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There have been 44 10-day contracts signed in the NBA this season, and we've documented them all here at Hoops Rumors. We've also indexed them in our 10-day tracker, a tool that lets you mine data on every 10-day contract signed from the 2006/07 season on.

Using the tracker, we can identify a few trends and other noteworthy developments involving 10-day deals this season. Usually, defending champions capable of lengthy winning streaks don't find themselves turning to 10-day contracts too often, but the Heat have signed four players to the short-term deals this season, more than any other team in the NBA. Two of those players, Jarvis Varnado and Chris Andersen, wound up with contracts for the rest of the season, but only the Birdman has made his way into Miami's rotation.

Some of the movement has simply been confusing. At the same time Chris Johnson, the big man from LSU, was on a 10-day contract with the Timberwolves, Chris Johnson, the small forward from Dayton, had a 10-day deal with the Mavericks. Jannero Pargo was finishing up his second 10-day contract with the Hawks when younger brother Jeremy Pargo inked a 10-day deal with the Sixers.

There's a month left in the season, and plenty more 10-day contracts are sure to come. Still, there's plenty to be gathered from the ones that have been signed since they became available January 7th. Here's a look at some of the info:

Teams signing multiple players to 10-day contracts

• Heat (4 — Jarvis Varnado, Josh Harrellson, Chris Andersen, Juwan Howard)
• Celtics (3 — Terrence Williams, D.J. White, Shavlik Randolph)
• Sixers (3 — Maalik Wayns, Shelvin Mack, Jeremy Pargo)
• Timberwolves (3 — Lazar Hayward, Chris Johnson, Mickael Gelabale)
• Hornets (3 — Donald Sloan, Henry Sims, Terrel Harris)
• Hawks (2 — Jannero Pargo, Shelvin Mack)
• Mavericks (2 — Mike James, Chris Wright)
• Clippers (2 — Maalik Wayns, DaJuan Summers)

Players signing 10-day contracts with multiple teams

• Maalik Wayns (2 — Sixers, Clippers)
• Shelvin Mack (2 — Sixers, Hawks)
• Jannero Pargo (2 — Hawks, Bobcats)

Players who've parlayed a 10-day contract into a rest-of-the-season deal with the same team

• Mike James, Mavericks
• Jarvis Varnado, Heat
• Chris Johnson, Timberwolves
• Mickael Gelabale, Timberwolves
• Chris Andersen, Heat
• Jeremy Pargo, Sixers
• Terrence Williams, Celtics
• Kenyon Martin, Knicks

With little more than a month to go before the final night of the regular season on April 17th, there's not much time left for soon-to-be free agents to make a final impression, and little chance for teams to evaluate their play, especially for guys who won't make the playoffs. The same is true for third-year players who'll be up for extensions on their rookie-scale contracts this summer. Since the deadline for those players and teams to agree to those extensions is at the end of October, right before next season begins, the former first-round picks will be judged on their resumes through the 2012/13 season. Many of last year's extension decisions came down to the wire, but ultimately teams committed more than $400MM to keep their key young players around long-term.

We'll look at these players more in-depth in our extension candidate series in the offseason, but here's an early look at the top candidates for rookie-scale extensions in 2013: 

