As expected, the Nets have brought back guard Iman Shumpert and forward Andre Roberson shortly after waiving them, announcing today in a press release that they’ve officially signed the two veterans to 10-day contracts.
Brooklyn signed Shumpert and Roberson to non-guaranteed contracts in recent weeks, then cut both players on Tuesday night in advance of this year’s salary guarantee deadline. By releasing the two vets and bringing them back on 10-day deals, the Nets will retain some roster and salary cap flexibility with the trade deadline just a few weeks away. Both players cleared waivers today.
Shumpert and Roberson were initially signed to bring their defensive abilities to an offensive-minded Brooklyn roster, but neither player has seen much action for the team so far. Shumpert has appeared in a single game, logging six minutes, while Roberson played 22 total minutes in two appearances.
The two 10-day deals will cover the rest of the Nets’ three remaining first-half games, then the club will have to make a decision on whether to re-sign the players to start the second half of the season. As Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets, Shumpert will earn about $160K on his 10-day contract, while Roberson will make $149K. Both players will have cap hits of $111K.
The Nets now have a full 15-man roster, including three players – Shumpert, Roberson, and Tyler Cook – on 10-day contracts.
When are the buy-outs expected to start? After two 10-day contracts, the player has to be signed for the rest of the season or cut. I believe the trade deadline is 3/25. Decisions will need to be made on these three about a week before the trade deadline. I’m not sure how long the team can go with three open roster spots. So, at least one of the three will probably be signed for the rest of the season. The last day a player can be waived/bought out and retain playoff eligibility for another team is 4/9. The team will probably need to sign other players to 10-day contracts to bridge the gap from 3/21, assuming the all-star break is a break between the first and second 10-day contracts, and 4/9.
I believe it is 10 days you can have an open spot.