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NBA Teams With Open Roster Spots

November 4th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Each of the NBA’s 30 teams is permitted to carry 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, which works out to a maximum of 540 players across 30 rosters. The Grizzlies have been granted an extra roster spot after moving Ja Morant to the suspended list, so let’s call it 541.

Of those 541 potential roster spots, 527 are currently occupied, leaving just 14 open roster spots around the NBA. Four of those open roster spots belong to two teams, while 10 other clubs have one opening apiece.

[RELATED: 2023/24 NBA Roster Counts]

Here’s the full breakdown:

Two open standard roster spots

Golden State Warriors
Los Angeles Clippers

As we’ve previously discussed, teams can only carry two open spots on their standard rosters for up to 14 days at a time, so the Warriors and Clippers will each have to add a 14th man soon.

That deadline is coming up very soon for the Warriors, who have had two open roster spots since the start of the season on October 24. The Clippers, who just dipped to 13 players following their two trades on Thursday, will have a little more time to decide on their next roster move.

I wouldn’t expect either team to be in any rush to add a 15th man, since both clubs are well above the luxury tax line.

One open standard roster spot

Boston Celtics
Chicago Bulls
Cleveland Cavaliers
Detroit Pistons
Los Angeles Lakers
Miami Heat
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Pelicans
Portland Trail Blazers

Many of these teams are carrying an open roster spot for luxury tax reasons. The Celtics, Lakers, Heat, and Pelicans are all over the tax line, while the Bulls, Cavaliers, and Timberwolves don’t have much breathing room below it. Most of those teams will add 15th men eventually, but they’ll be in no rush to do so yet.

The Pistons are well below the tax, however, while the Trail Blazers have more than enough flexibility to sign a 15th man without getting too close to tax territory. Both teams should be on the lookout for players who would make good candidates to fill those openings.

One open two-way roster spot

Phoenix Suns

It’s no coincidence that Phoenix, the only NBA team without a G League affiliate of its own, is also the only club carrying just a pair of two-way players instead of three.

With no NBAGL team where they can send players for developmental purposes, the Suns will be less motivated to carry a full complement of two-way players, since it’s unlikely they’ll need three of them to regularly contribute at the NBA level unless their standard roster is beset by injuries.

Sixers Notes: Trade Targets, Harden, Maxey, Embiid, Harris, Martin

November 2nd, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Arthur Hill

Raptors forward OG Anunoby is a player to watch as the Sixers try to remake their roster following the James Harden trade, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype says in a conversation with Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. Scotto states that Nick Nurse is a huge fan of Anunoby after coaching him in Toronto, and he would be a good fit with the current roster on both offense and defense. Scotto also points out that the Sixers would have plenty of cap room to re-sign Anunoby when he becomes a free agent next summer.

Sources tell Scotto that Philadelphia may eye a few other trade targets such as Bulls guard Zach LaVine, Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell and Pistons forward Bojan Bogdanovic. He hears the Sixers aren’t interested in pursuing Karl-Anthony Towns to play alongside Joel Embiid because he hasn’t meshed well with Rudy Gobert on the Timberwolves. Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan would provide scoring punch, but he also brings spacing issues to the offense. Scotto doesn’t believe Philadelphia currently has interest in either Raptors forward Pascal Siakam or Trail Blazers forward Jerami Grant.

Pompey doesn’t see another ball-dominant scorer as an ideal fit because of Tyrese Maxey‘s strong play to open the season. Anunoby’s defense and Bogdanovic’s outside shooting would be more valuable, according to Pompey, and they’re likely to cost less than some of the other hypothetical targets.

Scotto and Pompey offer more on the Sixers:

The Clippers‘ offer that president of basketball operations Daryl Morey accepted for James Harden was the only legitimate one he received, according to Pompey. He speculates that the organization wanted to unload Harden before he was reintroduced to the team and possibly caused a distraction, and there was concern that L.A.’s interest in Harden might lessen if the team got off to a strong start. Scotto hears that the Knicks called about Harden but never made a serious offer, while the Heat weren’t involved at all.
The Sixers believe it will take a max contract to keep Maxey in free agency next summer, Scotto hears. The fourth-year guard has excelled as the leader of the offense with Harden sidelined, but Scotto believes the organization has to determine whether he’s best suited as a point guard or shooting guard.
Embiid is “monitoring the situation” to see if Morey can build a legitimate contender before making any decisions about his future, Pompey states. The Sixers are currently optimistic about keeping him happy, but Pompey warns that another early playoff exit could prompt him to ask for a trade during the offseason.
The Sixers will be interested in re-signing Tobias Harris, but they can’t give him close to a max contract because of how much they’ll have to pay Maxey and possibly others, Pompey adds. He points out that Philadelphia has Harris’ Bird rights, which will help with his next contract but would eat into the club’s cap room.
Sources tell Scotto that the Sixers are “intrigued” with Kenyon Martin Jr., who was part of the return from the Clippers in the Harden deal, and may consider re-signing him next summer if he plays well.

