NBA

Over 125 Players To Be Cut Before Start of Season

Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Updated15 Oct 2021

On Saturday, the Atlanta Hawks waived forward Richard Solomon, briefly reducing their roster to 19 players. According to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Hawks will quickly replace Solomon with point guard Josh Magette.

Once signed, Magette will be the 330th player inked to a new contract this offseason. And that doesn’t even include the restructured deals of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, or the extensions given to Giannis Antetokounmpo and C.J. McCollum.

A total of $1.3 billion in new contracts were doled out specifically for the 2016-17 season. The league will have 576 players; this is problematic for at least 126 individuals, since teams can carry a maximum of 15 players – or 450 in total – into the regular season.

Roughly 21.9 percent of players will be cut, and the math may worsen considering not every team will carry a full 15-player roster into the regular season. Additionally, free agents J.R. Smith and Donatas Motiejunas (restricted) are somewhat likely to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets, respectively.

The Cavaliers are currently at the offseason maximum of 20 players, but can easily make room for Smith by shedding camp invites. The Cavs are locked into 12 fully-guaranteed contracts, but veteran guard Mo Williams is retiring. His $2.2 million contract will be waived or traded (and then subsequently waived by the incoming team) prior to the start of the season.

In the case of Motiejunas, the Rockets have 15 guaranteed players. They’ll need to make a trade, waive a guaranteed salary or pass on Motiejunas altogether. Houston also has a sizable investment in rookie Kyle Wiltjer, guaranteeing $275,000 of the first year of his $543,471 rookie contract. If waived, Wiltjer would likely end up with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA Development League. The challenge for the Rockets is that in the D-League, Wiltjer would be a free agent who is able to sign with another NBA franchise – even after collecting a salary for going to camp with Houston.

A number of teams have roster crunch issues. The Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers have 16 fully-guaranteed players. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t trade for Joffrey Lauvergne (from the Denver Nuggets) just to waive him.

Camp invites will do everything within their power to earn a spot, regardless of how uphill the battle may be. Many will ultimately land in the D-League as affiliate players.

Like Solomon, some players have already come and gone like Xavier Henry, who was briefly signed for training camp with the Milwaukee Bucks, but was quickly let go. Three second-round picks (Marcus Denmon and Ryan Richards of the San Antonio Spurs, and Tomislav Zubcic of the Thunder) accepted their required tenders, only to be waived soon after by their respective franchises.

Opening night of the NBA season is Oct. 25. The following is a list of teams and their current roster count, with the amount in parenthesis indicating a player’s partial salary guarantee:

