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NBA teams hit the 15-man roster deadline: what the cuts mean for Exhibit 10 and two-way players

By McKinley Malbrough III, J.D., MS-HRM · Certified WNBA player agent · Former certified NBA agent

Published October 19, 2026. Last updated October 19, 2026.

The roster deadline falls between the last preseason game and opening night. By then each team has to settle on its roster, and every player above the limit is waived, converted, traded or otherwise moved. The MM3 Sports preseason opinion post covers the season ahead. This post covers what the cutdown does to the players at the bottom of each roster.

What is the NBA roster cut deadline in 2026, and what is the opening night roster of 15 players?

The deadline is Monday, October 19, at 5 p.m. Eastern, per Essentially Sports. Teams are then held to the NBA roster limit of 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals, per Hoops Rumors. That is 18 players, down from as many as 21 in the offseason.

The limits come from the collective bargaining agreement. Article XXIX lets a team carry 21 players outside the regular season and adds one roster spot for each two-way player in it, and Article II, Section 11(b) caps a team at three two-way players, per the 2023 CBA. How the cap and the minimum salary shape these choices is in the salary cap guide and the 2026-27 minimum salary breakdown.

What is the difference between waived and released in the NBA, and how does a waiver claim work?

Coverage often uses the two words loosely. Hot Hot Hoops said Miami released four players, while Essentially Sports counted 16 players waived on October 15, though it noted that the moves were not all the same kind of transaction. The formal step is a waiver request, which starts a 48-hour window in which any team can claim the player, weekends included, per section 5.04 of the NBA by-laws reproduced in Exhibit A of the CBA.

A waiver claim goes to the claiming team with the lowest standing when the request was made, per section 5.05 of the same by-laws, using the previous season's standings until November 30. Hoops Rumors noted that New York's Bruce Brown, on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal, could be claimed by any team off waivers on Monday, per its report on the Knicks.

The NBA roster cuts of 2026 came in waves. After 16 waivers on October 15, Essentially Sports counted more than 80 players waived in a single day on October 17, per its October 18 report. Hoops Rumors lists October 17 as the last day to waive fully non-guaranteed players without a cap hit, so they clear before the regular season.

What happens to an Exhibit 10 player who is waived and assigned to a G League affiliate?

He can earn a bonus of about $91,000 for 60 days with the affiliate, per Hoops Rumors. Under Article II, Section 3(s) of the CBA, the bonus is paid only if the team waives him before the regular season, he signs with the G League before its deadline to designate affiliate players, the league assigns him to that team's affiliate, and he completes 60 consecutive days of service there. The CBA sets a maximum, and each contract sets the actual amount.

Miami had 14 standard and three two-way contracts after waiving four Exhibit 10 players, per Hot Hot Hoops, which said they will likely sign with Sioux Falls. Indiana waived Keba Keita and Rienk Mast, who are in line to earn bonuses of about $91,000 each if they spend 60 days with the Noblesville Boom, per Hoops Rumors. The full rules for the contract are in the Exhibit 10 guide.

How does two-way contract conversion work at the deadline?

A team can turn an Exhibit 10 deal into a two-way contract only before the first day of the regular season, and doing so ends the Exhibit 10 bonus right, under Article II, Section 11(h) of the CBA. Hoops Rumors lists October 19 as the last day to do it.

The two-way slot is worth $678,882 in 2026-27, per the Hoops Rumors two-way tracker on Yardbarker. Portland was left with 14 standard and three two-way contracts after requesting waivers on Jeremy Sochan, per Hoops Rumors. When a team's three two-way slots are full, a conversion has to make room. Two-way rules are covered in the two-way contract guide.

What does a waived player earn?

It depends on the contract. A non-guaranteed Exhibit 9 deal ends with no pay if the team terminates it before the first day of the regular season, under Article II, Section 3(r) of the CBA. A guaranteed contract still owes the unearned money, which can shrink by what the player earns from another team under Article XXVII.

The waiving team stays financially responsible for the player until the 48-hour window ends, per the by-laws. Essentially Sports reported that a Monday waiver would not clear until Wednesday, October 21, and the team could owe two days of salary. When the guaranteed money owed exceeds $500,000, the part owed beyond the current season is paid over a longer schedule under the stretch rule in Article II, Section 4(k), per the CBA.

What should players and agents watch next?

The first thing to watch is the waiver claims that resolve this week. A claimed player joins the claiming team. An unclaimed one is released and can sign elsewhere. The minimum salary for a player with no NBA service is $1,357,763 in 2026-27, per Hoops Rumors on Yardbarker, about twice the two-way figure.

Players cut this week should ask their agents which contract they have and what the team still owes. For anyone aiming at this path, the guide to professional basketball paths shows where each rung leads.