How different will NBA rosters look when the season resumes at the end of this month?
Tuesday marked the end of the NBA's transaction window ahead of teams heading to Orlando for eight seeding games, followed by potential play-in tournaments and the 2020 playoffs. Now the only roster moves allowed will be substitute contracts for players who have chosen not to participate in the restart or are unable to do so after testing positive for COVID-19 -- some of which have already been reported.
Let's break down how the rosters shape up now -- including the return of players from injuries, the effect of players dropping out and the moves we've seen over the past week -- in contrast to what we last saw from NBA teams in March.
Brooklyn Nets
No team has had a more eventful week than the Nets, who have learned they'll be short-handed in Orlando beyond the long-term injuries to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. First, rookie big man Nicolas Claxton underwent surgery to repair a left shoulder labrum tear. Then Wilson Chandler announced he would not play so he could spend time with his family. Finally, DeAndre Jordan opted out Monday following a positive test for COVID-19, and Spencer Dinwiddie indicated he's uncertain whether he will play after his own positive test.
If Dinwiddie plays, Brooklyn should still be able to avoid a play-in matchup against the Washington Wizards, whose own roster is weakened in the absence of Davis Bertans. (More on that below.) Fortunately, the Nets have a capable center in Jarrett Allen, who averaged 32 minutes in the seven games Jordan missed this season and have already played the first 25 games of the season without Chandler, who was serving a league suspension for a positive PED test.
The loss of Dinwiddie would put the Nets' playoff spot in more jeopardy, as it would leave newly signed Tyler Johnson and two-way player Chris Chiozza as the only point guards on the roster. Without Dinwiddie, Brooklyn would perhaps be the weakest team in Orlando.
Regardless, the Nets have more work to do. Justin Anderson -- who was with the team briefly in January -- was reported by my colleague Malika Andrews as the replacement for Chandler, but Brooklyn still must sign a center to back up Allen with Claxton unavailable.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks will also take a very different roster to Orlando, though they still have the opportunity to move up the West standings. Dallas lost guard Jalen Brunson to shoulder surgery shortly after play stopped, and it learned recently that wing Courtney Lee -- who'd started the team's last four games before the break -- will be sidelined by a calf injury.
Additionally, center Willie Cauley-Stein will not participate in the restart. He'd been playing sparingly after a midseason trade, and the Mavericks will use the roster spot to sign Trey Burke to add depth at the point, according to my ESPN colleague Tim MacMahon. Burke finished the 2018-19 season in Dallas, playing some of the best basketball of his career, and was almost certainly the top point guard available.
Denver Nuggets
With an open roster spot, Denver converted PJ Dozier's two-way contract to a full NBA deal and used the open two-way spot to re-sign rookie big man Tyler Cook, who was with the team in training camp before spending time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Houston Rockets
On Wednesday, my ESPN colleague Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Rockets reserve Thabo Sefolosha was opting out of the restart. Sefolosha saw action in just three of Houston's 10 games after the All-Star break, losing playing time in the frontcourt to newcomers Jeff Green and DeMarre Carroll.
Houston signed forward David Nwaba during the transaction window, but Nwaba suffered an Achilles rupture in December and won't play this season, so that move was about having a team option on Nwaba for the 2020-21 campaign. The Rockets will now be free to sign a substitute for Sefolosha to add to their depth.
Indiana Pacers
The status of Pacers guard Victor Oladipo remains one of the biggest question marks in terms of player availability for the restart. At the time play stopped, Oladipo was a month and a half into his return from a quadriceps tendon rupture.
"I haven't made a decision just yet," Oladipo told reporters Wednesday. "Just taking it one day at a time."
LA Clippers
As expected, the Clippers signed Joakim Noah to fill their open roster spot. Noah had been on a 10-day contract with the Clippers when play stopped, though he'd yet to see any action. It's unlikely Noah would play ahead of Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell at center, so consider him mostly an insurance policy.
The bigger question for the Clippers remains whether they'll have Lou Williams. As of last Wednesday, Williams still wasn't certain of his decision, his agent told the Los Angeles Times.
On Wednesday, Clippers coach Doc Rivers told reporters that all indications he's gotten are Williams will join the team in Orlando.
Los Angeles Lakers
I went into how the Lakers can fill in for Avery Bradley after he decided not to participate in the restart, including assessing the chances of JR Smith being a meaningful contributor, in a full column.
On Tuesday, Lakers GM Rob Pelinka told reporters on a Zoom call that the organization was still in touch with center Dwight Howard about the possibility that he might also stay home. Though Howard had started just two games this season, his key role off the bench could be more difficult for the Lakers to fill than Bradley's because they have more options on the wing.
Memphis Grizzlies
Like the Clippers, the Grizzlies filled their open roster spot with a player already on a 10-day contract: veteran forward Anthony Tolliver. Tolliver averaged 19.2 minutes in five games for Memphis back in March, filling in for the injured Brandon Clarke and Jaren Jackson Jr. With both of those players now healthy, it's unlikely Tolliver will be part of the Grizzlies' rotation.
Oklahoma City Thunder
As of March 11, no player still on a two-way contract had played more minutes than Thunder rookie Luguentz Dort, who started the past 21 games for Oklahoma City. Though Dort could have played in Orlando on a two-way contract, the Thunder used the transaction window to sign him to a reported four-year deal that will guarantee his 2020-21 salary in exchange for a partially guaranteed 2021-22 salary and a team option for 2022-23, per my colleague Royce Young.
