It’s cutdown weekend in the NBA, and most front offices are already making final decisions before the regular season tips off.
Teams technically have until Monday night to set their 15-man rosters, but the majority will make their moves by Saturday, as written by Luke Adams of HoopsRumors. The reason? Waiver timing and payroll math.
Players must clear waivers before the season starts Tuesday. Releasing a player Saturday ensures he clears by Monday.
Cutting someone Sunday or Monday, however, means the team would owe him one or two days of regular-season pay — even on a non-guaranteed deal. For minimum-salary players, that can run anywhere from $15,000 to $42,000.
It’s not a huge number, but for teams flirting with the luxury tax or hard cap, every bit counts. That’s why most clubs prefer to wrap things early, even if they already know who’s in and who’s out.
Some exceptions exist. Teams waiving or trading players with full or partial guarantees can afford to wait until Monday, since their salary obligations are locked in regardless.
The Wizards, for example, have 15 guaranteed contracts plus Justin Champagnie’s non-guaranteed deal. Unless Champagnie is the odd man out, they’ll likely need to waive a guaranteed player. Waiting an extra day won’t change a thing financially.
The Thunder are another team that can afford patience. With 15 players on guaranteed deals, two on two-ways, and four on Exhibit 10s, Oklahoma City could finalize its last two-way slot Monday after trimming the rest of its camp roster this weekend.
By Monday night, all 30 teams will have their regular-season groups locked in — and dozens of recently waived players will be headed to G League affiliates or looking for fresh starts elsewhere.
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