NBA Players Waived After Today Won’t Be Eligible For Playoffs

It’s the time of year when rosters are on everyone’s mind. You are either making a playoff push or getting ready to make a serious run at the NBA Draft lottery.

Or maybe the play-in is your usual expectation. (Here’s looking at you, Atlanta Hawks.)

Anyway, no matter the goal, players must be waived either on or before March 1 to be eligible for the NBA playoffs with another team. And since today is the start of March, that means today is the last day.

For example, veteran forward P.J. Tucker was waived by the Raptors on Friday. That means another team could sign him and he’d be eligible for the postseason. That said, Tucker was traded twice at the deadline in early February and has yet to appear in a game this season. It’s hard to envision him contributing to a team’s playoff odds.

Now, there is one exception to this rule, and it’s this — players who are on 10-day contracts. Since their contracts merely expire (and they’re not officially being waived), they can sign a standard deal with another team and still be eligible for playoff rosters.

That list includes the likes of Lamar Stevens (Grizzlies), Moses Brown (Mavericks) and Nae’Qwan Tomlin (Cavaliers), as well as Killian Hayes (Nets) and Kevin Knox (Warriors).

Overall, the buyout market has been kind of quiet, with only Ben Simmons (Clippers), Javonte Green (Cavs) and Alex Len (Lakers), being veterans of note to find new homes.

Now, all of that said, players who are currently free agents ARE eligible for playoff rosters. Think Tristan Thompson with the Lakers a couple of years ago. He signed on the final day of the regular season and actually got some postseason minutes in 2022-23.