To replace Dort's two-way spot, Oklahoma City brought back Devon Hall, who was on a two-way contract with the Thunder earlier this season.
Orlando Magic
It's possible Orlando could get reinforcements in the frontcourt. Speaking to reporters on a conference call Tuesday, coach Steve Clifford refused to rule out forwards Al-Farouq Aminu and Jonathan Isaac, whose injuries had been considered season-ending before the season was postponed.
"They're both in here working every day," Clifford said, according to The Athletic, adding, "I just think it's really early to try to make an intelligent decision on anything like that."
With relatively little chance of advancing in the playoffs, the Magic will probably still play things conservatively, particularly with the 22-year-old Isaac.
Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers benefited from the restart rules, which allowed them to fill an open two-way spot that otherwise would have remained unused because they did not sign Norvel Pelle to a full NBA contract until after the deadline for adding two-way players. Philadelphia used the spot on Ryan Broekhoff, who shot 40% from 3-point range with the Dallas Mavericks and could supply some much-needed shooting against zone defenses.
Still, far and away the biggest addition for the 76ers will be Ben Simmons, who was sidelined indefinitely when play stopped and has since returned to 5-on-5 action.
Philadelphia will be without second-year wing Zhaire Smith, who suffered a bone bruise in workouts. Smith had played just 32 minutes this season.
Phoenix Suns
With little to play for in Orlando -- they reached the play-in matchup in just 0.4% of my seeding game simulations -- the Suns are probably wise to play it careful with forward Kelly Oubre Jr., who returned from arthroscopic knee surgery in March. The Athletic reported last month that the plan is for Oubre to travel with the team but not play.
Though Phoenix can't replace Oubre as an injured player, the Suns did have an open roster spot that they used Tuesday to sign guard Cameron Payne, who was waived by the Toronto Raptors during training camp.
Portland Trail Blazers
Though the Blazers should get their projected starting frontcourt of Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic back after the two played a combined three games this season -- all by Collins before he underwent shoulder surgery -- they will be without forward Trevor Ariza, who will be unable to join Portland because of a one-month visitation window with his son during a custody dispute. There isn't an ideal replacement for Ariza's 3-and-D skill set on the roster.
One possibility is that Terry Stotts could slide Carmelo Anthony to small forward, allowing the Blazers to keep him in the starting lineup while also returning Collins to the power forward spot he held before his injury. Anthony did start one game at small forward to match up with the Lakers, though the big lineup lasted just 2:37 before substitute starter Skal Labissiere went down with injury. Overall, Anthony has played just 14 minutes this season with two other big men on the court, per my analysis of lineup data from NBA Advanced Stats.
Stotts is more likely to finish games with Gary Trent Jr. alongside starters Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum in a three-guard lineup. Trent broke through as a reserve during his second NBA campaign, becoming a 39% 3-point shooter. Still, we saw relatively little of him with Portland's starting backcourt. That threesome saw just 111 minutes of action, according to NBA Advanced Stats, outscoring opponents by 3.2 points per 100 possessions.
As reported by my colleague Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers will replace Ariza with point guard Jaylen Adams, who finished runner-up in G League MVP voting. It's possible Adams could take some minutes from Anfernee Simons when Lillard is off the court.
Sacramento Kings
When the Kings signed Corey Brewer, who finished the 2018-19 season with them, it seemed a bit curious given the lack of an obvious role for Brewer. The need for insurance makes more sense after four Sacramento players reportedly tested positive for COVID-19, including forward Jabari Parker. (Center Alex Len was the other Kings player to self-identify.)
More interesting for Sacramento from a roster standpoint is whether second-year forward Marvin Bagley III is able to return from a foot sprain that has sidelined him since late January. Bagley has played just 13 games during an injury-plagued sophomore campaign and additional court time could help his development if he's fully recovered.
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio's chances of making up ground in the race for eighth in the West were hampered when the team revealed that starter LaMarcus Aldridge had undergone surgery on his right shoulder in April and would miss the restart. With limited experience behind Jakob Poeltl at center -- second-year big men Drew Eubanks and Chimezie Metu have played a combined 203 minutes this season -- the Spurs added journeyman Tyler Zeller to fill their open roster spot.
Utah Jazz
The Jazz will be without starting forward Bojan Bogdanovic, who underwent wrist surgery in May. I broke down the significance of Bogdanovic's absence and potential replacements at the time.
Washington Wizards
The small chance that the Wizards would be competitive in Orlando took a hit when forward Davis Bertans, an impending free agent, became the first player to announce he would sit out the restart. Over the course of the season, Washington was outscored by 7.6 points per 100 possessions with Bertans on the bench, according to NBA Advanced Stats. That's the largest margin for any Wizards player.
To replace Bertans, Washington will reportedly sign DMV native Jerian Grant -- whose father, Harvey, played seven seasons with the franchise in the 1990s. Jerian Grant had yet to play in the NBA this season and doesn't have an obvious role on a team with Shabazz Napier and Ish Smith at point guard.
Still unclear is whether guard Bradley Beal will play for the Wizards in the restart. Beal told reporters Wednesday that while he continues to work out as if he will play, he isn't "swayed, one way or another."