Entering the day on January 7, there were 25 players who were signed to standard, full-season contracts but whose salaries for the 2024/25 campaign weren’t fully guaranteed.
The deadline for teams to waive those players and avoid having their full ’24/25 salaries become guaranteed was on Tuesday, January 7 at 4:00 p.m. CT.
Although their salaries won’t technically become guaranteed until January 10, those players would still receive their full-season guarantees if they’re cut today or tomorrow, since they wouldn’t clear waivers before Friday’s guarantee deadline.
Here’s a roundup of the decisions teams made with those 25 players:
Players on standard contracts who will have their salaries guaranteed:
Each player’s salary is noted here. His cap hit is identical to his salary unless otherwise indicated.
- Zion Williamson, Pelicans: $36,725,670
- Taj Gibson, Hornets: $3,303,771 *
- James Johnson, Pacers: $3,303,771 *
- Doug McDermott, Kings: $3,303,771 *
- Markieff Morris, Mavericks: $3,303,771 *
- Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers: $3,303,771 *
- Jae Crowder, Kings: $2,620,232 ^
- Talen Horton-Tucker, Bulls: $2,425,403 *
- James Wiseman, Pacers: $2,237,691
- Dalano Banton, Trail Blazers: $2,196,970
- Lindy Waters, Warriors: $2,196,970
- Sam Merrill, Cavaliers: $2,164,993
- Keon Johnson, Nets: $2,162,606
- Keon Ellis, Kings: $2,120,693
- Jaylin Williams, Thunder: $2,019,699
- Ricky Council, Sixers: $1,891,857
- Andre Jackson, Bucks: $1,891,857
- Craig Porter Jr., Cavaliers: $1,891,857
- Gui Santos, Warriors: $1,891,857
- Jalen Wilson, Nets: $1,891,857
- Landry Shamet, Knicks: $1,682,008 #
- Ariel Hukporti, Knicks: $1,064,049
(*) cap hit of $2,087,519
(^) cap hit of $1,655,619
(#) cap hit of $1,343,690
Besides Williamson, whose maximum salary was already mostly guaranteed prior to Tuesday, each of the players on a non-guaranteed contract who was retained through January 7 is earning his minimum salary for the season, so the financial impact of keeping those players is relatively minor for their respective teams.
Still, open roster spots are valuable at this time of year. A handful of these players were fortunate not to be let go by a club prioritizing flexibility ahead of the trade deadline; many others have played regular rotation minutes during the first half or hold long-term value and were never candidates to be cut.
Players on standard contracts who were waived before their salaries became guaranteed:
Each player’s cap hit is noted here. The team would no longer be on the hook for that cap charge if a player is claimed off waivers.
- Bruno Fernando, Raptors: $1,115,128
- Orlando Robinson, Kings: $959,779
- Branden Carlson, Thunder: $365,767
All three of these players were on minimum-salary contracts. Carlson is a rookie who was signed well after the regular season began, which is why his cap hit is so modest compared to the others.
These players are all still on waivers, so they’re technically candidates to be claimed on Thursday. A team that places a claim on one of those players would have to commit to guaranteeing his salary for the rest of the season, so it’s unlikely.
There were several other players with partially or non-guaranteed salaries who were cut earlier in the season. That group consisted of the following players, listed in the order they were waived (with their accompanying cap hits):
- Alex Reese, Thunder: $79,804
- Malevy Leons, Thunder: $126,356
- Jaylen Nowell, Pelicans: $278,782
- Elfrid Payton, Pelicans: $274,809
- Moses Brown, Pacers: $306,660
- Paul Reed, Pistons: $2,485,563
- Note: After clearing waivers, Reed was re-signed to a guaranteed minimum-salary contract.
- Javante McCoy, Pistons: $32,596
- Matt Ryan, Knicks: $621,438
- PJ Dozier, Timberwolves: $1,051,255
These moves didn’t go down to the wire like the others listed above, having occurred well in advance of the salary guarantee deadline.
Players on two-way contracts who were waived before their salaries became guaranteed:
Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the league-wide salary guarantee date of January 10 also applies this season to players on two-way contracts. Prior to 2024, the guarantee date had been Jan. 20 for two-way salaries.
Two-way salaries are only worth half of the rookie minimum and don’t count against the salary cap, so many teams likely weren’t feeling a ton of pressure to make rest-of-season decisions on their two-way players by Tuesday. Two-way contracts can be signed until March 4, so there will be many clubs that make changes between now and then.
Still, there were seven players on two-way contracts who were waived between the start of January and Tuesday’s waiver deadline. Those players, who subsequently won’t receive their full two-way salaries this season, are as follows:
- David Jones, Jazz
- Jaylen Martin, Nets
- Daishen Nix, Timberwolves
- Cole Swider, Pistons
- Alondes Williams, Pistons
- Pete Nance, Sixers
The seventh player in that group, Tristen Newton, was waived by the Pacers but was claimed two days later by the Timberwolves and retained through Tuesday’s deadline, so he’ll still earn his full two-way salary despite being cut within the last week.
There are currently three open two-way slots around the NBA, belonging to the Warriors, Magic, and Sixers.
The full list of players who are still on two-way contracts and earned full guarantees can be found right here.
I find it such a waste of money that all these players are just paid a full season and then get cut still before the trade deadline.
For me, the salary guarantee date should be together with the trade deadline …
Not any later as that would influence the buy-out market and reduce their chances of finding a team…