Upcoming October NBA Deadlines

For the next several weeks, we’ll refer 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 2014/15 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 by Halloween:

Monday, October 28th (Last day of offseason)

• Teams must reduce rosters to a maximum of 15 players.
• Last day for summer contracts to clear waivers without applying to team salary.
• Last day to complete sign-and-trade deals this season.

Thursday, October 31st

• Last day teams can sign players entering the final year of their rookie contracts to extensions.
• Last day teams can exercise 2014/15 team options for second- and third-year players on rookie contracts.

While a number of decisions are due by the end of the month, not all of the important early-season deadlines occur in October. For instance, 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. If James Anderson, for example, remains on the 76ers’ roster beyond October 31st, his 2013/14 salary will become fully guaranteed, as our schedule of guarantee dates shows.

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