Heat Notes: Slow Start, Injuries, Adebayo, Tournament

November 2nd, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

After reaching the NBA Finals last season, the Heat have stumbled out of the gate, dropping four of their first five games. The team let an opportunity slip away Wednesday night, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald, squandering a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter in a home loss to the Nets, who were playing without three starters.

Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler combined for 71 points, but Miami only got 34 more from the other six players that coach Erik Spoelstra used. The Heat committed a season-high 18 turnovers, which led to 25 points for Brooklyn. At 1-4, the team is off to its worst start in 15 years, and the players are hoping to get control of the situation before it becomes urgent.

“We don’t want to dig this hole too deep,” Adebayo said. “So that’s the concern because the season starts going like this, then obviously you get to the (trade) deadline and you don’t know what’s going to happen. That’s the concern because we got a great group of guys, we just got to figure it out.”

There’s more from Miami:

Haywood Highsmith was able to play Wednesday after missing the first four games with a knee issue, but injuries continue to be a problem, Chiang adds. Caleb Martin sat out his fourth straight game with pain in his left knee and Kevin Love missed the contest with a left shoulder contusion as the Heat haven’t had a fully healthy rotation yet this season. “I’m not going to talk about anybody’s injuries anymore,” Spoelstra told reporters before Wednesday’s game. “If anybody is hurt, if they’re not available, all they have to do is focus on being available. That’s it. I’m not talking about any injuries or who’s in or who’s out. I know who’s playing tonight. That’s all I’m focused on.”
Udonis Haslem spent the past few seasons preparing Adebayo for the responsibilities of taking over as team captain before passing along that title when he retired, Chiang states in another story. “I think the only change is it’s official,” Adebayo said. “It was kind of like unwritten. Now it’s stamped. It comes with a whole bunch of responsibility, but also a great amount of opportunity. The biggest thing for me as a captain is being able to lead this team and get us over this hump and get us to a championship.”
Friday’s game against the Wizards will mark the start of the in-season tournament, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Nikola Jovic has played in similar events in Europe, and he hopes it eventually produces the same atmosphere in the NBA. “Those are really big,” Jovic said. “People really compete for that. It means a lot. But this is a little different. I hope it’s going to translate here. The only thing is, it’s going to feel like a regular season game, it’s just going to have a different court and it’s going to be called something different.”

Southeast Notes: Butler, Richardson, Anthony, Magic, Hornets

October 31st, 2023 at 10:32pm CST by Rory Maher

After an injury-riddled 2022/23 season that surprisingly saw Miami reach the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed in the East, the Heat once again have dealt with several injuries to start ’23/24, with starters and rotation players missing time. That has played a factor in the team’s 1-3 start, which includes three consecutive road losses, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes.

According to Chiang, Jimmy Butler — who already missed a game due to rest — is the latest player to pop up on the injury report, having been listed as questionable for Wednesday’s matchup with Brooklyn due to right knee tendinitis. While there’s optimism the injury isn’t serious, it’s still a bit concerning that Butler is less than 100%, particularly since that knee has given him problems over the past few seasons, Chiang reports (via Twitter).

After three home games this week, the Heat will play nine of their following ten games on the road, and they are fully aware that this is a key stretch of the schedule, despite being very early in the season.

“This is an important week for us coming up at home,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We have a lot of work to do. We’ve had a lot of moving parts early on in the season. That’s not an excuse. We need to just have a productive week. We have three games at home and we have some time with shootarounds, practices. We just need to move the needle this week.”

