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As players continue to be signed and released, and training camp rosters become finalized, Hoops Rumors has been tracking the players whose contracts aren't fully guaranteed.  Because teams can carry up to 20 players during the offseason, a number that must be reduced to 15 by opening night, guys whose contracts aren't guaranteed are the best bets to be waived or traded by the end of October.

While a handful of teams will undoubtedly end up eating a little money by waiving a player with a guaranteed contract in favor of a non-guaranteed player that excels in training camp and the preseason, the players without full guarantees will generally be first on the chopping block. That's especially true for free agents who signed summer contracts — those deals don't even count toward team salary until the season gets underway.

Hoops Rumors' full list of non-guaranteed players for 2012/13 is located right here, and can be found anytime on the right sidebar under "Hoops Rumors Features." Although plenty of decisions on these players will be made by October 30th, many non-guaranteed deals don't officially become fully guaranteed until January 10th, so this page will be updated until that deadline.

If you notice any errors or omissions on our list of non-guaranteed contracts, please contact us and let us know. A number of players who are expected to be on training camp rosters, including Armon Johnson (Magic), DeQuan Jones (Magic), D.J. Kennedy (Grizzlies), Courtney Fortson (Clippers), Darnell Jackson (Jazz), and Trey Gilder (Jazz), will be added to the list when we receive official word that they're on board with their respective clubs.

Hoops Rumors passes along the latest news and rumors on NBA player movement 365 days a year, but those aren't the only updates you'll see on the site. On our right sidebar, you'll find a number of additional features and featured posts. Here's a rundown of a few of them:

• Our Free Agent Tracker features up-to-date details on this summer's free agent signings, with data sortable by team, position, contract years, and contract amount.
• We also have free agent lists for both next summer, and the summer of 2014, which will continue to be modified as needed.
• Using our 10-day contract tracker, you can find any 10-day contract signed since 2007, sorting by player, team, year, and other variables.
• Every Thursday at 4:00pm CT, Luke Adams answers readers' questions in a live chat. You can check out transcripts of past chats here.
• Our list of outstanding traded player exceptions is updated whenever a trade exception is used or expires.
• We're also tracking teams' amnesty provisions — using our complete list, you can check to see which clubs have used the amnesty clause and which will carry it into next summer.
• The Hoops Rumors glossary helps explain some of the more complex concepts in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement.
• Our ongoing Extension Candidate series provides a look at a handful of players that could have their contracts extended before the season begins.
• Zach Links rounds up the best of the blogosphere every Saturday in his weekly Hoops Links feature.
• If you're looking to catch up on a few days worth of content, our Week in Review posts round up the week's news and rumors, while our Hoops Rumors Originals posts recap the site's original content for the week. Both round-ups are published every Sunday.
• Be sure to check out the Featured Posts section on the right sidebar for more original pieces from the Hoops Rumors writing team. Recently, we listed the NBA players who are still eligible to be amnestied, recapped all the trades made this offseason, and examined the largest expiring contracts of 2012/13.

Three teams will have new coaches to start the 2012/13 season, as Jacque Vaughn will take over the Magic, Mike Dunlap is the new man for the Bobcats, and Terry Stotts got the Blazers job. A handful of other teams either gave their coaches new deals or picked up their options. Put together, these coaches are the least likely to be replaced at any point this season. It's not without precedent that a new or recently extended coach would quickly lose his job, but it's safe to say they all have a pretty long leash.

The process of hiring a new coach gets a lot of attention, but contracts for existing coaches often slip under the radar. Here are the coaches already in place who got new deals in the offseason.

