Players Waived After Wednesday Won’t Be Playoff-Eligible

In order to retain his postseason eligibility for a new NBA team, a player must be waived on or before March 1. That means that any player who remains on an NBA roster after Wednesday won’t be eligible to suit up in the playoffs for a new team, though there’s at least one key exception to that general rule.

A player who is currently on a 10-day contract – or who signs one after March 1 – will retain his playoff eligibility going forward. For instance, once Meyers Leonard‘s 10-day deal with the Bucks expires this Friday night, he’d still be able to re-sign with Milwaukee or join a new team and be eligible to play in the postseason, since he’s not being placed on waivers after March 1.

Here’s the list of players currently on 10-day contracts who will retain their playoff eligibility when their current deals expire:

• Meyers Leonard, Bucks (runs through 3/3)
• Kris Dunn, Jazz (3/3)
• Frank Jackson, Jazz (3/3)
• Trevor Keels, Knicks (3/4)
• Willie Cauley-Stein, Rockets (3/8)

It’s also worth clarifying that a player doesn’t have to sign with a new team by March 1 to be playoff-eligible — he simply has to be placed on waivers by 11:59 pm Eastern time on Wednesday. As long as a player who fits that bill signs with a new team by the final day of the regular season (April 9), he can play in the postseason.

The buyout market in 2023 has been pretty active, with veterans like Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Reggie Jackson, Danny Green, Patrick Beverley, Terrence Ross, and Justin Holiday among those who have been bought out since the trade deadline and found new teams.

All of those players – and those who have been waived but haven’t yet signed with new teams, like Will Barton – will be playoff-eligible for their new clubs, but anyone on a standard contract who is waived after Wednesday won’t be. We know that the Pistons will officially release Nerlens Noel by March 1 after the two sides reached a buyout agreement — we’ll be keeping a close eye out for any other veterans who might hit waivers in the next day-and-a-half.