With more than 80 players in COVID health and safety protocols and the omicron variant spreading at shocking speed, the NBA and the players union have agreed to new rules aimed at helping teams field fuller rosters. Teams will be permitted to sign one replacement player for each player who tests positive for COVID-19, and they will be required to sign at least one replacement player if two test positive, at least two replacement players if three test positive and at least three if four or more test positive, per ESPN.
The new rules, which will be in effect until Jan. 19, stipulate that replacement players’ salaries will not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax. When a team has multiple COVID cases on its roster and must sign a replacement, the player must be available by the beginning of its next game.
For an NBA game to be played, both teams are required to have eight players available. The league has postponed eight games this season, and several teams have played severely shorthanded.
Before the rule changes, there had already been a wave of signings using the hardship exception, which allows a team to temporarily bypass the roster limit. In one particularly preposterous case, the Chicago Bulls signed Stanley Johnson to a 10-day contract on Dec. 9, only for him to test positive two days later, to which coach Billy Donovan said, “We need a hardship for a hardship right now.” The Bulls only played one game before Johnson’s 10-day expired, the result of two postponements, and he was inactive for it, isolating in accordance with health and safety protocols.
Vaccinated G League players on call-ups can suit up for their NBA teams immediately, but are subject to daily testing for the first five days of the 10-day contract, per ESPN. These players cannot enter the practice facility or arena before returning a negative test that day.
Last week, two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas joined the Los Angeles Lakers fresh off a 42-point performance in his G League debut with the Grand Rapids Gold. Lance Stephenson was also called up from Grand Rapids, and he’s expected to make his Atlanta Hawks debut on Wednesday. Twenty years after drafting him, the Boston Celtics will reportedly reunite with seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson, who turned 40 in June, months before winning his second BIG3 MVP.
If you’re having trouble keeping track of who has gone where, here is a team-by-team list of players who have recently signed 10-day contracts, along with the date they signed (or, in some cases, the day the signing was reported):
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Atlanta Hawks
- Wes Iwundu (reported Dec. 22)
- Lance Stephenson (Dec. 22)
- Malcolm Hill (Dec. 22)
Boston Celtics
- Joe Johnson (reported Dec. 22)
- CJ Miles (Dec. 20)
- Justin Jackson (Dec. 18)
Brooklyn Nets
- Wenyen Gabriel (Dec. 21)
- James Ennis III (Dec. 18)
- Shaquille Harrison (Dec. 18)
- Langston Galloway (Dec. 16)
Chicago Bulls
- Ersan Ilyasova (reported Dec. 21)
- Mac McClung (reported Dec. 21)
- Alfonzo McKinnie (Dec. 20; second 10-day)
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Justin Anderson (Dec. 21)
- Luke Kornet (Dec. 21)
Dallas Mavericks
- Brandon Knight (reported Dec. 22)
- Carlik Jones (reported Dec. 22)
- George King (Dec. 22)
- Charlie Brown (reported Dec. 21)
- Marquese Chriss (Dec. 21)
- Theo Pinson (Dec. 20)
Denver Nuggets
- Davon Reed (Dec. 19; second 10-day)
Golden State Warriors
- Quinndary Weatherspoon (reported Dec. 22)
Los Angeles Clippers
- Moses Wright (Dec. 21)
Los Angeles Lakers
- Jemerrio Jones (reported Dec. 20)
- Mason Jones (reported Dec. 20)
- Isaiah Thomas (Dec. 17)
Miami Heat
- Zylan Cheatham (Dec. 22)
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Chris Silva (Dec. 21)
- Rayjon Tucker (Dec. 21)
New Orleans Pelicans
- Jared Harper (Dec. 21)
New York Knicks
- Damyean Dotson (Dec. 21)
- Matt Mooney (Dec. 21)
- Tyler Hall (Dec. 18)
Orlando Magic
- Tim Frazier (Dec. 21)
- Freddie Gillespie (Dec. 21)
- Aleem Ford (Dec. 17)
- Hassani Gravett (Dec. 17)
- BJ Johnson (Dec. 17)
- Admiral Schofield (Dec. 17)
Philadelphia 76ers
- Tyler Johnson (Dec. 22)
Sacramento Kings
- Emmanuel Mudiay (Dec. 22)
- Ade Murkey (reported Dec. 21)
- Justin Robinson (Dec. 17)
Toronto Raptors
- D.J. Wilson (reported Dec. 22)
- Tremont Waters (reported Dec. 21)
- Brandon Goodwin (reported Dec. 20)
- Juwan Morgan (reported Dec. 20)
- Nik Stauskas (reported Dec. 20)
Washington Wizards
- Jordan Schakel (Dec. 22)
