At this point in the NBA calendar, there isn’t a lot of roster movement. The trade deadline is nearly two months behind us. Buyout season more or less wraps up at the beginning of March. Even the deadline to sign players to two-way contracts was a month ago (more on that in a bit!).
But there are some roster situations to be aware of around the NBA. Some teams have open roster spots, while others have two-way players who are out of NBA eligibility. That means there are some moves to come around the league.
A couple of reminders on rules for two-way players:
- Two-Way players are limited to 50 NBA games on the active list. It’s important to note that this is games active, not games played. A couple of players have hit their limit, while others are closing in.
- Two-Way players are not eligible to play in the postseason. That includes both the playoffs and the Play-In Tournament. This is true even if they have NBA eligibility remaining on their two-way deal. When the NBA regular season ends, the season ends for a player on a two-way contract.
- If a team converts or signs a two-way at this point in the season, they can’t replace them. The deadline for that was on March 4. That means leaving an open two-way spot for the final couple of weeks of the regular season. Not a huge deal, but something some teams may not want to deal with.
It’s rare for a postseason team to leave a roster spot open to end the season. April 13, or the final day of the regular season, is the last day to sign a player to a contract. We’ll call out those situations here too.
With all of that said, here are the teams and players to keep an eye on over the next couple of weeks as the NBA regular season comes to an end.
Boston Celtics
Analysis: Boston regularly carries an open roster deep into the season. The Celtics also always fill that spot. At this point, keep an eye on a potential two-way callup. Given that Miles Norris received a two-year two-way deal, it’s probably between J.D Davison and Drew Peterson.
Davison has been with the team longer, but Peterson is a wing. With the late-season emergence of Baylor Scheierman and the buyout addition of Torrey Craig, that should give Boston enough wing depth. We’ll give the nod to Davison, simply because the Celtics won’t want to be caught without guard depth.
Brooklyn Nets
Analysis: The Nets aren’t headed to the postseason. Heck, by the time you read this, they might even be officially eliminated. But they do have an open roster spot. Maybe Brooklyn just lets that ride, but they might want to take a look at a player or two down the stretch. This could be a 10 Day contract situation, followed by a rest-of-season signing.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Analysis: The Cavs are in the same situation as the Celtics. They’re likely to fill their final roster spot for depth purposes. Nae’Qwan Tomlin has a two-year two-way deal, so we’ll take him out of the mix. That leaves Emoni Bates and Luke Travers.
Bates is younger, has more upside and more history with Cleveland. But he’s been extremely inefficient in the G League this season. Travers has had a nice all-around season. We’re betting on Travers to get converted. There’s also a decent chance the Cavaliers sign a veteran, who might be more ready in a “break glass in case of emergency” situation in the playoffs.
Dallas Mavericks
Analysis: This one is really interesting. Dallas is in a fight for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. They’ve also exhausted the NBA eligibility for forward Kessler Edwards. In addition, guard Brandon Williams only has a couple of NBA games left himself.
On top of all of that, Dallas has an open roster spot, but they can’t fill it until April 10. That’s because the Mavs are just $51,148 under their first-apron hard cap. A prorated veteran minimum deal is worth more than that until we get to April 10. So, for two more weeks, Dallas will have to run shorthanded.
As of April 10, it’s likely the Mavericks will convert/sign one of Edwards or Williams. With Dallas getting increasingly healthier in the frontcourt and less healthy in the backcourt, it’s likely Williams will get the nod. As it stands, he’s the Mavs second-best on-ball creator behind Spencer Dinwiddie. They’ll want Williams for the Play-In Tournament.
One last note for Dallas: They could delay signing either Edwards or Williams and then sign both with two days left in the season. That would mean moving on from a player. In that case, Dante Exum could be waived, as he’s on an expiring contract and out for the season with an injury.
Golden State Warriors
Analysis: The Warriors now have enough room under their first-apron hard cap to sign a player to a rest-of-season deal. Given Golden State is ticketed for the postseason (and probably the playoffs), they’re likely to fill that spot. It’ll mean a bit more of a tax bill, but that’s not the end of the world.
Braxton Key is on a two-way deal and has played well for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League. There’s a chance he could be the guy. Golden State could use some additional forward depth at the end of the bench. This could also be a veteran signing right at the very end of the season too.
Los Angeles Lakers
Analysis: The Lakers have a full roster, but they have two regular rotation players on two-way deals. As covered above, they’re going to want at least one of those players for the playoffs. That means a move is very likely coming for Los Angeles.
