All 90 two-way contract slots across the NBA are filled, with each team currently carrying a trio of players on two-way deals. However, even after the Bulls signed Orlando Robinson on Friday as their 15th man, half of the league’s 30 clubs still have openings on their standard rosters.
With the help of our roster count tracker, here are the 15 teams who are carrying 14 players on standard contracts and have one roster spot open:
Most of these teams have a good reason for not carrying a full 15-man roster right now. The Celtics and Rockets would surpass the luxury tax line by adding a veteran free agent on a minimum-salary contract, while the Cavaliers, Nuggets, Pacers, Heat, Timberwolves, Knicks, Magic, Sixers, Suns, and Raptors are already operating in tax territory. Several of those teams can’t fit a 15th man below their respective hard caps, and the ones who can would increase their projected tax bills by filling their open roster spots.
That leaves just three teams who could add a 15th man while staying below the luxury tax line. The Trail Blazers, with $8.3MM in breathing room below that threshold, are in the most comfortable position and could add a 15th man anytime without it really impacting their cap situation. The Kings ($4MM) and Spurs ($2.1MM) have less spending flexibility below the tax line, so they’ll likely be careful about how they use their 15th roster spots.
It’s worth noting that there are also several teams around the NBA who have full 15-man rosters but are carrying at least one player with a non-guaranteed salary. Those clubs have the flexibility to replace their 15th man if a favorable opportunity arises, like the Thunder did last weekend, when they waived Dalen Terry in order to trade for Nique Clifford.
The following teams fall into this group. Their players without fully guaranteed contracts have been noted in parentheses:
Some of these roster situations are more fluid than others. For instance, there’s no chance the Pistons will waive Robinson before his salary becomes fully guaranteed in January, but it’s much more conceivable that the Jazz could cut Bradley loose in the next month or two.
