Open NBA Roster Spots After Guarantee Deadline
nba-roster-openings-january-2026
The NBA’s league-wide salary guarantee date for the 2025/26 season has passed, leaving several clubs with room to add players to their 18-man rosters.
Standard roster vacancies
Fifteen teams currently have fewer than 15 players on standard rest-of-season contracts:
- Boston Celtics
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Denver Nuggets
- Houston Rockets
- Indiana Pacers*
- Los Angeles Clippers
- Los Angeles Lakers*
- Miami Heat
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Orlando Magic
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Toronto Raptors
- Washington Wizards
*Indiana and Los Angeles (Lakers) technically have full 15-man lists, but each is carrying one player on a 10-day deal—Tony Bradley with the Pacers and Kobe Bufkin with the Lakers. Bradley’s contract expires this weekend and Bufkin’s next week, reopening the 15th slot for both clubs.
Most franchises are expected to keep those openings until after the Feb. 5 trade deadline to preserve flexibility. Cap constraints add another layer: the Lakers cannot sign a rest-of-season free agent until Jan. 28 without breaching their first-apron hard cap, and the Knicks must wait until Apr. 2 to avoid violating the second apron.
Twelve of the 15 teams listed project to be luxury-tax payers. The Pacers, Heat and Wizards are the only ones currently below the tax line.
Two-way contract openings
Three clubs have an open two-way slot:
- Atlanta Hawks
- Milwaukee Bucks
- New York Knicks
All three waived a two-way player just before last week’s guarantee deadline. Teams have until Mar. 4 to fill a two-way position, and the prorated cost makes mid-season additions likely.
The next key roster-management milestone is the trade deadline on Feb. 5, after which teams are expected to resume signing activity.
Source: Hoops Rumors