Team	Guaranteed	Non/Partial
Atlanta Hawks	15	5
Would need to open a spot for Mike Muscala, who has $508,000 guaranteed, or Matt Costello ($50,000), Ryan Kelly, Will Bynum or Magette.
Boston Celtics	16	4
Ben Bentil has a large $250,000 guarantee but with players like James Young and R.J. Hunter, he may be fighting to make the final 15. Bentil may be D-League bound with others like Damion Lee ($50,000), Marcus Georges-Hunt ($25,000) and Jalen Jones ($25,000).
Brooklyn Nets	15	5
Chase Budinger’s camp deal locks in fully if he makes it to opening night. He’ll need to beat out a player with a guaranteed deal. Others hoping to stick include Yogi Ferrell ($100,000), Egidijus Mockevicius ($100,000), Beau Beech ($45,000) and Jorge Gutierrez.
Charlotte Hornets	13	6
The Hornets have six players fighting for two spots, including Aaron Harrison, whose sophomore salary is non-guaranteed. Others include Mike Tobey ($75,000), Treveon Graham ($75,000), Rasheed Sulaimon, Andrew Andrews and Perry Ellis.
Chicago Bulls	13	6
Cristiano Felicio, in his second year with the team, seems like a lock to be the 14th player. That would leave one spot for Thomas Walkup ($69,500), Spencer Dinwiddie, D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, J.J. Avila and Vince Hunter.
Cleveland Cavaliers	12	8
Presuming J.R. Smith ultimately takes the place of Mo Williams, Cleveland would have three spots for eight players including DeAndre Liggins ($25,000), Jordan McRae, Cory Jefferson, Markel Brown, Eric Moreland, Dahntay Jones, John Holland and Jonathan Holmes.
Dallas Mavericks	14	6
Six rookies are vying for one roster spot: Dorian Finney-Smith ($100,000), Nicolas Brussino ($100,000), Kyle Collinsworth ($70,000), Jameel Warney ($20,000), Keith Hornsby and C.J. Williams.
Denver Nuggets	14	6
JaKarr Sampson and Axel Toupane are non-guaranteed holdovers from last season. The Nuggets also have four new players in camp: Robbie Hummel ($150,000), Jarnell Stokes ($150,000), Nate Wolters ($50,000) and D.J. Kennedy ($50,000).
Detroit Pistons	14	4
One spot for returning Lorenzo Brown or newcomers Nikola Jovanovic ($30,000), Ray McCallum or Trey Freeman.
Golden State Warriors	14	6
Elliot Williams has a sizable guaranteed at $250,000. Other tryouts include Scott Wood ($50,000), Elgin Cook ($50,000), Cameron Jones ($50,000), Phil Pressey ($35,000) and JaVale McGee.
Houston Rockets	15	4
In addition to the uncertain status of Donatas Motiejunas, the Rockets have the $275,000 guarantee to Wiltjer, along with Isaiah Taylor ($50,000), P.J. Hairston and Bobby Brown.
Indiana Pacers	16	3
The Mavericks paid Indiana to take on the guaranteed contract of Jeremy Evans, which could make him the odd-man out. The Pacers also have Julyan Stone ($50,000), Alex Poythress ($35,381) and Nick Zeisloft ($25,000).
Los Angeles Clippers	15	2
It will be a challenge for Dorell Wright and Xavier Munford to find a roster spot with the Clippers.
Los Angeles Lakers	14	6
While Yi Jianlian’s $8 million contract has only $250,000 guaranteed, he is likely to make the team. That doesn’t leave much room for Zach Auguste ($60,000), Metta World Peace, Travis Wear or Julian Jacobs – barring a move to open a roster spot.
Memphis Grizzlies	13	7
The favorites to make the team include Vince Carter ($4.3 million, with $2 million guaranteed) and JaMychal Green ($980,431 with $200,000 locked in). Others vying for a spot include Troy Williams ($150,000), D.J. Stephens ($35,000), Tony Wroten ($25,000), Wayne Selden and Chris Crawford.
Miami HEAT	15	5
The future of Chris Bosh is in limbo, but in the meantime, the team doesn’t have much room for Briante Weber ($327,989), Rodney McGruder ($150,000), Stefan Jankovic ($100,000), Okaro White ($100,000) and Keith Benson ($75,000).
Milwaukee Bucks	15	4
No obvious room for Orlando Johnson, J.J. O’Brien, Jabari Brown or Jaleel Roberts – none of whom have any guaranteed money in their deal.
Minnesota Timberwolves	14	3
Kevin Garnett’s retirement opened up a potential spot for Toure’ Murry, John Lucas III or Rasual Butler.
New Orleans Pelicans	15	5
A full roster presents a challenge for Lance Stephenson ($100,000), Robert Sacre, Chris Copeland, Shawn Dawson and Quinn Cook.
New York Knicks	15	3
Roster space may land J.P. Tokoto ($100,000), Chasson Randle and Ron Baker ($75,000) with the Westchester Knicks.
Oklahoma City Thunder	15	5
Fully guaranteed Mitch McGary, who is suspended for breaking the NBA’s substance abuse policy, could dealt or cut outright to open room for Joffrey Lauvergne ($854,860). Semaj Christon ($200,000), Chris Wright ($100,000), Kaleb Tarczewski ($75,000) and Alex Caruso ($50,000) may end up with the Oklahoma City Blue.
Orlando Magic	13	6
There are two open spots for six non-guaranteed players: Damjan Rudez, Arinze Onuaku, Cliff Alexander, Branden Dawson, Nick Johnson and Kevin Murphy.
Philadelphia 76ers	11	9
Elton Brand has a sizable $1 million guarantee, while Robert Covington ($50,000), Hollis Thompson, T.J. McConnell and Jerami Grant were all regular contributors last season. If they all stick, that’s 15 players. Others vying for a roster spot include Brandon Paul ($155,000), Shawn Long ($65,000), James Webb ($65,000) and Cat Barber ($50,000).
Phoenix Suns	14	5
John Jenkins is hoping to stick for another year in Phoenix, while Derrick Jones ($42,500), Shaquille Harrison, Gracin Bakumanya and Derek Cooke Jr. hope to get the 15th spot.
Portland Trail Blazers	14	4
Luis Montero is competing to stick with Portland for a second season. Tim Quarterman ($75,000), Grant Jerrett and Greg Stiemsma would all like Portland’s final open slot.
Sacramento Kings	14	4
With Darren Collison suspended for the first eight games of the season, Ty Lawson may be the opening-night starter despite his non-guaranteed status. Others hoping to make the team include Isaiah Cousins ($100,000), Jordan Farmar and Lamar Patterson.
San Antonio Spurs	14	5
Five players are competing for one spot: Bryn Forbes ($125,000), Patricio Garino ($100,000), Ryan Arcidiacono ($75,000), Joel Anthony and Nicolas Laprovittola.
Toronto Raptors	14	6
Toronto has one spot open and six players fighting for it: Brady Heslip ($56,500), E.J. Singler ($50,000), Fred VanVleet ($50,000), Jarrod Uthoff ($50,000), Yanick Moreira and Drew Crawford.
Utah Jazz	14	6
Jeff Withey has the edge to be the 15th player, but others like Marcus Paige ($125,000), Henry Sims ($75,000), Quincy Ford ($75,000), Christapher Johnson and Eric Dawson hope otherwise.
Washington Wizards	12	6
The Wizards have three spots, potentially for Jarell Eddie ($175,000), Danuel House ($100,000), Daniel Ochefu ($50,000), Sheldon McClellan ($50,000), Casper Ware and/or Johnny O’Bryant.