Here’s more from the Southeast:

One bit of good news for the Heat is that Josh Richardson was able to make his season debut in Monday’s loss at Milwaukee, notching six points, three rebounds and two assists in 23 minutes. He says he’s still working his way back into shape after his preseason was cut short due to a foot injury. “Hopefully I can bring something positive to their mix, just a little ball-handling, a little pace,” Richardson said, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Defensively, I think I can do some things for us. But it’s really about getting my feet wet, because I really didn’t have a preseason. So just trying to get back into the swing of things.”
Magic guard Cole Anthony, who signed a three-year, $39MM rookie scale extension before the season started, recently had an interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda that covers a number of topics, including his new deal, how he’s been able to improve throughout his career, and the team’s goals.
Speaking to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, head coach Jamahl Mosley credited the Magic‘s depth and health for the team’s 2-1 start. “It helps out so much because someone’s number can always be called,” Mosley said. “The work that our coaches put in with these guys is so detailed and they’ll be ready no matter when their number is called.” As Beede notes, instead of going with set rotations, Mosley has improvised and gone with who has been playing the best from game-to-game.
With the NFL’s Panthers struggling, the Hornets have a chance to become Charlotte’s premier sports team, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. However, that will only transpire if the Hornets — who are currently mired in the NBA’s longest playoff drought — can show fans they’re worth following, Boone opines.

Bucks Notes: Lillard, Herro, G League Invites

October 30th, 2023 at 12:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Damian Lillard didn’t get his wish to be traded to Miami this summer and he doesn’t want that to be a distraction as his Bucks prepare to face the Heat tonight, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Miami was Lillard’s first choice when he asked the Trail Blazers for a trade in July, but despite weeks of rumors, the teams were never able to get close to a deal. Now that he’s in Milwaukee, Lillard wants to move past any connection with the Heat.

“I’m not going into (Monday) like, ‘This is the team I was supposed to be playing for,’” Lillard said. “None of that. I know Jimmy (Butler), I know Bam (Adebayo). We’re cool. But I play for the Bucks and I’m not going into it like that’s my former team or we were tied in or nothing like that. It’s just another game.”

Lillard also addressed reports that Adebayo was encouraging him to push for a deal to Miami. Although they became friends during their time with Team USA during the Olympics in 2021, Lillard said Adebayo wasn’t very involved in the process.

“I think on the outside, people made more of it than what was actually taking place,” Lillard said. “It’s not like I was calling him every day or nothing like that. I said what I needed to say to the team that I was on at that time and I went on about my time. I did my training, I spent time with kids and that was it. I’m telling you the real when I say it’s not that deep. Bam was my boy before I asked for a trade, he still is and that was the extent of it.”

There’s more from Milwaukee:

Heat guard Tyler Herro has “a couple different reasons” to look forward to tonight’s game, Chiang adds in a separate story. Playing in Milwaukee means a homecoming for Herro, but he’s also eager to face Lillard after having his name mentioned in trade rumors all summer. “I’ve never spoken to him,” Herro said. “I probably won’t (talk to him on Monday). We’ll see what happens. I respect his game, for sure. There’s no hate toward him at all. He’s a great player. I’ve been watching him my whole life. So I’m excited to continue to compete against the best.”
The Bucks were sharp on Thursday in Lillard’s first regular season game with Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the results looked much different in Sunday’s loss to the Hawks, observes Eric Nehm of The Athletic. Lillard shot just 2-of-12 from the field and committed six turnovers by halftime as the offense appeared out of sorts.
Wenyen Gabriel, Alex Antetokounmpo and Glenn Robinson III are among the players waived before the start of the season who received invitations to join the Wisconsin Herd, tweets Jim Owczarski of The Journal-Sentinel. Drew Timme and Jazian Gortman are also on the G League team’s 18-man roster, but Omari Moore isn’t, Owczarski adds (Twitter link). Moore signed an Exhibit 10 contract with Toronto after being waived from his two-way contract by Milwaukee, so the Raptors 905 hold his NBAGL rights.

And-Ones: Resting Stars, Flagg, Doncic, Rookie Scale Extensions

October 30th, 2023 at 9:02am CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA enacted a new player participation policy during the summer, but it hasn’t been effective in keeping stars on the court during the first week of the season, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Many of the league’s top players have already sat out games, either for rest purposes or minor injuries.

Vardon points to Sixers center Joel Embiid, who was nearly rested for the team’s home opener on Sunday. It was only the third game of the season, but Embiid played 35 minutes Saturday at Toronto, so coach Nick Nurse considered giving him the night off. Because it was a back-to-back situation, that wouldn’t have violated the new policy.

“There’s nothing injury-wise. We just played last night, traveled and all that stuff,” Nurse explained.

NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars has talked about wanting to re-establish the culture of an 82-game season, but Vardon notes that James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Devin Booker and Donovan Mitchell are among the players who have already missed games.

However, the policy is at least making teams think twice about keeping their best players out of action. Nurse admits it factored into his decision making when he opted to play Embiid on Sunday, and a source tells Vardon that the Heat checked with the league office before resting Butler in Saturday’s game.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Cooper Flagg, who is expected to be the top pick in the 2025 NBA draft, has announced that he will play college basketball at Duke, per Jeff Borzello of ESPN. The 16-year-old high school star revealed his choice in a commitment video, choosing the Blue Devils over Connecticut. Flagg opted to reclassify in August and will head to college next fall. “After I got on campus, I really started to envision myself in Durham,” Flagg said in his video. “All the love I felt made me really excited, seeing all the Crazies and the atmosphere in Cameron. I’m honored that I have the opportunity to join the Brotherhood.”
NBA executives chose Mavericks guard Luka Doncic as the league’s best player under 25 years old, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Doncic narrowly edged Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama for the honor, with one executive calling him “an elite offense all by himself.” Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards, Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley rounded out the top five.
Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report grades this year’s rookie scale extensions, which had to be finalized by last Monday, based on their benefit to both the players and their teams.

Heat Will Approach Back-To-Backs For Butler "Week By Week"

October 29th, 2023 at 10:50am CST by Luke Adams

Sunday’s game is the first in a back-to-back set, as the Bucks are scheduled to host the Heat on Monday. Head coach Adrian Griffin indicated that Middleton, who underwent offseason knee surgery, will be available for Monday’s contest.

Heat wing Jimmy Butler battled a right knee issue last season and played in both games in just seven of the team’s 14 back-to-back sets. Although Miami held Butler out of the second end of its first back-to-back set this season, that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how he’ll be managed in back-to-backs going forward, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “No, we’re going to take it week by week,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Heat Notes: Martin, Butler, Ellington, Roster Additions

October 28th, 2023 at 5:13pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat forward Caleb Martin will miss his second straight game on Saturday with tendinosis in his left knee, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Martin was originally listed as probable for Friday’s contest in Boston, but he was later downgraded to questionable and then ruled out 30 minutes before gametime. Martin felt pain in the knee during the season opener and he wants to avoid aggravating it.

“Taking it day by day. Just being smart about it,” Martin said. “Trying to be smart and make sure it doesn’t linger and prolong. Just get with the medical staff and the coaches and make sure we’re all on the same page. But my agenda is to try to play every game, but also be smart at the same time.”

Martin explained that the pain started during his offseason workouts a few weeks before training camp. He was a limited participant in camp and sat out the first four preseason games before feeling well enough to play in the fifth. Martin was able to play 20 minutes on Wednesday, but Chiang notes that he shot just 1-of-7 and struggled to contribute on both offense and defense.

“It’s pain tolerance and then just being smart about it,” Martin said. “We’re on the same page with the medical staff. We understand that it’s early. I played the first game and obviously I know I didn’t play up to par that game, but I kind of wanted to get my feet wet. That was kind of the main indicator from the last game going into (Friday’s game against the Celtics), so I know it would have been tough to try to play (Friday).”

There’s more on the Heat:

Jimmy Butler will be held out of tonight’s game for rest purposes, but it’s not a violation of the NBA’s new player participation policy, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Butler logged more than 33 minutes on Friday in Boston, so the rest on a back-to-back is permitted.
Wayne Ellington was hoping to find a front office position this summer, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra convinced him to become an assistant coach, Winderman adds in another story. Ellington played for nine teams in 13 NBA seasons, but he feels a special bond to Miami and to Spoelstra. “We just had some clear, crystal-clear conversations,” Ellington said. “Obviously, Spo and I had always been connected and never really lost that connection. So it just made more sense for me, after those conversations that we had, to take this route.”
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald got an anonymous scout to rate all the newcomers to the Heat’s roster. The scout was especially high on first-round pick Jaime Jaquez, whom he calls a “throwback” who is ready to play right away, and free agent addition Thomas Bryant.

Injury Notes: Garland, Allen, Claxton, Johnson, Martin

October 27th, 2023 at 6:44pm CST by Rory Maher

Cavaliers point guard Darius Garland will miss Friday’s home opener against Oklahoma City with a left hamstring strain, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff previously called Garland “very questionable,” tweets Thunder sideline reporter Nick Gallo.