• July 2: Scott Brooks signs a four-year, $18MM extension with the Thunder — The summer's most contentious coaching negotation wrapped up weeks after Brooks took the team to the NBA Finals. The deal, which resembles the one Rick Carlisle got from the Mavericks in May, puts Brooks amongst the league's highest-paid coaches, more than doubling his $2.1MM salary from 2011/12. The Thunder had been holding out for a shorter deal, and reportedly began having internal discussions about possible replacements for Brooks, including Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy.
• June 4: Randy Wittman signs a two-year deal to remain as coach of the Wizards — GM Ernie Grunfeld, who had just received his own new deal in April, removed the interim tag from Wittman's title. The value of Wittman's deal was not released, but Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports heard that the team was unwilling to make a "significant financial commitment," and locked up Wittman instead of pursuing more prominent coaching candidates. Wittman had been an assistant to Flip Saunders, but took over the head job when Saunders was fired following a 2-15 start. 
• May 29th: The Clippers exercise their option on Vinny Del Negro — Though the Clippers took a leap forward with the additions of Chris Paul and others last season, Del Negro was rarely credited with any of the team's newfound success, and was dogged by whispers he would be replaced almost right up until the Clippers exercised their option. There was internal discussion about letting him go when the team hit a rough patch last year, but Del Negro, a favorite of owner Donald Sterling, survived. Neil Olshey, who was the GM when Del Negro got the extension, is gone, but Del Negro was part of a three-man team to replace him before Gary Sacks got the job full-time earlier this month.
• May 25th: Mike Woodson signs a three-year extension with the Knicks — The deal gives Woodson about $4MM per season, an includes an option in the third year, according to Stephen A. Smith of ESPNNewYork.com. Presumably, that's a team option, but in either case it was a significant vote of confidence for Woodson, who replaced Mike D'Antoni in March. The specter of Phil Jackson was present until the deal got done, though Woodson had a major ally once the Knicks also decided to bring back GM Glen Grunwald.  
• May 18th: The Hawks exercise their option on Larry Drew for 2012/13 — The move dispelled rumors that the Hawks would decline the option, and that Drew would be a candidate for the Blazers' job. The move was one of Rick Sund's last as GM of the team, and it remains to be seen whether new GM Danny Ferry will want to keep his inherited coach beyond this season.
• May 15th: The Bulls confirm they will pick up their option on Tom Thibodeau for 2012/13 — GM Gar Forman and Thibodeau downplayed a report that the coach was unhappy with his contract situation in April, but the two sides have reportedly been discussing a long-term extension off and on since before last season, without resolution. They resumed those talks this month, as other coaches have lobbied for Thibodeau to receive a lucrative extension. He's likely in line for one that resembles the deals that Brooks and Carlisle got.
• May 15th: The Mavericks give Rick Carlisle a four-year extension — One year removed from leading the Mavs to an NBA title, the team locked up its coach long-term, setting the market for Brooks' deal with the Thunder.  TNT's David Aldridge, writing on NBA.com, later reported that the deal averages better than $4.5MM a season, and Ric Bucher of ESPN.com reported that the first year of the contract gives Carlisle $4.6MM. 

FRIDAY, 12:56pm: The NBPA has informed players that the law firm selected to review the union's business practices requires more time to finish its report, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports. That subject was one of many discussed in a series of conference calls with the executive committee and player representatives, says Berger.

Among the other topics discussed was the competition's committee's recent talks about a handful of issues, including flopping. The competition committee has yet to formulate an official recommendation on flopping to take to the league's Board of Governors, according to Berger.

WEDNESDAY, 7:08pm: According to SI.com's Sam Amick, a conference call is scheduled to take place on Thursday regarding several pertinent union issues. From a recent memo: "We will provide an update of current union business and cover matters including the distribution of 2011-12 group license funds, implementation of the new annuity program, and proposed rules changes from the competition committee."

Hanging over the head of all these discussion topics is the status of the union's two most important figures: Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher, who have been at serious odds over the union's financial situation since shortly after last year's CBA resolution. Amick reports that no resolution is expected regarding Fisher and Hunter's issue, and Suns' representative Jared Dudley says the situation "smells funny." Fisher's contract is up in two seasons while Hunter's expires in 2016. 

As we've outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Hoops Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. If you don't want to follow all the site's updates, you can follow team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don't have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, you can also easily follow all our updates on your favorite player.

If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Kenyon Martin as he navigates free agency, you can visit this page. If you're interested in whether Jose Calderon might be traded from the Raptors to your favorite team, all Calderon-related updates are located here.

Every player we've written about has his own rumors page. You can find your player of choice by using our search box (located in the right sidebar); by clicking his tag at the bottom of a post where he's discussed; or, by simply typing his name in your address bar after hoopsrumors.com, substituting dashes for spaces. For example, Martin's page is located at hoopsrumors.com/kenyon-martin.

In addition to players and teams, there are a number of other subjects you can track by clicking on the tags we use at the bottom of posts. The latest news on Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau's contract situation, for instance, can be found on his rumors page. If you want to check out updates on Chris Hansen's quest to bring the NBA back to Seattle, those are all available here.

Under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, rookie scale contracts for first round picks include two guaranteed seasons and two option years. Teams are required to make decisions on those contract options a year ahead of time. So players heading into the second year of their rookie contracts this season will have their third-year options either picked up or turned down by October 31st.

