It is going to be a busy week of player movement around the NBA, no doubt a precursor to teams tightening up their rosters with the NBA trade deadlines steadily approaching.
And it all starts today.
Monday is the first day teams can begin offering 10-day contracts — with teams allowed to extend up to two per player before that respective player must either be released or have their contract guaranteed for the remainder of the season.
The other day to keep in mind is Friday. That is when all NBA contracts become guaranteed for the season.
Players must clear the 48-hour NBA waiver period and moves must be made by 6 p.m. on Tuesday so players can clear the waiver wire before being released.
Some serious nail biting will be going down this week for some NBA rookies and D-League call-ups currently carrying non-guaranteed contract. This will also be the week where you are bound to read early and often about free-agents stepping off the open market and signing with a team after much speculation the past few weeks.
Among the players who could be on the move: Walker D. Russell in Detroit; Terrel Harris and Mickell Gladness in Miami; Alonzo Gee, Samardo Samuels and Mychel Thompson with Cleveland; Ish Smith in Orlando; Josh Davis in Memphis; and Jeremy Lin in New York.
Take Thompson for example. The 6-foot-6 guard’s salary of $473,604 isn’t a big chunk of change for the franchise, but Cleveland certainly could use the roster flexibility keeping the March 15 trade deadline in mind.
Lin may have saved his season thanks to a career-high 25 points, seven assists, and five rebounds in a surprising performance against Deron Williams and the New Jersey Nets at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.
Both Smith and Russell are merely two players who could shuffle back to the D-League. There may also be some familiar names receiving a call-up to an NBA team. Scott Schroeder with Ridiculous Upside breaks down a number of players in-line for D-League call-ups including Blake Ahern, Gerald Green, Manny Harris and NBA veteran Mikki Moore among others. They all will be vying for one of the 16 currently open spots around the league.
Either way, also look for some teams to dabble in the double-dip, where they will release a player only to bring that same player back for 20 additional days without risking a season-long guaranteed contract.
The start of the 10-day period also allows teams to experiment with other outside options, depending on a respective team’s 15-man roster limit. That is where guys like free-agent center Joel Przybilla and guard Gilbert Arenas come into play. While Arenas has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers, Przybilla’s name continues to float around South Beach and the veteran center has said he plans to make a decision about his return by the end of the week.
Once Friday comes and goes and NBA contracts are guaranteed, the next two dates to keep in mind are March 15 – the trade deadline – and also March 23. That is the last day to sign a player and have him be playoff-eligible.
Until then NBA rosters are far from set in stone in this lockout shortened season.
