Hoops Rumors Originals

As of December 29, there were 30 players who were signed to standard, full-season contracts but whose salaries for the 2022/23 campaign weren’t fully guaranteed.

The deadline for teams to waive those players and avoid having their full ’22/23 salaries become guaranteed was on Saturday, 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 until at least Tuesday.

Here’s a roundup of the decisions teams made with those 30 players:

Players who will have their salaries guaranteed:

Each player’s salary is noted here. His cap hit is identical to his salary unless otherwise indicated.

• Jonathan Isaac, Magic: $17,400,000
• Danny Green, Grizzlies: $10,000,000
• James Johnson, Pacers: $2,905,851 *
• Markieff Morris, Nets: $2,905,851 *
• Austin Rivers, Timberwolves: $2,905,851 *
• Matthew Dellavedova, Kings: $2,628,597 *
• Ryan Arcidiacono, Knicks: $2,133,278 *
• Justin Jackson, Celtics: $2,133,278 *
• Luke Kornet, Celtics: $2,133,278
• Dennis Smith Jr., Hornets: $2,133,278 *
• Svi Mykhailiuk, Knicks: $1,968,175 *
• Edmond Sumner, Nets: $1,968,175
• Yuta Watanabe, Nets: $1,968,175 *
• Jaylen Nowell, Timberwolves: $1,930,681
• KZ Okpala, Kings: $1,902,133
• Wenyen Gabriel, Lakers: $1,878,720
• Oshae Brissett, Pacers: $1,846,738
• Nathan Knight, Timberwolves: $1,836,090
• Lamar Stevens, Cavaliers: $1,782,621
• Haywood Highsmith, Heat: $1,752,638
• Stanley Johnson, Spurs: $1,670,643 ^
• Jose Alvarado, Pelicans: $1,563,518
• Vit Krejci, Hawks: $1,563,518
• Jock Landale, Suns: $1,563,518
• Austin Reaves, Lakers: $1,563,518
• Tyrese Martin, Hawks: $1,017,781

(*) cap hit of $1,836,090
(^) cap hit of $1,245,164

Of the 26 players on non-guaranteed contracts who were retained, 24 are earning the minimum salary, so the financial impact of keeping them is relatively minor. Still, open roster spots are valuable at this time of year — some of these players were fortunate not to be let go by a team prioritizing flexibility.

Isaac and Green were the only two players in this group earning more than the minimum. Neither has seen the floor this season while recovering from injury, but both had significant partial guarantees on their respective contracts — Isaac was already owed $16MM and Green was owed $7MM, so it didn’t make sense for either player to be cut.

Players 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.

• Noah Vonleh, Spurs: $1,160,955
• Justin Champagnie, Raptors: $825,000
• Kemba Walker, Mavericks: $684,712
• Chima Moneke, Kings: $500,000

All four of these players were on minimum-salary contracts. Walker was signed well after the regular season got underway and Moneke was earning the rookie minimum, so their dead cap hits are especially modest. Champagnie’s and Moneke’s cap figures are the result of previously negotiated partial guarantees, rather than their prorated minimum salaries.

Vonleh was traded from Boston to San Antonio before being waived, as the Celtics reduced their projected luxury tax bill by getting the Spurs to eat that dead money.

There were a few other players with non-guaranteed salaries who were waived earlier in the season. That group consisted of Facundo Campazzo (Mavericks), Jordan Hall (Spurs), Matt Ryan (Lakers), and Alize Johnson (Spurs). Those moves didn’t go down to the wire like the others listed above, having occurred well in advance of the salary guarantee deadline.

As we explained when we identified the players who will become trade-eligible on unique dates this season, there’s a small group of players whose trade restrictions won’t lift until sometime after the February 9 trade deadline. These players meet one of the following criteria:

1. They signed a free agent contract after November 9.
   • A player who signs a free agent contract doesn’t become eligible to be traded for at least three months.
2. They signed a veteran contract extension (meeting certain criteria) after August 9.
   • A player who signs a veteran extension that keeps him under contract for more than three total years (including his current contract) and/or includes a raise exceeding 5% doesn’t become eligible to be traded for six months.
3. They signed a super-max contract.
   • A player who signs a super-max contract (or a designated veteran contract) doesn’t become eligible to be traded for one year.

We identified all the players who fell into these three categories in our previous story on unique trade dates, but they may have slipped through the cracks amid the larger list of players we discussed in that article.

For that reason, we want to specifically single them out today to make sure it’s clear which players won’t become trade-eligible at all until sometime after the 2022/23 regular season.

Here are the players who fall into the three aforementioned groups and who can’t be traded this season:

Players who have signed free agent contracts since November 9:

• Stanley Johnson (Spurs)
• Kemba Walker (Mavericks)

There has been little action on the free agent market since the regular season began, with most players who have signed with NBA teams receiving two-way contracts rather than standard deals. Technically, three players have signed standard free agent contracts since November 9, but one of those players (Alize Johnson) was waived since then.

More names will join this list if more free agents sign standard contracts between now and February 9.

Players who have signed veteran contract extensions meeting certain criteria since August 9:

• LeBron James (Lakers)
• Maxi Kleber (Mavericks)
• CJ McCollum (Pelicans)
• Larry Nance Jr. (Pelicans)
• Dean Wade (Cavaliers)
• Andrew Wiggins (Warriors)

This is the most notable group of the three, if only for the presence of James at the top of the list.

