius Miller ($473,604)
• Mavericks: Delonte West, Bernard James ($473,604)
• Timberwolves: Louis Amundson, Malcolm Lee ($762,195)
• Warriors: Charles Jenkins ($762,195), Jeremy Tyler ($762,195)
• Lakers: Antawn Jamison
• Grizzlies: Josh Selby ($762,195)
• Jazz: DeMarre Carroll
• Kings: Isaiah Thomas ($762,195)
• Nuggets: Quincy Miller ($473,604)
• Suns: Jermaine O'Neal
• Rockets: None
• Spurs: None
• Thunder: None
• Trail Blazers: None

We've been tracking players on non-guaranteed deals with a list that also includes those with partial guarantees, but as preseason goes on and we edge closer to the time when teams must make their final cuts, those without a full guarantee aren't the only ones who might be vulnerable. A number of guys are on fully guaranteed minimum-salary contracts, but it wouldn't cost their clubs too much to eat their guarantees if they decide someone else is more deserving of a roster spot.

The amount of the minimum salary is based on a player's years of service, but since the league reimburses teams for anything above the third-year minimum, no team is obligated to more than $854,389 for a minimum-salary player. If a team is carrying a first- or second-year player on the minimum, his salary is noted in parentheses below. We'll follow up with the Western Conference list soon.

• Nets: Jerry Stackhouse, Keith Bogans, Tornike Shengelia ($473,604)*, Tyshawn Taylor ($473,604)*
• Celtics: Chris Wilcox, Jason Collins, Darko Milicic
• Knicks: Ronnie Brewer, James White, Pablo Prigioni ($473,604)
• Bucks: Joel Przybilla, Marquis Daniels
• Bulls: Nazr Mohammed, Vladimir Radmanovic
• Hawks: Anthony Tolliver, Mike Scott ($473,604)
• Pistons: Khris Middleton ($473,604)*, Kim English ($473,604)
• Wizards: Cartier Martin, A.J. Price
• Cavaliers: Jon Leuer ($762,195)
• Heat: Dexter Pittman
• Magic: Justin Harper ($762,195)
• Sixers: Royal Ivey
• Raptors: Alan Anderson
• Bobcats: None
• Pacers: None

*-contract includes an additional fully guaranteed year beyond 2012/13

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