• Eric Bledsoe, Clippers — The Clips were wary of trading Bledsoe at the deadline in case Chris Paul bolts in free agency this summer. If Paul leaves, the fear that Bledsoe could sign a lucrative offer sheet elsewhere in the summer of 2014 could motivate L.A. to ensure it keeps at least one of its point guards long-term. Prediction: No extension, since Paul seems likely to stay.  
• John Wall, Wizards — Washington has played better since his return from injury, and Wall's per-36-minute points and assist numbers are up for the second straight season. Still, his lack of an outside shot (six made three-pointers in the last two years) is a glaring weakness. The Wizards probably don't see him as a maximum-salary player, but they surely don't want to lose the former No. 1 overall pick for nothing if another team signs him to a fat offer sheet. Prediction: Four years, $42MM. 
• Avery Bradley, Celtics — His defensive prowess doesn't show up well in statistics, but his numbers are up since Rajon Rondo went down with injury and he's one of the best young players on an aging Celtics team. He could draw an extension similar to fellow defensive stalwart Taj Gibson's four-year, $33MM package with the Bulls. Prediction: Four years, $35MM.
• Paul George, Pacers — The swingman picked the right time to make his first All-Star Game, emerging in the absence of Danny Granger. The Pacers have held steady despite Granger's absence and Roy Hibbert's regression. Indiana could get cold feet after committing so much money to Hibbert, and the habitually thrifty Pacers also have free agent David West to worry about this summer, but I don't think George slips through their fingers. Prediction: Four years, $50MM.
• Gordon Hayward, Jazz — He was removed from the starting lineup this season and is seeing fewer minutes than last year, but playing with the second unit has meant more shot opportunities and a significant uptick in scoring, from 11.8 PPG last season to 14.1 this year. His PER is up as well, to 16.9. That increased production is belied by a shooting percentage that's declined each of the past two years. Prediction: No extension.
• Derrick Favors, Jazz — Utah's decision not to trade either Al Jefferson or Paul Millsap means the team won't get an extended look at Favors as a starter. He's averaging 15.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per 36 minutes with a robust 17.7 PER, but it's unclear whether he'd be able to keep those numbers up if he actually received starter's minutes every night. Still, he represents a younger, cheaper option than either Jefferson or Millsap, and that value could be increased with a team-friendly extension. Prediction: Four years, $48MM. 
• Larry Sanders, Bucks — Before the season, it seemed there was no way Sanders would get an extension, but his growth as a defensive anchor this season has put him on the map. He's leading the league with 3.2 blocks per game, but with the club's top three guards all potential free agents this summer and Ersan Ilyasova on a long-term deal, the frontcourt might not be a priority for Milwaukee. Prediction: No extension.
• DeMarcus Cousins, Kings — The future of the mercurial Cousins could be the hardest to predict, especially considering the equally tumultuous situation surrounding him in Sacramento. It seems likely new management will be in place for Sacramento/Seattle by the end of the summer, and they'll probably want to see how Cousins fits in under their watch before committing to him long-term. Talented centers are hard to come by, but a long-term deal with the wrong player can wreak havoc on a team's payroll. Prediction: No extension.
• Greg Monroe, Pistons — Monroe's agent, David Falk, said two weeks ago that his client was unlikely to sign an extension. That could simply be a negotiating ploy for a player who seems like one of the cornerstones of the Pistons' rebuilding effort, even as his per-36-minute numbers and shooting percentage have gone down this season. Perhaps Falk is trying to put pressure on the Pistons to increase any extension offer they might make after a down season for Monroe, but for now, we'll take Falk at his word. Prediction: No extension. 

As our 2012 Free Agent Tracker shows, the majority of one-year deals signed by players last offseason didn't amount to a whole lot. That's partly because our tracker took into account summer contracts and non-guaranteed deals, meaning many of the guys signed to so-called one-year contracts haven't been on NBA rosters for months. Still, even the guaranteed one-year deals on the list didn't have a particularly high success rate.

Most of the bigger names on last year's free agent market were able to secure multiyear contracts, or at least one-year deals with a second-year option. But some of the one-year contracts signed for the 2012/13 season have worked out remarkably well, not just for the teams that benefited from a player's solid production (often at a discount rate), but also for the players that have set themselves up to land a bigger contract when they hit the free agent market again this summer.

Here are my picks for 10 of the best one-year deals of 2012/13:

• Chris Kaman ($8MM, Mavericks): The most expensive player on the list by far, Kaman still turned into a reasonable value for a Mavericks team that refuses to be eliminated entirely from the playoff hunt. Even playing a career-low 22.2 minutes per game, Kaman is averaging 11.3 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and a 16.4 PER, the third-best mark of his career.
• J.J. Hickson ($4MM, Trail Blazers): Hickson couldn't do better than one year and $4MM on last year's free agent market, and the Blazers couldn't land a first-round pick for him on the trade market last month. But at some point, Hickson's play will force a team to pay a decent price for him. He has averaged a double-double with Portland this season, posting 13.3 PPG and 10.7 RPG, while shooting an extremely efficient 56.9% from the floor.
• Marco Belinelli ($1.96MM, Bulls): Although his overall numbers may not be quite as strong, Belinelli's price makes him a better one-year value than other scoring guards like Randy Foye ($2.5MM) and Nick Young ($5.6MM). His 9.8 PPG and .369 3PT% have been crucial for a Bulls team whose "Bench Mob" was overhauled last summer.
• Martell Webster ($1.75MM, Wizards): More than in any of his previous seven seasons, Webster has shown some of the promise that made him the sixth overall pick in 2005. His 11.1 PPG, .455 FG%, and 13.7 PER aren't exceptional, but they're all career-highs for the 26-year-old.
• Alan Anderson (Minimum salary, Raptors): Even with all the new small forwards arriving in Toronto this season, Anderson has made a strong case for regular playing time, averaging 11.6 PPG off the bench while playing just 24.5 minutes per contest.
• Matt Barnes (Minimum salary, Clippers): Earning a minimum salary, Barnes has been such a nice pickup for the Clippers that Grantland's Zach Lowe recently made a case for why the former Laker could be the key to the Clips' playoff run. Like Webster, he's on track to record new career-bests in PPG (10.8) and PER (15.9) as perhaps the NBA's best second unit.
• Andray Blatche (Minimum salary, Nets): While players like Luis Scola, Elton Brand, and Brendan Haywood were claimed on amnesty waivers last July, Blatche passed through unclaimed, and was out of work for weeks before eventually landing a minimum deal with the Nets. There are probably a few teams kicking themselves now for passing on the ex-Wizard, who has bounced back in a big way in Brooklyn, averaging 10.1 PPG on a career-best .501 FG%. Blatche's 22.3 PER is also far and away a career high.
• Antawn Jamison (Minimum salary, Lakers): Although Jamison's numbers have taken a major dip across the board now that he's no longer a primary scoring option, he's still been a nice value for the Lakers at the veteran's minimum. Jamison's 15.0 points per 36 minutes and 15.1 PER may be the worst marks of his career, but they're still more than you'd expect from a minimum-salary bench piece.
• Jermaine O'Neal (Minimum salary, Suns): No one on this list has seen the court less in 2012/13 than O'Neal, who has played just 17.3 MPG in 45 contests. Still, considering how he looked in Boston over the last couple seasons, it's been a solid bounce-back campaign for the veteran big man, who has shot 50.6% from the field and is rebounding like he did in his prime.
• Nate Robinson (Minimum salary, Bulls): Kirk Hinrich received a larger and longer-term contract with the Bulls, and was expected to bear the brunt of the point guard load while Derrick Rose recovered from ACL surgery. But with Hinrich battling injuries over the last month and a half, it's Robinson who has taken over as the starter. He's been a little inconsistent, but the 5'9" guard has still averaged 11.9 PPG, 4.2 APG, and a 17.3 PER.

The NBA's buyout deadline passed on March 1st, meaning players can no longer be waived by one team and be playoff-eligible for another. While this rule is fairly straightforward, there are a few wrinkles to it, so let's run through a few scenarios that we've seen this season to explain when a player is and isn't eligible for postseason play:

Scenario: A player was waived on or before March 1st, but cleared waivers and is signed by another team after March 1st.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: The Kings reached a buyout agreement with Aaron Brooks on March 1st, officially waiving him that day. Brooks cleared waivers a couple days later and eventually signed with the Rockets. Because Brooks was waived before 11:00pm CST on March 1st, he can play in the postseason for Houston.

Scenario: A player is waived and is signed by another team after March 1st.
Eligible for postseason: No
Example: Raja Bell and Dominique Jones are among the players that have been released by their respective teams since March 1st. Those guys haven't found new clubs yet, and may find it trickier than usual, since being waived after March 1st cost them their postseason eligibility.

Scenario: A player on a 10-day contract has the deal expire after March 1st and signs a rest-of-season deal with the same team or another team.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: After being released from his guaranteed contract by the Timberwolves in early February, Louis Amundson finalized a 10-day contract with the Bulls on March 2nd. When that contract expired, he retained his postseason eligibility, since he hadn't been released from a guaranteed deal since March 1st. Amundson signed a rest-of-season deal with the Hornets this week, so he won't be participating in the playoffs because of New Orleans' place in the standings, but he remains postseason-eligible. If the Hornets were to waive him, however, he would be ineligible to play in the postseason with another club.