Yesterday, we looked at the third-year players whose teams must decide on their fourth-year options by Halloween. Today, we're focusing primarily on members of the 2011 draft class — guys heading into their second year whose teams will decide on their third-year options for 2013/14 in the next few weeks.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, players on rookie deals are typically cheap enough and have a strong enough pedigree that their teams won't hesitate to exercise those options, but that's not always the case. Last year, James Anderson, Daniel Orton, and Damion James were among the second-year players whose third-year options weren't picked up.

Here's the complete list of players for whom a third-year option decision is due by October 31st, sorted by team. The salary for the 2013/14 option year is in parentheses.

• Bobcats: Bismack Biyombo ($3.05MM), Kemba Walker ($2.57MM)
• Bucks: Tobias Harris ($1.55MM)
• Bulls: Jimmy Butler ($1.11MM)
• Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving ($5.61MM), Tristan Thompson ($4.06MM)
• Heat: Norris Cole ($1.13MM)
• Jazz: Enes Kanter ($4.51MM), Alec Burks ($2.2MM)
• Kings: Jimmer Fredette ($2.44MM)
• Knicks: Iman Shumpert ($1.7MM)
• Magic: Nikola Vucevic ($1.79MM)
• Nets: MarShon Brooks ($1.21MM)
• Nuggets: Kenneth Faried ($1.37MM), Jordan Hamilton ($1.17MM)
• Pistons: Brandon Knight ($2.79MM)
• Rockets: Marcus Morris ($1.99MM), JaJuan Johnson ($1.14MM)
• Spurs: Kawhi Leonard ($1.89MM), Cory Joseph ($1.12MM)
• Suns: Markieff Morris ($2.09MM)
• Thunder: Reggie Jackson ($1.26MM)
• Timberwolves: Derrick Williams ($5.02MM), Ricky Rubio ($4MM)
• Trail Blazers: Nolan Smith ($1.42MM)
• Warriors: Klay Thompson ($2.32MM)
• Wizards: Jan Vesely ($3.34MM), Chris Singleton ($1.62MM)

Given Rick Carlisle’s recent comments about this being the season Mavericks guard Rodrigue Beaubois‘ finally “puts it all together,” we at Hoops Rumors are wondering which of the listed players entering extension eligibility are most likely to stay with their current teams. Earlier this month I posted a poll asking which higher profile player was most likely to change teams, but here the question is inverted. 

October 31st represents the deadline by which fourth-year players must sign extensions with their current teams or become ticketed for free agency next summer. However, that's not the only deadline that many teams will face as Halloween approaches.

A player entering the third year of his rookie contract is under contract for the 2012/13 season, but not necessarily for the 2013/14 season — that year is a team option. Rather than getting to make that option decision next summer, teams must decide by October 31st whether to exercise the option or turn it down. A declined option means that the player will hit unrestricted free agency next summer, rather than restricted free agency in 2014.

For the most part, these fourth-year options will be exercised. The cost is generally small enough and the first-round pedigree is strong enough that most teams would prefer to keep their young players around for another year. But that's not always the case. Last year, Jonny Flynn, Jordan Hill, Terrence Williams, and Hasheem Thabeet were among the third-year guys to have their fourth-year options declined, making them free agents this offseason. Flynn and Williams are still looking for work.

Here's the complete list of players for whom a fourth-year option decision is due by October 31st, sorted by team. The salary for the 2013/14 option year is in parentheses:

• 76ers: Evan Turner ($6.68MM)
• Bucks: Ekpe Udoh ($4.47MM), Larry Sanders ($3.05MM)
• Celtics: Avery Bradley ($2.51MM)
• Clippers: Eric Bledsoe ($2.63MM)
• Grizzlies: Quincy Pondexter ($2.23MM)
• Hornets: Al-Farouq Aminu ($3.75MM), Xavier Henry ($3.2MM), Greivis Vasquez ($2.15MM)
• Jazz: Derrick Favors ($6.01MM), Gordon Hayward ($3.45MM)
• Kings: DeMarcus Cousins ($4.92MM)
• Magic: Christian Eyenga ($2.12MM)
• Mavericks: Dominique Jones ($2.3MM)
• Pacers: Paul George ($3.28MM)
• Pistons: Greg Monroe ($4.09MM)
• Raptors: Ed Davis ($3.15MM)
• Rockets: Patrick Patterson ($3.11MM)
• Suns: Wesley Johnson ($5.42MM)
• Thunder: Cole Aldrich ($3.25MM), Lazar Hayward ($2.12MM)
• Trail Blazers: Luke Babbitt ($2.9MM), Elliot Williams ($2.37MM)
• Wizards: John Wall ($7.46MM), Kevin Seraphin ($2.76MM), Trevor Booker ($2.35MM), Jordan Crawford ($2.16MM)

Earlier today, we listed the fourth-year players who are eligible for contract extensions of up to five years. The criteria for those players are fairly simple: If you're still playing on the deal you signed as a first-round draft pick and you're entering the final year of that contract, you're extension-eligible.

