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On the eve of September, we’re nearly one month away from the return of NBA basketball.
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Amid a doozy of an offseason, we’re collectively ready to see reshaped and retooled rosters take the court. The NBA had a summer of its most high-profile names finding new homes: LeBron James signed with the 76ers after Philadelphia surprisingly traded for Jaylen Brown, Giannis Antetokounmpo was dealt to the Heat and the Timberwolves have entered a LaMelo Ball experiment. And that’s just to name a few.
Plenty of moves were made around the margins that will shape the outcome of next season. This late in the offseason, little is left to be determined. The past few weeks have seen the answers to most of the summer’s remaining loose ends. Klay Thompson was bought out by the Mavericks and joined the Heat. Jonathan Kuminga took a prove-it deal to play alongside Ball and Anthony Edwards in Minnesota and Bennedict Mathurin’s restricted free agency ended with him signing with the Pelicans. Most notably, perhaps, James Harden signed a new deal with the Cavaliers after the franchise completed a sign-and-trade with Denver to bring in Peyton Watson.
Still, though, some offseason questions remain unanswered like All-Star big man Jalen Duren’s restricted free agency with the Pistons. All signs point toward his return to Detroit, likely on a new long-term deal with the team he helped reach 60 wins a season ago.
With Duren expected to be on Detroit’s roster, other teams around the league have similar finishing touches to make before opening night (just not as big of a financial commitment). Over half the teams in the league have at least one open roster spot. That doesn’t mean they have to do anything, however.
Only a few teams have more than one open spot on the roster, which means the rest of the league has met the minimum 14 players. Teams can dip below that threshold for up to two weeks consecutively and up to 28 days total during the regular season. Nonetheless, we’ll see some movement toward the bottom of rosters in the lead up to the 2026–27 season, which begins on Oct. 20.
The Kings are still looking for a veteran point guard to put behind Darius Acuff Jr. after Russell Westbrook’s retirement. Some teams hold partial or non-guaranteed contracts for players currently rostered, too. Before the guarantee dates, teams can part with those players whether it’s a move to shed salary or create room on the roster. Players on two-way or Exhibit 10 contracts can play their way into a standard roster spot in training camp, too. There’s a lot of ways teams can subtly change as we inch closer and closer to the new season.
That said, let’s take a look around the NBA at each team’s current roster situation to see who may make some slight tweaks in the offseason’s waning moments:
Which NBA teams have open roster spots?
The in-season roster limit is 15 players on standard deals, plus three two-way spots that don’t count against the standard roster limit. Two-way players split time with their NBA team and its G League affiliate, allowed to play for the NBA club for up to 50 games over the regular season.
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Teams are allowed to exceed the roster limit over the offseason, so some teams currently have more than 15 players on standard contracts. Of those, you may see teams part with players on partial or non-guaranteed deals, find a trade to stay within the regular-season limit or outright waive a player and carry his salary if all other options are exhausted.
As things stand, just the Knicks, Kings and Raptors hold more than one open roster spot. Each has two standard roster spots, which accounts for the presumption that the delayed Kawhi Leonard to Toronto trade will go through (which the below numbers reflect). Sacramento hopes to add a veteran guard and has even worked out players like Victor Oladipo, Cam Payne and Elfrid Payton in that effort.
The defending champion Knicks are doing all they can to duck the second apron, currently about $3.3 million below the threshold with two open roster spots. New York will presumably fill one of its available roster spots, then fill the final spot later on with a prorated veteran minimum player and/or 10-day contracts once we hit that point in the regular season. The 14th roster spot could be for second-round pick Tyler Nickel, who shot the lights out at Summer League, or the Knicks could bring him on as a two-way player and sign a third big man on the minimum.
Here’s a look at each team’s current roster outlook, with all roster limit details according to CapSheets.com. Of note, the Pistons’ roster number does not account for Duren and Toronto’s roster is as if Leonard is on the team, with Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick on the Clippers.
| Team | Rostered players | Open roster spots | Two-way spots available |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Hawks | 17 (1 player on partial or non-guaranteed contract) | 0 | 0 |
| Boston Celtics | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| Brooklyn Nets | 15 | 0 | 1 |
| Charlotte Hornets | 17 (1) | 0 | 0 |
| Chicago Bulls | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | 14 (1) | 1 | 0 |
| Dallas Mavericks | 15 (1) | 0 | 0 |
| Denver Nuggets | 14 | 1 | 1 |
| Detroit Pistons | 15 (3) | 0 | 0 |
| Golden State Warriors | 15 (3) | 0 | 1 |
| Houston Rockets | 14 (2) | 1 | 0 |
| Indiana Pacers | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Clippers | 17 (1) | 0 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Lakers | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Memphis Grizzlies | 19 (2) | 0 | 0 |
| Miami Heat | 14 (3) | 1 | 0 |
| Milwaukee Bucks | 17 (1) | 0 | 1 |
| Minnesota Timberwolves | 14 (1) | 1 | 0 |
| New Orleans Pelicans | 16 (1) | 0 | 1 |
| New York Knicks | 13 | 2 | 3 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Orlando Magic | 14 (1) | 1 | 0 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | 14 (1) | 1 | 1 |
| Phoenix Suns | 15 (2) | 0 | 0 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | 14 (2) | 1 | 0 |
| Sacramento Kings | 13 | 2 | 1 |
| San Antonio Spurs | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Toronto Raptors | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| Utah Jazz | 14 (1) | 1 | 0 |
| Washington Wizards | 14 (1) | 1 | 1 |
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NBA Roster Spots Check-in: Which Teams Could Make Tweaks Ahead of Regular Season?.
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This story was originally published August 31, 2026 at 7:24 AM.