With the NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee date for 2024/25 behind us, it’s worth checking in once again on which teams have open spots on their 18-man rosters.
As our roster count tracker shows, these are the teams that don’t currently have full rosters consisting of 15 players on standard rest-of-season contracts and three on two-way deals:
Teams with standard roster openings:
- Boston Celtics
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Detroit Pistons
- Golden State Warriors
- Houston Rockets
- Miami Heat
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- New York Knicks
- Oklahoma City Thunder *
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Sacramento Kings
- Toronto Raptors *
The Thunder and Raptors, marked with asterisks, technically have full 15-man standard rosters at the moment, but they’re each only carrying 14 players on full-season contracts, with one player on a 10-day deal. Those 10-day deals will expire later this month, at which time both Oklahoma City and Toronto will once again have an open roster spot.
Most teams in this group likely won’t sign a player to a rest-of-season or multiyear contract until sometime after the trade deadline, when they know they won’t need to use that 15th roster spot to accommodate a trade in which they acquire more players than they send out.
In between now and the trade deadline, some of these clubs could join OKC and Toronto in signing free agents to 10-day contracts. However, nine of these 14 teams project to be taxpayers, so those nine teams likely won’t be eager to bring in a 15th man unless he’s actually going to play.
Besides the Thunder and Raptors, the other clubs not projected to be taxpayers are the Pistons, Rockets, and Kings, though Detroit is operating with cap space and may try to avoid cutting into that room by signing a 15th man between now and the deadline.
Teams with two-way openings:
- Golden State Warriors
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers
The deadline to sign a player to a two-way contract won’t arrive until March 4, so there’s no urgency for these clubs to fill their openings right away.
Golden State’s and Orlando’s actions don’t suggest we should count on them to make two-way signings soon — the Warriors‘ third two-way slot has been open since they traded Reece Beekman to Brooklyn on December 15, while the Magic have left one of their two-way slots open all season.
Still, the prorated portion of a two-way salary is such a minor financial commitment for an NBA franchise that we may see one or more of these teams bring in a new two-way player sooner rather than later, even if they’re not certain he’ll hold that spot for the rest of the season.
Its very cool how the Warriors are currently decimated with injuries and have open roster spots. Almost like the front office really knows what its doing, or something! Schroder trade was a month ago, and MDJ traded Beekman and just…vibed out? Huh? Is winning even remotely on this guys mind? It’s definitely not on (should have been fired by now) Kerr’s!
Warriors value team chemistry higher than most teams. They care about each guy having a role and an identity.
Oh how the tables have turned. Calling MDJ the best GM with the Schroeder trade. Then calling Schroeder the trade that saved the season.
Now calling out that same FO for the lack of movement lmao.
Davey being Davey from his mothers basement.