While most players currently on NBA rosters are locked into their salaries for 2016/17, guaranteed to make that money whether they’re retained or released, that’s not the case for every player.
The majority of NBA teams are carrying at least one or two players whose salaries aren’t fully guaranteed. That’s especially true in the offseason, when clubs can carry up to 20 players. Only 15 players can make a team’s regular-season roster, so most teams won’t fully guarantee more than 14 or 15 contracts — the remaining players will get small partial guarantees or non-guaranteed deals and will have to compete for a roster spot.
If a player with a non-guaranteed salary earns a spot on his team’s regular-season roster, his contract doesn’t necessarily become guaranteed instantly. As we detailed in our schedule of salary guarantee dates, some players have special language written into their contracts that sees them earn chunks of guaranteed money if they remain under contract beyond certain deadlines. But the league-wide deadline won’t arrive until January 10, 2017. If a player remains under contract past that date, his salary for 2016/17 becomes fully guaranteed.
Listed below are the players whose salaries are currently not fully guaranteed, along with their respective teams. If a player has a partial guarantee, that’s noted in parentheses. Players on this list who are waived will be moved to our 2016 free agent list, assuming they clear waivers and reach the open market. Players who have their salaries guaranteed will likely end up on our 2017 free agent list, since they’ll either have a non-guaranteed salary or no contract at all for the 2017/18 season.
Here’s the full list of players who are currently on non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed contracts:
Point Guards
- Bobby Brown, Rockets
- Semaj Christon ($200K), Thunder
- Spencer Dinwiddie ($100K), Nets
- Ty Lawson, Kings
- T.J. McConnell, Sixers
- Tim Quarterman ($75K), Trail Blazers
- Fred VanVleet ($50K), Raptors
Shooting Guards
- Ron Baker ($75K), Knicks
- Bryn Forbes ($125K), Spurs
- Treveon Graham ($75K), Hornets
- DeAndre Liggins ($25K), Cavaliers
- Sheldon McClellan ($50K), Wizards
- Rodney McGruder ($400K), Heat
- Jordan McRae, Cavaliers
Small Forwards
- Robert Covington ($50K), Sixers
- Dorian Finney-Smith ($200K), Mavericks
- Jerami Grant, Thunder
- Danuel House ($100K), Wizards
- Derrick Jones ($43K), Suns
- Damjan Rudez, Magic
- Troy Williams ($150K), Grizzlies
- Metta World Peace, Lakers
Power Forwards
- Cristiano Felicio, Bulls
- Thomas Robinson, Lakers
- Kyle Wiltjer ($275K), Rockets
Centers
- JaVale McGee ($500K), Warriors
- Mike Muscala ($508K), Hawks
- Daniel Ochefu ($50K), Wizards
- Jeff Withey, Jazz
Information from Basketball Insiders was used in the creation of this post.