In a flurry of transactions, the 30 NBA teams sent their final opening-night rosters to the league. With a 15-man standard roster limit plus three two-way players each, about 519 players are under contract, leaving roughly 21 open spots. And about 25 of those contracts, plus every two-way deal, aren't fully guaranteed yet.
Those roster openings represent opportunities for the top remaining free agents, including several who didn't make this week's cut. Some may land minimum or two-way contracts; others may be claimed off waivers before they reach free agency.
Once executives see how good (or bad) their teams look on the floor, and once injuries start to pile up, they'll call for reinforcements.
10. Ochai Agbaji
1 of 10
Prior Team: New York Knicks
2026-27 Salary: $2.6 million (non-guaranteed), waived
Rights: None
Agbaji is a solid wing with some shooting and defensive skills. He signed a non-guaranteed deal with New York this summer without an Exhibit 10 bonus, so the G League may not be on his radar.
Cleveland drafted Agbaji with pick No. 14 in 2022, but the Cavaliers traded him to the Utah Jazz, along with Lauri Markkanen and others, in the Donovan Mitchell deal before he ever played a game. Midway through his second season, the Jazz sent Agbaji to the Toronto Raptors, where he played his best basketball, averaging 10.4 points per game and shooting 39.9 percent from three-point range in 2024-25.
After he slumped to 18.5 percent from three in Toronto last season, the Raptors dealt him to the rebuilding Brooklyn Nets at the trade deadline. His shooting improved with the Nets to 34.9 percent in 20 appearances, but the franchise didn't have the roster space to keep him this year.
Agbaji isn't two-way eligible. He could still turn to the G League, seek work overseas, or wait for a team in need to open a roster spot for the 26-year-old wing.
9. Rob Dillingham
2 of 10
Prior Team: Charlotte Hornets
2026-27 Salary: $6.9 million, waived on Charlotte's books
Rights: None
Minnesota traded up to draft Dillingham at No. 8 in 2024, but the win-now Timberwolves weren't in a position to develop a prospect who needed seasoning. The 6'2" combo guard averaged 15.2 points and 3.9 assists as a Kentucky freshman, shooting 44.4 percent from three on 4.5 attempts per game. That shooting hasn't carried over: He's at 32.4 percent from deep in the NBA.
The Timberwolves sent him to Chicago in the Ayo Dosunmu deal, but the rebuilding Bulls had other priorities and sent him to the Hornets for Buddy Hield. Charlotte ran out of roster space, leading to Dillingham's free agency.
At a minimum, he should sign a two-way contract with a team so he can rebuild his confidence and find his outside shot.
8. Dalen Terry
3 of 10
Prior Team: Golden State Warriors
2026-27 Salary: $2.6 million (non-guaranteed), waived with a $91,000 G League bonus
Rights: None
Terry is projected to land with the Santa Cruz Warriors, where he'll try to work his way back to the NBA through the G League. He's a 6'6" wing with ball-handling skill, originally drafted No. 18 by the Chicago Bulls. Near the end of his four-year rookie contract, he was traded to the New York Knicks and then the New Orleans Pelicans in quick succession before being waived.
After playing for the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-way contract, Terry joined the Warriors for training camp. Still just 24, he has made 218 NBA appearances over four years. He remains an intriguing wing prospect with secondary playmaking ability.
Terry should get solid reps in Santa Cruz, play in the G League Winter Showcase, and could fill a roster spot if Golden State has one open later in the year. Meanwhile, all G League players not on two-way contracts are NBA free agents and can sign with any interested team.
7. Dalton Knecht
4 of 10
Prior Team: Los Angeles Lakers
2026-27 Salary: $4.2 million, waived on L.A.'s books
Rights: None
The Lakers were beaming when they landed Knecht in 2024 with the No. 17 pick. He was a dynamic NCAA shooter, but age concerns caused him to fall in the draft. Now 25, Knecht is an unrestricted free agent after two seasons.
He showed real flashes as a rookie, averaging 9.1 points per game and shooting 37.6 percent from three-point range, but he didn't fit head coach JJ Redick's style. With the Lakers hoping to win at the highest level, Knecht wasn't in the right place to develop—and a deadline trade to the Charlotte Hornets during his rookie season looked like a better path. Unfortunately, center Mark Williams, headed to L.A. in the deal, failed his physical, and the trade was rescinded.
Knecht's role diminished as a sophomore. The Lakers shopped him but never found a deal. With 16 players guaranteed on the roster, he was the odd man out and was waived Monday. He should find a job elsewhere on a two-way contract.
6. Walter Clayton Jr.
5 of 10
Prior Team: Memphis Grizzlies
2026-27 Salary: $4.2 million, waived on Memphis' books
Rights: None
The Utah Jazz acquired Clayton in the 2025 NBA Draft via a trade with the Washington Wizards, but midway through his rookie year, they sent him to the Grizzlies in the Jaren Jackson Jr. swap. The deal had less to do with Clayton's skill and more to do with Utah's opportunity to add a former Defensive Player of the Year in Jackson.
