With about a month left in the NBA offseason, only three teams have filled all of their training camp spots. Conversely, nine teams have 14 or fewer players on standard contracts.
Under the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, NBA teams are allowed 15 players on standard contracts, even though they must have 14 players on their regular season rosters.
During the period from the first day of the regular season inclusive the last day of the regular season (or for teams that qualify for “postseason” (as defined below), through the team’s last game in season), each team agrees to have either fourteen (14) or fifteen (15) players collected on its active list and inactive list.
3 NBA Draft picks still looking for jobs
Phoenix, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Detroit, Minnesota, New Orleans, Sacramento and Cleveland are the teams without 15 players. However, the Cavaliers are the only team under the 14-player threshold, as they currently have 12 on their roster.
Additionally, 10 NBA teams have at least one two-way spot available, including three (Orlando, Brooklyn and Cleveland) with two open minor league contracts up for grabs.
While several quality veterans are still on the open market, some youngsters are still available. EJ Liddell, Taevion Kinsey, Jaylin Galloway and Leaky Black are some young players who recently became available after being released by NBA teams. But I’m going to look at four recent drafts that are still available. These players are Quenten Post, Nikola Djurisic and Luke Travers.
Quentin Post
Post is one of two unsigned draft picks in 2024. The 24-year-old, 7-foot Amsterdam native, who became the first Dutch player drafted in 15 years, was selected by Golden State with the No. 52- the draft pick. On draft day, he was traded twice to OKC and Portland before being traded back to the Warriors for cash.
Post spent five years in college, playing the first two seasons at Mississippi and three years at Boston College. Post began to enter the NBA perspective as a senior with the Eagles due to his shooting ability and was named the 2023 ACC Most Improved Player.
He really came into his own as a graduate player. He was named to the 2024 All-ACC second team and the All-ACC Defensive team.
Here’s NBA.com’s scouting report on Post:
Post is a traditional size center with three-and-D upside. Over his final two seasons at BC, he went 73-for-170 (43%) from distance. That translated to the free throw line, where he shot 144-for-173 (83%). On the block, he uses his size and strength to make basic hook shots and drop steps. But his limited athleticism doesn’t make him a top-shelf threat. It doesn’t help on defense either, where he struggles outside the paint. Post, for his size, is also simply an adequate rebounder.
Golden State has 18 players under contract for 2024-25. The Warriors have 14 players on standard contracts, with Gui Santos on a non-guaranteed deal. The Dubs also have all three of their 2-way spots filled with Reece Beekman, Daequon Plowden and Pat Spencer.
The Warriors have three training camp spots remaining, having already signed Jackson Rowe to an Exhibit 10 deal. It would be surprising if Post doesn’t get a training camp deal unless he finds a place to play overseas as a draft pick and a stash.
Post likely needs some seasoning in the G-League, and the Warriors don’t really need a frontcourt right now. He showed off his offensive versatility during summer league, compiling 10.0 points on 63.6% shooting and 40.0% from the 3-point line, along with 2.5 rebounds in 15 minutes over two contests.
Nikola Djurisic
Djurisic is likely to sign with the Atlanta Hawks, who traded for him on draft day in a three-team deal after being selected by the Miami Heat with the No. 42 pick. But there is no rush as he suffered a broken left foot during the NBA Summer League. He is expected to be out until at least November.
The 20-year-old 6-8 Serbian wing has been playing professionally since 2020 in his home country. He spent the last three seasons with KK Mega Basket. He was named Euroleague NGT in 2022 and ABA League Top Prospect in 2023.
Djurisic is known for his shooting ability. Here’s his NBA.com scouting report:
Standing at 6-foot-8, Djurisic has excellent positional size as his shooting touch and overall instincts resemble that of a shooting guard rather than a small forward. He is an effective passer and can score at all three levels, often using his dribbling ability to create for himself but also showing vision to create for others. Djurisic had an excellent showing at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine, which certainly boosted his draft stock. Djurisic has top-notch shooting mechanics and his size allows him to easily shoot over defenders, especially when deployed in the backcourt. He needs to improve his decision-making and passing ability, but he has shown promise there and could be a serviceable playmaker at the NBA level. One area where Djurisic needs improvement is on defense: he lacks lateral quickness to defend on the perimeter, but he makes up for it with above-average effort and size.
Djurisic struggled in his two Summer League appearances. In 33 minutes of action, he scored nine points on 2-of-7 shooting, including 0-of-3 from the 3-point line and 5-of-9 from the free throw line. He also compiled two assists and five turnovers.
Atlanta currently has all 15 roster spots and three two-way spots filled. So we’ll see what happens when he’s cleared.
Luke Travers
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Travers with the No. 56 pick in 2022, though he has remained in Australia for the past two seasons as a draft and stash prospect. He spent the 2022-23 campaign in NBL1 with Cockburn Cougars and last season with Melbourne United. Melbourne United granted the 22-year-old his release to pursue NBA opportunities.
The 22-year-old, 6-7 wing has spent three summers with the Cavaliers, including this past season. Travers is best known for his high-motor and all-around game. He averaged 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists on 48.7/0.0/87.5% shooting.
Travers is expected to sign with Cleveland, with the most likely scenario being a two-way deal.
“Cleveland has three standard roster spots, plus all three (now two) of their two-way spots, still open,” Olgun Uluc/ESPN Australia said. “It is expected that Travers will fill one of the open spots for the Cavaliers for next season.”