As a Basketball fan, many basketball notions could be pretty hard to understand. Usually, some people never heard about such concepts.
Waiving is one of these problematic terms in basketball, which needs to be understood to watch the match with more indulgence. Let’s discuss what does waive means in NBA and why teams put their players on the waiver?
What is Waive in NBA?
To understand this term, first, you need to be clear about team players in NBA. In NBA, there are 30 teams in which each team is not allowed to comprise more than 15 players.
Thus, there should be a total of 450 roster spots, amidst which the team is not compulsory to decide on all 15 players; they can go up to 13 best players amongst them in NBA.
To choose the best player in the teams, the NBA hires coaches to pick talented players for every team. A coach is a must so that only one team doesn’t reserve all skillful players on its side.
Once every team has chosen the players on its contract. If at one time, the team finds out that a particular player is not skillful to be played with the team, they can put that player as a waiver. Now, what does “waived” exactly mean?
Waived is an NBA terminology in which a team can release any of its players if they discover that a certain player is not as proficient as required. But this isn’t it! The member who has been released is known as a Waiver.
If the team puts the player as a waiver before the contract is over, the team must pay him. However, at that point, other teams have a chance to claim that player and take his contract from the team.
Yet, if no team claims over the waiver within 48 hours, the waiver will enter a free agency where other teams can choose him. Nevertheless, if a team claims a waiver from the team, they need to pay approx $1,000 fee to the NBA league office along with an application.
If multiple teams try to claim the waiver, he would consider that team that has a minimum win streak and maximum cap to pay him.
Why does Team need to Waive Player?
If the team finds out that a certain player does not meet the requirements or does not get fit to the NBA team, the team has the option to make that player a waiver.
However, after waving that player, the team has the option to pick the most suitable open-roster especially, if the team has been winning the championships, to sustain its admiration in the league.
After putting the player into waived, the team waits for another team to take that player’s contract because they have to pay that player unless another team doesn’t take his contract.
It has also been seen that some teams only take on the contract of the waiver based on trade. If a team does not need such a player and still claims that player to the team, it means the match is fixed.
They only get the waiver into their team so that the other team off-loads paying that player. However, it depends on the team, whether it picks the waiver for its benefit or personal business.
How NBA Team Pays Waiver?
As discussed earlier, if the team waives a player, he has all the responsibility to pay the remaining contract cap to the waiver.
However, within 48 hours, if any other team claims off the waiver, his team would no longer be obliged to pay him. Now the responsibility is on the other team’s shoulders.
If no team takes on the contract of waiver, then, after 48 hours, the player would go to an unrestricted agency where any team can choose that player without his team’s consent. Yet, even after getting into the free agency, the team is still responsible for paying his remaining contract cap.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between waived and released in NBA?
In NBA, waived and released means the same. If the player is waived or released, he must be paid his league cap by his team unless another team claims off his possession and the paying responsibility transfers to another team.
What is the maximum NBA team salary cap?
The maximum salary cap for the NBA team is for the 2020-2021 season, which is $109,140,000. However, it is expected that the salary cap would be increased in NBA’s next season.
Is there any specific time to waive the player?
No! The team can waive the player anytime they feel the player suitable or ideal for them and eliminate them. Thus, if a team claims off the waiver after March 1, the player cannot enter that team. So the team has to sight the player before march if they want to select the waiver for their next season match.
Wrapping Up
The NBA is an unpredictable league where anything can happen and evolve anytime. However, in NBA, waiving a player is also used for both good objectives and bad intentions.
Because fortunately, if a team finds a skillful waiver, they have a great chance to win. Yet, if they somehow claim off a waiver and do not fulfill their requirements, is player is of no use; instead, the tea has to pay him for nothing.
Notwithstanding, this waiving system works for the NBA, and the league ensures that the waived player gets paid by his team. But, luckily getting a proficient open player in the team can help drastically win the championship.