Scenario: A player signs a rest-of-season contract with a team after March 1st, having not played for an NBA team yet this season.
Eligible for postseason: Yes
Example: Players like Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady, who played in China all season and haven't been on an NBA roster, would be postseason-eligible if they signed with an NBA team today, however unlikely that may be.

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This time of year, plenty of players are signing 10-day contracts, as witnessed by the 10 guys currently on one of those short-term deals. Usually someone on a 10-day contract is an end-of-the-bench player, but occasionally teams have larger plans for these kinds of pickups. That can create competition for their services, and instead of a 10-day, sometimes teams will give a player a deal for the rest of the season with a non-guaranteed year or two tacked on.

But, based on last year's results, teams almost always divest themselves of these players before any of the non-guaranteed years begin. Of the 11 players who, after the trade deadline last season, signed contracts that covered the rest of 2011/12 and included additional seasons that weren't fully guaranteed, only Donald Sloan made it past training camp this year. Five of them were included in trades and waived after that. All of the deals were for the minimum. Here's the complete list:

• April 25th: Spurs sign Derrick Byars through 2012/13: San Antonio waived him in August.
• April 21st: Cavaliers sign D.J. Kennedy through 2012/13: The Cavs traded Kennedy to the Grizzlies in July, who waived him, re-signed him, and waived him again before training camp was over. 
• April 20th: Hornets sign Jerome Dyson through 2013/14: New Orleans traded him to the Suns in July as part of the Robin Lopez deal, and Phoenix waived him in August.
• April 20th: Knicks sign Dan Gadzuric through 2012/13: New York traded him to the Blazers in July as part of the Raymond Felton deal, and Portland waived him shortly thereafter.
• April 20th: Celtics sign Sean Williams through 2012/13: Boston traded him to the Rockets in July as part of the Courtney Lee deal, and Houston waived him in August.
• April 18th: Hornets sign Darryl Watkins through 2013/14: New Orleans traded him to the Sixers in July as part of the Jarrett Jack deal, and Philadelphia waived him shortly thereafter.
• April 14th: Bobcats sign Jamario Moon through 2012/13: Charlotte waived him in July.
• April 12th: Rockets sign Diamon Simpson to a minimum-salary contract through 2012/13: Houston waived him in September.
• March 27th: Rockets sign Courtney Fortson through 2012/13: Despite picking up its team option for this season, Houston waived him in September.
• March 17th: Cavaliers sign Manny Harris through 2012/13: Cleveland waived him in July.
• March 16th: Cavaliers sign Donald Sloan through 2012/13: Sloan made the team out of camp, but Cleveland waived him on Christmas, a couple weeks before his contract would have become guaranteed for the rest of this season.

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Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors recently examined the financial details of this year's deadline deals, looking at how each trade played out under CBA rules. We can also gain insight from breaking down the commitments each team took on and relinquished in their swaps. For instance, of the 29 players changing hands, not one of them has any guaranteed money beyond next season.

No team saved more money than the Kings, who took $4,195,533 off their payroll for this year and next, though their six-player deal with the Rockets only saved them $521,138 in guaranteed money for next season. The team that took the next highest amount off their books is the Bucks, even though they acquired J.J. Redick, the biggest name to change teams at the deadline. Perhaps the ability to cut costs was the key to small-market Milwaukee's willingness to do the deal. The Suns bit into their ample cap space to absorb an extra $3,825,180, the most any team took on at the deadline.

The list that follows shows the guaranteed salary each team relinquished and brought in at the deadline. Players who have already been waived after they were traded are included here, since their acquiring teams are still on the hook for the guaranteed portions of their contracts.

Rockets add $302,853

Departing

• Marcus Morris: two years, $3,892,680
• Patrick Patterson: two years, $5,202,062
• Cole Aldrich one year, $2,445,480
• Toney Douglas: one year, $2,067,880

Acquiring

• Francisco Garcia: one year, $6,100,000
• Thomas Robinson:  two years, $6,901,080
• Tyler Honeycutt: two years, $909,875

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