According to Fedor, Garland didn’t participate in the team’s shootaround on Friday morning, and the Cavs decided to take a cautious approach with the 2021/22 All-Star.

Garland will be Cleveland’s second starter sitting out, as Jarrett Allen continues to deal with a left ankle bone bruise. The 25-year-old center is expected to miss Saturday’s back-to-back against Indiana as well, Fedor writes.

The Cavs are hopeful that Allen will make his 2023/24 season debut on Tuesday against the Knicks, sources tell Fedor. Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade, who missed Cleveland’s first game with an illness, will start in place of Garland and Allen.

Here are a few more injury notes:

Nets big man Nic Claxton has a left ankle sprain and is out for Friday’s game at Dallas, tweets Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Brooklyn’s starting center will be a free agent next summer — he’s on an expiring $9.6MM contract. According to Lewis (Twitter link), head coach Jacque Vaughn said Claxton is day-to-day.
Nets forward Cameron Johnson will also be in street clothes on Friday, having been downgraded from questionable to out with a left calf contusion (Twitter links via Lewis). Vaughn said the team is just being cautious with Johnson, who re-signed with Brooklyn on a four-year, $90MM+ contract this summer. It’s worth noting that Johnson missed all of training camp and preseason with a mild left hamstring strain, though he did start and play 26 minutes in Wednesday’s opener vs. Cleveland.
The Heat will be shorthanded again on Friday at Boston, with Caleb Martin (knee) the latest wing player sidelined (Twitter link via the team). Josh Richardson (foot) and Haywood Highsmith (knee) didn’t travel with Miami on its three-game road trip, as we previously relayed. On Tuesday, Martin said his knee still wasn’t 100%, calling the injury “a work in progress.” He played 20 minutes in Wednesday’s opener vs. Detroit.

Heat Notes: Jaquez, Richardson, Highsmith, Road Trip, Bryant

October 26th, 2023 at 10:14pm CST by Tristan Tucker

Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez immediately made an impact for Miami in his first NBA game, recording six points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals in 13 minutes.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra showed trust in Jaquez, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald, allowing him to bring the ball up the court and running offense through him in the mid-post.

“When I got out there, it just felt like basketball,” Jaquez said. “I think the nerves kind of settled down when I first got out there. I think the preseason helped a lot, those games. I felt really comfortable.”

According to Spoelstra and Jaquez’s teammates, his experience in college was apparent. Jaquez, a 22-year-old rookie, played four seasons at UCLA.

“Jaime is not a regular rookie,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “A guy that’s experienced, he’s been in big games before, he’s been in those games where he’s needed to be a leader, he’s needed to be the one option. That’s throughout all those years in college. Me and Tyler [Herro] came in here at 19 after one year in college and had to figure it out. I feel like he’s coming into the league ready.”

Jaquez was on a minutes restriction due to a groin injury suffered in the preseason, Chiang writes, but his play in the opener paves the way for more playing time even after Miami’s injured players return to action.

We have more from the Heat:

Josh Richardson (foot) and Haywood Highsmith (knee) both missed the Heat’s opener against the Pistons on Wednesday and both will be out for their game Friday in Boston, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman adds (Twitter link) that neither player traveled with the team. Miami’s game in Boston is the first in a three-game road trip, meaning both players may remain on the shelf until the Heat return home.
The Heat’s upcoming three-game road stretch is indicative of the month to come, with Miami playing on the road for 12 of their next 16 games, Chiang observes in a separate piece. Eight of those 12 road games come against teams who made the playoffs last season. In particular, it will be interesting to see how Miami plays against Boston (Oct. 27) and Milwaukee (Oct. 30), Chiang writes. “It’s going to test us,” Adebayo said. “This is one of those road trips where you’re going into the lion’s den and seeing where you are, seeing who you are as a team and your identity.“
Heat center Thomas Bryant made his Miami debut on Wednesday and looked to justify their pursuit of him in July’s free agency period, Winderman writes. He played with energy for the Heat’s second unit and recorded eight points, six rebounds and three assists. “We tried to address the one issue that I think had to be addressed,” Heat president Pat Riley said of adding Bryant. “And we really like this player in Thomas Bryant that can give us more around the paint, at the rim, offense. If you go back and look at last year against Denver, we were beat in the paint. That’s it. We were killed in the paint.“