Checking in on roster situations around the NBA

As expected, the majority of the NBA teams made their roster cuts on Saturday and didn’t wait until Monday’s deadline to set their regular season rosters.

Making those moves on Saturday will ensure the players on non-guaranteed contracts clear waivers on Monday before the regular season begins. If a team had waited until Monday to waive a player on a non-guaranteed deal, he wouldn’t clear waivers until Wednesday, and the team would be on the hook for two days’ worth of his salary.

After Saturday’s flurry of roster moves, here’s where things stand around the NBA…

Teams whose rosters are within the regular season limits

Of the NBA’s 30 teams, 24 have rosters that comply with the league’s regular season roster limits, which state that clubs can’t carry more than 15 players on standard contracts or three on two-way contracts.

The following 11 teams are right at the limit, carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-ways:

• Atlanta Hawks
  
• Charlotte Hornets
• Dallas Mavericks
• Denver Nuggets
• Indiana Pacers
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Memphis Grizzlies
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Orlando Magic
• Toronto Raptors
• Utah Jazz

Just because these rosters look ready for the regular season doesn’t mean they’re fully locked in. In fact, it would be a surprise if at least one of these teams doesn’t make a minor tweak before Monday’s regular season roster deadline. That could be as simple as swapping out one two-way player for another.

The following eight teams are carrying 14 players on standard contracts and three on two-ways:

• Boston Celtics
• Chicago Bulls
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Miami Heat
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• Portland Trail Blazers
• Sacramento Kings

Several of these teams have luxury tax concerns and will open the season with an open roster spot to keep their projected tax bill in check, though that’s not the case for all of them. The Kings are well clear of the tax, for instance, and could comfortably make a roster addition if they want to.

We’ve covered 19 teams so far. That leaves five more who are within the regular season limits. Those teams are as follows:

• Brooklyn Nets: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.
• Detroit Pistons: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.
• Golden State Warriors: 13 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.
• New Orleans Pelicans: 14 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.
• New York Knicks: 15 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

The Nets have two players on non-guaranteed contracts, but neither one (Trendon Watford or Harry Giles) has an Exhibit 10 contract, so they can’t be converted to a two-way contract. Brooklyn could hang onto one or both of Watford and Giles and fill its two-way opening with another player if it so chooses.

The Pistons have 14 players on fully guaranteed contracts, with Stanley Umude on an Exhibit 10 contract. He appears likely to make the team, but it’s unclear if he’ll remain on the 15-man roster or be converted to a two-way deal. Either way, Detroit would remain one player away from the 18-man limit and could make one more addition before the season begins.

The Warriors reportedly intend to open the regular season with just 13 players on standard contracts, but they’ll only be able to avoid carrying a 14th man for a brief period. League rules require them to get up to 14 players within two weeks.

The Pelicans, who are at risk of being taxpayers for the first time in franchise history, almost certainly won’t add a 15th standard contract, but two-way players don’t count against the salary cap, so I’d expect the team to keep an eye out for someone to fill that spot. New Orleans had five players in camp on Exhibit 10 contracts but opted to waive all of them on Saturday rather than converting one to a two-way deal.

The Knicks shuffled a handful of players back and forth between the 15-man roster and their two-way slots on Saturday, but they may not be done yet. A two-way contract slot remains open, and they don’t necessarily have to carry all three of their non-guaranteed players (Dylan Windler, Ryan Arcidiacono, and DaQuan Jeffries) on standard contracts into the regular season, though Arcidiacono and Jeffries aren’t eligible to be converted to two-way deals and Windler was just promoted from one.

Teams that still have moves to make before Monday’s deadline

The following teams haven’t yet made their necessary cuts to get within the regular season roster limits:

Houston Rockets: 17 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

Houston has 16 players with full or partial guarantees and will have to trade or waive one of them by Monday’s deadline. Boban Marjanovic, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, and Victor Oladipo are among the potential odd men out.

The Rockets’ 17th player on a standard contract is Jeenathan Williams, whose deal includes Exhibit 10 language. It would be unusual for the team to keep Williams through Saturday’s waiver deadline if the plan wasn’t for him to be converted to a two-way contract. For that to happen, Houston would have to waive one of its current two-way players (Trevor Hudgins, Darius Days, or Jermaine Samuels) to open up a spot.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 16 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

The Thunder won’t be waiving Aaron Wiggins or Isaiah Joe, who have non-guaranteed contracts, so they can afford to take their roster decision to Sunday or Monday without it costing them any additional money.

Jack White, whose minimum-salary contract features a $600K partial guarantee, looks like the player most at risk of being cut. Davis Bertans and Aleksej Pokusevski are potential dark-horse release candidates, while a trade remains possible too.

Philadelphia 76ers: 16 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals.

Filip Petrusev only has a partial guarantee and Danny Green is on a non-guaranteed deal, but I suspect the Sixers may end up setting their regular season roster by trading or releasing a player whose salary is fully guaranteed.

Montrezl Harrell, who is expected to miss the season due to a torn ACL, is one player who could be cut. Furkan Korkmaz may be another after he fell out of the rotation and requested a trade last season. Of course, a James Harden trade could shake up the roster more significantly, but that seems unlikely to happen in the next two days after not materializing for nearly four months.

Phoenix Suns: 16 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

The Suns have 15 players on guaranteed salaries, with Jordan Goodwin‘s deal partially guaranteed. While Phoenix may have a different move in mind, Keon Johnson looks to me like the obvious candidate to be waived. When the Suns acquired Johnson along with Jusuf Nurkic, Nassir Little, and Grayson Allen in its three-way deal with Portland and Milwaukee, the former Tennessee standout was viewed as the least likely of the four to actually play a role for the team.

San Antonio Spurs: 16 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

With 15 players on guaranteed contracts and Charles Bediako on an Exhibit 10 contract, San Antonio’s final preseason move looks pretty clear, barring a last-minute surprise. If they convert Bediako to a two-way deal, the Spurs will be ready for the regular season.

Washington Wizards: 17 players on standard contracts and two on two-way deals.

All 17 Wizards on standard contracts have fully guaranteed salaries and can’t be converted to a two-way deal, so two of them will have to be traded or released.

Veterans on expiring contracts like Delon Wright, Mike Muscala, and Danilo Gallinari are trade candidates, but if the Wizards are forced to make cuts, I expect Xavier Cooks to be in more danger. He didn’t play much in the preseason and wasn’t especially impactful when he did see the floor — he’s also not owed guaranteed money beyond 2023-24.

Two vets on minimum-salary contracts, Anthony Gill and Taj Gibson dealt with injuries in the preseason and don’t project to have substantial roles on this Wizards team. While the organization seems to value their presence in the locker room, we’ll see if the roster crunch forces one of them out in favor of a younger player with more upside, like Patrick Baldwin.