NBA Window to Sign Players to 10-Day Contracts Now Open

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for — 10-day contract season in the NBA. That’s right, from now until the end of the year, teams can start signing players to 10-day deals. Or at least two of them.

That window opened Sunday.

While these deals don’t come with a long-term commitment, they’re often the perfect way for teams to assess a player’s worth on a short-term basis — either to plug a gap for injury replacements or to test out a prospect for a bigger role down the line.

As the name would suggest, these contracts last for 10 days or until a player has appeared in three games, whichever comes first.

A player can sign a maximum of two 10-day contracts with the same team in a season, after which the club has to make a decision — either lock him in for the rest of the year, or part ways.

It’s a low-risk, high-reward strategy, but it’s also a bit of a balancing act for franchises trying to manage both roster depth and salary cap flexibility.

So timing is key here. The 10-day contract window opens right before the January 10 salary guarantee deadline, when teams must decide if they want to keep players on non-guaranteed contracts for the rest of the season.

To avoid being on the hook for a player’s full salary, teams need to waive players by Tuesday, January 7, to ensure they clear waivers before the guarantee date.

This is actually a crucial period for a lot of teams, as they weigh whether to hold onto a non-guaranteed player or cut him loose and replace him with a fresh face on a 10-day deal.

In fact, we could see some of the very same players who get waived over the next few days end up back with their teams on short-term deals. Clubs know the value of roster flexibility, and in some cases, it’s about keeping the options open in case a trade presents itself.

The Timberwolves made an early move last week, waiving PJ Dozier to avoid his salary becoming fully guaranteed. While the majority of teams have yet to make moves, don’t expect much action on the waiver wire until the final hours ahead of the guarantee deadline.

Currently, 11 teams, including the Timberwolves, have an open roster spot, but many of them are in luxury tax territory or have limited cap space (Detroit, for example).

That makes it less likely they’ll rush to fill those spots with 10-day signings, as it could affect their tax penalty or cap flexibility. Only the Rockets are in a position to add someone without these concerns, which could give them an edge in the 10-day market.

For now, keep an eye on the waivers — more cuts are likely coming, and teams will quickly pivot to bring in temporary reinforcements if it makes financial or basketball sense. 

Notable players to have signed 10-day deals through the years: Phil Chenier (Warriors), DeMarcus Cousins (Nuggets), Joakim Noah (Clippers), Mark Jackson (Rockets), Jeff Malone (Heat), Joe Johnson (Celtics) and Isaiah Thomas (four teams).