Of the many free agents still on the market, plenty will join NBA training camp rosters for October, and some will even earn a place on a regular-season roster. But plenty of those available players are more likely to sign a contract overseas or land a spot on a D-League squad to start the 2013/14 season.
Still, as the season progresses, injuries will start piling up for NBA teams, and fresh bodies will be needed. At that point, some of those guys who missed out on roster spots earlier could ink 10-day contracts, potentially parlaying that into a rest-of-season deal.
In 2012/13, as our 10-day contract tracker shows, 21 players signed one or two 10-day contracts with a team before signing a rest-of-season contract with that team. Most of those deals included non-guaranteed salaries for the coming season, giving the clubs some flexibility to retain or cut those 10-day signees, depending on other roster moves. In some cases, the player's performance down the stretch earned him a spot on the team's 2013/14 roster, either on an existing deal or a new contract.
Listed below are the 21 guys who signed rest-of-season contracts with teams in 2013 after initially signing at least one 10-day deal. Let's take a look at what their outlooks are for the coming season….
Returning to their previous teams:
- Chris Andersen (Heat): Andersen's rest-of-season contract last season didn't include an option for this year, but he and Miami nonetheless reached an agreement to reunite for the minimum salary.
- Chris Johnson (Timberwolves): Johnson made out better than most of his fellow 10-day signees, as his deal with the T-Wolves for the coming year is fully guaranteed.
- Shelvin Mack (Hawks): For now, Mack remains under contract with Atlanta on a non-guaranteed contract, but it's unclear how secure his spot on the roster is. If he ends up being cut, he would reportedly still try to land another NBA job, rather than heading overseas.
- Kenyon Martin (Knicks): Martin's trajectory with the Knicks closely matched Chris Andersen's with the Heat — the former first overall pick impressed on his one-year deal last season, earning him a new fully guaranteed contract with the club this time around.
- Jerel McNeal (Jazz): McNeal remains on the Jazz on a non-guaranteed contract, and considering the team is in rebuilding mode, his roster spot looks reasonably safe for now, despite the fact that he's never appeared in an NBA game.
- Jannero Pargo (Bobcats): Charlotte was impressed enough by Pargo's performance last season that the club re-signed him to be the third point guard behind Kemba Walker and Ramon Sessions. The deal isn't fully guaranteed, but it's partially guaranteed for $300K, giving Pargo a leg up on any non-guaranteed players for a roster spot.
- Jarvis Varnado (Heat): Varnado's rest-of-season deal with the Heat last season included a non-guaranteed 2013/14 salary, and the team has yet to cut him. There's no rush to make a decision on Varnado yet, but $250K of his salary becomes guaranteed on opening night, and at least one local beat writer views the big man as a long shot to remain on the roster that long.
- Maalik Wayns (Clippers): Wayns remains on the Clippers on a non-guaranteed contract, and we've yet to hear one way or the other if the team plans to hang on to him into the regular season. For now, the Clips only have 13 guaranteed deals on the books, so there could be room for Wayns.
Playing elsewhere:
- Josh Akognon (Grizzlies): Due to a need for cap room, the Mavericks released Akognon last month, but the young point guard didn't even have a chance to weigh his free agent options before the Grizzlies snapped him up on waivers. His contract is still non-guaranteed, but Memphis' decision to move Tony Wroten could bode well for Akognon's chances of making the team.
- Mickael Gelabale (Russia): Like 2012/13 Timberwolves teammate Chris Johnson, Gelabale's rest-of-season deal last year included a second year. But unlike Johnson, Gelabale had a non-guaranteed salary for 2013/14, making him a cap casualty last month. The French forward has since signed with BC Khimki in Russia.
- Terrel Harris (Trail Blazers): Harris' non-guaranteed contract was included in last month's Tyreke Evans swap for salary purposes, so it's not clear if the Blazers actually like him, or whether they simply took him on out of necessity. Harris is also facing a suspension for a drug violation, so he'd probably need to have a very strong training camp to avoid being cut.
- Kris Joseph (China): After being waived for the second time in the last year by the Celtics, Joseph reportedly caught on with a Chinese team, though not all the details of his rumored deal have surfaced yet.
- Jeremy Pargo (Russia): While Pargo inked a rest-of-season contract with the Sixers, he didn't actually last the full year with the team, which cut him to make room for Justin Holiday in April. Pargo bounced back nicely though, landing a lucrative deal with Russia's CSKA Moscow well before the NBA free agency period even got underway.
- DaJuan Summers (Ukraine): The Clippers waived Summers early in July, but by the end of the month, the forward was employed again, landing with Ukraine's Budivelnyk Kyiv.
Current free agents:
- Juwan Howard: The Heat seem willing to pay Howard to be on the roster regardless of how often he'll actually see the court, so perhaps that happens again later in the 2013/14 season. For now, he remains unsigned.
- Mike James: After spending a good chunk of last season with the Mavericks, James was said to be in talks with the team again nearly a month ago. Dallas has 15 guaranteed contracts on the books, and a pretty crowded backcourt, so a reunion seems unlikely, but the 38-year-old still hopes to continue his playing career.
- Scott Machado: Machado was a roster casualty for the Warriors, waived last month along with two other non-guaranteed players. He appears to be drawing overseas interest though, recently telling Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that he has four international offers.
- Shavlik Randolph: Much to the chagrin of several Celtics fans in our comments section, Randolph was released by the club a few weeks ago. I have a feeling the decision was based much more on Boston's proximity to the tax line than on Randolph himself, who played well in 2012/13. He has been mentioned as a possible Knicks target since being cut by the C's.
- Malcolm Thomas: Despite consistently solid play in Summer League and D-League action, Thomas hasn't been able to stick with an NBA team. The Bulls released him last month, reducing their tax bill, and we haven't heard him mentioned in any rumors since then.
- D.J. White: Entering July on a non-guaranteed contract, White was included as a spare part in the blockbuster that sent Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn, and was quickly waived by the Nets. White has since worked out for the Knicks, but is also reportedly considering offers from Chinese teams.
- Terrence Williams: Williams had a solid stint for the Celtics in the second half of 2012/13, but it wasn't enough to keep him on the roster any further — he was released back in June. The only Williams-related rumor we've heard since then involves the swingman changing agents, from Aaron Goodwin to Herb Rudoy.