Jordan Goodwin is now out of NBA eligibility on his two-way deal. He’s become a rotation player in the Lakers backcourt. He’s going to be signed or converted to a standard contract. The guess here is that happens at the expense of Cam Reddish, who was brought back after the voided traded with Charlotte, but hasn’t played much since.
(NOTE: Goodwin is reportedly being signed to a two-year deal, with Reddish being waived.)
The other spot is far more interesting. Trey Jemison III has been a solid backup center behind Jaxson Hayes. However, the Lakers have him on a two-year two-way deal. That means that Jemison is already in the mix for next season, even if he’s not eligible for the playoffs. Also, adding Jemison means moving on from another player, which would likely be Alex Len or Markieff Morris.
In addition, some Lakers fans have clamored for Christian Koloko to also be converted. Koloko has played ahead of both Len and Morris in games where he’s been active.
Mark down Goodwin as a guarantee to be converted/signed to a standard deal. And don’t be surprised if one of the two bigs is converted/signed too, with Len being the most likely candidate to be waived to create the roster spot.
New Orleans Pelicans
Analysis: The Pelicans are in the same situation as the Brooklyn Nets. They’re eliminated from the postseason picture, but they do have an open roster spot. There isn’t a clear two-way conversion for New Orleans either, as Keion Brooks Jr. and Jamal Cain haven’t been clear rotation guys. Being somewhat tight to the tax line means the Pelicans may just let this one ride.
New York Knicks
Analysis: The Knicks are on the verge of clinching a playoff spot, possibly by the time you read this. They’ve also got an open roster spot. That spot is currently occupied on P.J. Tucker on a second 10 Day deal. When that deal is up, New York has to either sign Tucker for the rest of the season, or they need to let him walk.
Without a two-way player as a lock to be converted, look for Tucker to sign a rest-of-season deal to provide some emergency frontcourt depth for the playoff run.
Philadelphia 76ers
Analysis: This is another non-postseason situation. But the challenge for the Sixers is that two-way player Jeff Dowtin is almost out of NBA eligibility. Philadelphia doesn’t have an open roster spot and they have a slew of injuries. That makes this an interesting situation to watch.
It sounds a little crazy, but don’t be shocked if Kyle Lowry is waived to create a roster spot for Dowtin. Lowry is on an expiring contract and hasn’t played since February 9. Given his season (and possibly career) is over, the 76ers may prefer to have Dowtin in that spot. If so, Dowtin will probably get a deal that carries over to next season with a team option or partial/non-guaranteed year.
Phoenix Suns
Analysis: The Suns are fighting for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. They are hopefully and optimistic that they can win in the PIT and advance to the playoffs too.
The challenge? Collin Gillespie, who has been the team’s starting for a couple of weeks now, is on a two-way deal. That means he can’t play in the postseason unless he’s converted.
The additional challenge? Phoenix doesn’t have an open roster spot. Creating one isn’t hard, as Damion Lee and Monte Morris haven’t been rotation players for the Suns for a long time now.
Look for Phoenix to waive either Lee or Morris and to sign Gillespie to a two-year minimum deal. That will put Gillespie in line to continue to start in the postseason, while putting him in position to be on next year’s roster too.
Sacramento Kings
Analysis: Like the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks, the Kings are battling for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Sacramento currently has a full roster, but that last spot is filled by Terry Taylor on a 10 Day deal.
Taylor could stick on a second 10 Day deal, which would allow Sacramento to put off signing someone until closer to the end of the season. At that point, Taylor could get a rest-of-season contract, or a two-way player could be brought up. Those candidates are Isaiah Crawford or Mason Jones, as Isaac Jones was already signed to a two-year minimum deal recently.
Toronto Raptors
Analysis: Toronto is another team on the verge of being officially eliminated from playoff contention, but sitting on an open roster spot…kind of. That opening is currently filled by Cole Swider on a 10 Day contract, after Collin Castleton recently finished a pair of 10 Day deals.
The Raptors could run out the season with an open spot after this 10 Day deal for Swider. Or maybe they sign Castleton, who they loved, to a rest-of-season deal. Maybe Swider impresses and snags a contract. The other option is to convert A.J. Lawson, who has played a lot for Toronto while on his two-way contract.
Washington Wizards
Analysis: We’re only including this because Tristan Vukcevic has become a regular rotation guy for Washington while on his two-way contract. He’s got enough NBA eligibility left to finish out the season, so that’s not an issue.
However, the Wizards could sign Vukcevic to a standard contract, if they could get him on a team-friendly deal. That would mean moving on from someone, but the contracts for both Anthony Gill and Colby Jones are non-guaranteed for next season. We don’t necessarily expect a move here, but Vukcevic has been intriguing enough that it’s worth noting the possibility.