For veteran players, however, the criteria are a bit more convoluted. As Larry Coon explains in his invaluable CBA FAQ, veteran contracts of less than four years cannot be extended. However, longer deals can be extended in the following scenarios:

• If a player is on a four-, five-, or six-year deal, it can be extended three years after it was signed.
• If a player previously signed a contract extension, his contract can be extended again three years after the extension was signed.
• If a player previously renegotiated his contract, his deal can be extended three years after the renegotiation was signed, if his salary was increased by more than 10%.

Given the specific circumstances required for a veteran contract extension, not a ton of players are eligible for them in any given year. Veteran extensions can also be for no more than four years, which includes the current season, meaning a player in the final year of his deal could only add three new seasons.

As such, top extension-eligible veterans (Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Andrew Bynum, etc.) are more likely to wait until free agency, where they can maximize their earnings. On the other hand, many extension-eligible players such as DeSagana Diop, Hedo Turkoglu, and Charlie Villanueva have virtually no chance of receiving new deals from their current teams, who are just waiting to clear those salaries.

Still, somewhere in the middle, there are a handful of players that we can reasonably expect to at least discuss the possibility of a contract extension with their respective teams at some point before next June. Here's the complete list, by my count, of veteran players currently eligible for extensions:

• 76ers: Andrew Bynum
• Bobcats: Matt Carroll, DeSagana Diop
• Bucks: Monta Ellis, Beno Udrih
• Bulls: Luol Deng
• Cavaliers: Anderson Varejao, Luke Walton
• Clippers: Lamar Odom, Chris Paul
• Hawks: Devin Harris, Zaza Pachulia, Josh Smith
• Jazz: Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Marvin Williams, Mo Williams
• Kings: Francisco Garcia
• Lakers: Dwight Howard, Metta World Peace
• Magic: Hedo Turkoglu
• Mavericks: Dahntay Jones, Shawn Marion
• Nuggets: Andre Iguodala
• Pacers: Danny Granger
• Pistons: Corey Maggette, Jason Maxiell, Charlie Villanueva
• Raptors: Andrea Bargnani, Jose Calderon
• Rockets: Kevin Martin
• Spurs: Stephen Jackson
• Suns: Marcin Gortat
• Timberwolves: Chase Budinger
• Warriors: Andris Biedrins, Andrew Bogut, Jarrett Jack
• Wizards: Trevor Ariza, Emeka Okafor

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this list.

While there are a number of different forms of contract extensions available to players under the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, the most common type of extension is for guys entering the final year of their rookie scale contract. Unlike veteran extensions, which only add up to three new years to a player's current contract, rookie contract extensions can add up to five new years.

Blake Griffin became the first of 2012's extension-eligible fourth-year players to ink a new deal, agreeing to a five-year, maximum-salary contract with the Clippers early in July. Serge Ibaka and the Thunder finalized a four-year, $49MM extension a few weeks later. Griffin's and Ibaka's deals mean that a pair of prime extension candidates are locked up, but there are still plenty of rookie-scale players eligible for extensions. If they don't sign long-term deals with their current teams by October 31st, they'll become free agents next summer.

We've examined a number of these fourth-year, extension-eligible players in our Extension Candidate series, but here's the complete list, sorted by team:

• 76ers: Jrue Holiday
• Bobcats: Gerald Henderson, B.J. Mullens
• Bucks: Brandon Jennings
• Bulls: Taj Gibson
• Cavaliers: Omri Casspi
• Grizzlies: Wayne Ellington
• Hawks: Jeff Teague
• Kings: Tyreke Evans, James Johnson
• Mavericks: Rodrigue Beaubois, Darren Collison
• Nuggets: Ty Lawson
• Pacers: Tyler Hansbrough
• Pistons: Austin Daye
• Raptors: DeMar DeRozan
• Rockets: Toney Douglas
• Thunder: James Harden, Eric Maynor
• Warriors: Stephen Curry