The Grizzlies have faced roster bloat all summer after a series of trades. The franchise now has $40.3 million in dead money on its cap for seven players. With guards like Scotty Pippen Jr., Ty Jerome, Javon Small, and Cam Spencer, Clayton was a luxury. Now he's an unrestricted free agent after just one NBA season.
After averaging 9.7 points and 5.7 assists in a 24-game stint with the Grizzlies, Clayton deserves a longer look—probably starting with a two-way contract. The Sacramento Kings could use another shot creator after losing Ben Simmons to an Achilles injury.
Clayton has good size for a point guard at 6'4" but needs to improve as a shooter. Then again, one season at 30.7 percent from three is a small sample.
5. Kevin Love
6 of 10
Prior Team: Utah Jazz
2025-26 Salary: $4.2 million
Rights: Full Bird
Despite rumors, Love hasn't officially retired. Last season, he was one of the NBA's oldest players, averaging 16.6 minutes off the bench for the Jazz, but he remains an experienced, playoff-tested veteran who would help any locker room. He's looking to join a team with a chance to contend, though an opportunity may not come until later in the season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will open the season with 14 players, though signing Love would trigger about $8.5 million in additional luxury-tax payments. Still, it would be a tremendous story for Love to finish where he started in 2008. He became a three-time All-Star in Minnesota before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 and winning a title two years later.
4. Dwight Powell
7 of 10
Prior Team: Dallas Mavericks
2026-27 Salary: $3.9 million, waived with $1 million guaranteed on Dallas' books
Rights: None
The Mavericks scrambled before the roster deadline to open a spot for Powell but weren't willing to waive Moussa Cisse to make room. Powell has been a mainstay for the Mavericks since 2014. In that time, the franchise has been sold, the front office and coaching staff have turned over, and the team traded Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. For many fans, Powell represented an important link to the past, but for now, he's a free agent.
Dallas is expected to revisit the 35-year-old Canadian forward-center if he doesn't find a spot elsewhere first. While he's not nearly as athletic as he was in his younger days, Powell is the ideal locker-room veteran who can still fill minutes as a screener, defender, and rebounder.
3. Gabe Vincent
8 of 10
Prior Team: Atlanta Hawks
2025-26 Salary: $11.5 million
Rights: Full Bird
Vincent is an experienced guard with a strong playoff resume with the Miami Heat. He spent the past two-plus seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers as an occasional starter, but L.A. sent him to the Hawks before the trade deadline.
While he shot a steady 36.9 percent from three-point range for the Lakers last season, the fit wasn't seamless in Atlanta, where he dropped to 30.0 percent.
In the right situation, Vincent could help a team that needs veteran bench leadership, like the guard-needy Sacramento Kings. Miami is another option. Should the backups behind Davion Mitchell—Dru Smith, Ryan Conwell, and two-way Tre Donaldson—struggle, Vincent's history with the franchise would make him a viable fit.
2. Bruce Brown Jr.
9 of 10
Prior Team: New York Knicks
2026-27 Salary: $3.5 million (non-guaranteed), waived
Rights: None
Fit in the NBA can be everything, and Brown fit well in Denver, helping the Nuggets win the title in 2022-23. That led to a two-year, $45 million deal with the Indiana Pacers, who flipped him to the Toronto Raptors in the Pascal Siakam trade.
Toronto later traded him to the New Orleans Pelicans. He rejoined the Nuggets last season and shot 38.5 percent from three-point range, the second-best mark of his career. Not that the 30-year-old takes many attempts. He knows his role is to play defense, feed off a star like Nikola Jokić, and do whatever is needed to get his squad a win.
He was the Knicks' last cut in training camp, as the team chose James Wiseman's size over Brown's wing defense. For the right franchise, Brown can add toughness, experience, and playmaking. He could return to New York if the team opens a spot later in the year.
1. Kevin Porter Jr.
10 of 10
Prior Team: Milwaukee Bucks
2026-27 Salary: $5.4 million, waived on Milwaukee's books
Rights: None
The Giannis Antetokounmpo saga ended in a blockbuster trade with the Miami Heat, bringing Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kel'el Ware, Kasparas Jakučionis, and draft compensation to the Bucks. That trade, along with other moves, left Milwaukee with too many guaranteed contracts, and Porter was the odd man out.
Porter can fill a stat sheet with scoring, assists, steals, and rebounds, but he's struggled to find a consistent home across his career. He's only 26 but has already made five stops since entering the league in 2019, including a season with Olympiacos in Greece.
Last season, Porter averaged 17.4 points, 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals for Milwaukee. He's an inconsistent shooter, but his 34.8 percent career three-point mark is serviceable.
Porter may not fit every situation, but he can fill significant minutes, either as a reserve or starter, for a team that needs scoring, playmaking, and steals from a 6'5" guard/forward.
Email Eric Pincus at eric.pincus@gmail.com and follow him on X/Twitter @EricPincus.
.jpg?w=2560 "NFLPA Makes Hurts Statement")
.jpg?w=2560 "Rams to Sign New Kicker")