It’s extremely unlikely that the Lakers would ever trade LeBron unless he asked to be moved, but his recently signed extension eliminates even the remote possibility of a deal until at least the 2023 offseason. If you’re advocating for the slumping Lakers to blow up their roster, you’ll have to leave James out of any hypothetical pre-February 9 trade scenarios.

Before they signed extensions, any of the rest of the players in this group – with the exception of McCollum – could have become viable trade candidates this season. Now, they’re all ineligible to be dealt until after the season.

Players who have signed super-max contracts:

• Devin Booker (Suns)
• Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
• Karl-Anthony Towns (Timberwolves)

Booker and Jokic were never going to be traded this year, and the same can probably be said for Towns, even as messy as Rudy Gobert‘s integration has been so far. Still, their newly signed super-max extensions make them officially ineligible to be moved until at least next July.

At the start of the 2022/23 campaign, we looked ahead and identified several dates and deadlines to watch on the NBA calendar this season. While that list covered the general highlights, it’s worth taking a closer look at some of those key dates to keep an eye out for in January, which should be a busy month.

Let’s dive in…

Non-guaranteed contracts become guaranteed

January 10 is the date that all non-guaranteed NBA contracts for 2022/23 will officially become guaranteed, but January 7 is really the day to watch.

If a team wants to avoid having a salary become guaranteed, the player must clear waivers before January 10, which means he needs to be cut by January 7 — at the latest.

Many players without fully guaranteed salaries are in no danger of being waived by next Saturday, but some teams will take the opportunity to save a little money and open up a roster spot.

Teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts

As of January 5, clubs will be able to sign players to standard 10-day contracts, which count against team salary for cap and tax purposes and require an opening on the 15-man roster to complete.

Rebuilding teams generally use 10-day contracts to audition G League standouts or other prospects to see if they might be worth investing in beyond this season. Contending clubs are more inclined to use 10-day contracts to bring in veterans who can step in right away to address a need or provide depth at a position hit hard by injuries.

We extensively outlined the details of 10-day contracts and explained how they work in our glossary entry on the subject.

More players become trade-eligible

A significant portion of the NBA’s offseason signees became eligible to be traded on December 15, but there are still many players who can’t be dealt. By the end of January, that list of players ineligible to be traded will shrink further, since there are 28 players currently on track to have those restrictions lift between now and January 31.

January 15 is the key date, with 21 players becoming trade-eligible as of that Sunday. That group includes some players who almost certainly aren’t going anywhere, but a handful of players on the list could be involved in trade rumors in 2023, including some who have already been popular subjects of speculation. Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, and Deandre Ayton are a few of the headliners.

A number of other offseason signees have unique trade-eligible dates in January, since they signed as free agents in October or inked a veteran extension in July. That list features names both big (like Damian Lillard) and small (such as Isaiah Joe).

Other odds and ends

There are a few other dates in January that are worth mentioning, despite the fact that they’ll likely come and go without much fanfare.

On January 10, mid-level and room exceptions – along with other cap exceptions like the bi-annual exception – will start to prorate for the year, meaning a team with its full mid-level exception available would no longer be able to offer the full $10.49MM amount to a free agent. Exceptions will decline in value by 1/174th per day, starting on January 10.

January 15 is the last day that teams can apply for a disabled player exception to replace an injured player who is deemed unlikely to return this season. A disabled player exception can give a club extra cap flexibility, though that team may still have to open up a roster spot to add a player using its DPE. Only the Celtics and Thunder have received DPEs so far this season, and the Thunder already used theirs.

On January 20, all players on two-way contracts will have their minimum salaries for the season become fully guaranteed.

When the Raptors waived Justin Champagnie on Thursday night, they became the 11th NBA team to create an opening on its 15-man roster.

Early in the season, we often don’t see teams take advantage of those open roster spots. However, we’re getting to the point in the year when they’ll start to become more important.

January 5 is the first day that teams can begin signing players to 10-day contracts, which require an open roster spot unless the team qualifies for a hardship exception. We’re also entering trade season, so teams with openings on their rosters will have more flexibility to accommodate two-for-one type deals.

It’s also worth noting that January 7 is the last day a team can waive a player on a non-guaranteed contract and avoid paying his full-year salary, so we could see more roster spots around the league open up within the next eight days as some of those players on non-guaranteed deals are cut.

For now, here are the 11 teams with open roster spots:

• Atlanta Hawks
• Charlotte Hornets
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Golden State Warriors
• Los Angeles Clippers
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Miami Heat
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Phoenix Suns
• Portland Trail Blazers
• Toronto Raptors

Some of these clubs have avoided carrying a 15th man due to luxury tax concerns. The Heat, for instance, are so close to the tax line that they’re not expected to fill their 15th roster spot until March. But 10-day contracts cost so little that we’ll likely see some taxpaying teams take a flier on a free agent or two.

One team on this list that’s well clear of tax territory is Charlotte, but the Hornets may be saving their 15th roster spot for restricted free agent Miles Bridges. If Bridges signs a contract and faces a lengthy NBA-mandated suspension, the Hornets would be able to move him to the suspended list five games into that suspension, reopening their 15th spot until he’s eligible to return.

As our roster counts page shows, there are currently no NBA teams with open two-way slots — all 60 are filled.

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