{"id":586481,"date":"2026-02-06T15:38:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:38:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/586481\/"},"modified":"2026-02-06T15:38:40","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:38:40","slug":"nba-buyout-market-tiers-russell-westbrook-chris-paul-and-more-names-to-watch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/586481\/","title":{"rendered":"NBA buyout market tiers: Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul and more names to watch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the after-party, everyone! You thought the party ended with the trade deadline<\/a>? Guess again! Actually, it\u2019s just beginning, as now we get into the buyout market. Grab a kazoo and an umbrella drink and have a seat; this fiesta is going to run until early March.<\/p>\n

The way the buyout market typically works is that a little-used player on Team A with an expiring contract has already found his landing spot on Team B. Team A then agrees to release him, and the player agrees to give up the amount Team B would pay him. (These are almost all minimum deals, but the amount varies depending on the number of days left in the season and the players\u2019 years of service.)<\/p>\n

Note that no player waived after March 1 can sign with a new team and be eligible for the playoffs. Keep in mind this is the waiver date, not the signing date; a couple of teams can and will sign players in April to finish off their playoff rosters.<\/p>\n

Additionally, any players making more than the non-taxpayer midlevel exception ($14.1 million) before their buyout cannot sign with a team that is above the first apron. As of today, that list only includes three teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks.<\/p>\n

With that said, let\u2019s take a look at the market. I came up with 52 players on expiring deals (or deals that are non-guaranteed after this season) who either have already been waived, or have at least some reasonable likelihood of either being cut outright or wrangling a buyout in the next 23 days.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how I\u2019ve ranked them from 1 to 54:<\/p>\n

Tier 1: Rotation-caliber additions<\/p>\n

1. Russell Westbrook, SG, Sacramento Kings \u2014 The Russ Show isn\u2019t for everyone, and his fit on a contender can be clunky if it doesn\u2019t need whatever-you-can-get-us shot creation at a modest efficiency clip. Still, Westbrook has had a decent year for an indecent team, and at 37 there\u2019s no reason for him to be in the rebuilding Kings\u2019 plans.<\/p>\n

2. Cam Thomas, SG, waived by Brooklyn Nets \u2014 The market for undersized gunners has shriveled in the past few years as teams have become smarter about roster constructions and analytics has made the cost-benefit of this type of more clear. Still, to say Thomas wouldn\u2019t help at all is a stretch; yes, he\u2019s had a bad year<\/a>, but when I last saw him six days ago he was pouring in 21 points in 24 minutes in Utah for the Nets. Any team with a shortage of bench scoring has to at least consider what Thomas could do for them on a rest-of-season minimum.<\/p>\n

3. Jusuf Nurki\u0107, C, Utah Jazz \u2014 Still a monstrous rebounder and screener at 31, Nurki\u0107 has been in and out of the lineup with the same flu bug that ravaged Utah\u2019s whole roster just before the deadline. He had three straight triple-doubles in January, the third a hilarious affair in which it took a gassed Nurki\u0107 five entire minutes of game time to get the 10th rebound in a game that the Jazz were losing by 30. Nurki\u0107 is on an expiring deal and shouldn\u2019t be in the team\u2019s plans, so him getting his wings seems entirely possible.<\/p>\n

4. Tyus Jones, PG, Dallas Mavericks \u2014 Jones seems likely to have a role in Dallas that could go beyond this season, and thus probably won\u2019t be bought out. He would settle in as a low-turnover game manager wherever he ends up, although hopefully he\u2019d shoot more often than the twice a week he did in Orlando.<\/p>\n

5. Haywood Highsmith, SF, waived by Brooklyn \u2014 He has missed entire season with knee issues after struggling to recover from a torn meniscus. However, he\u2019s a good defender when healthy who has just enough juice as a shooter to keep defenses relatively honest.<\/p>\n

6. Marvin Bagley III, C, Dallas \u2014 Dallas no longer has the third pick from the 2018 draft<\/a>, but look on the bright side: It has the second pick from the same draft. That\u2019s better, right? Bagley was pretty effective in Washington, but Dallas has a lot of frontcourt bodies and shouldn\u2019t really be trying to win the rest of the way.<\/p>\n

7. Matisse Thybulle, SG, Portland Trail Blazers \u2014 It seems unlikely the Blazers would buy out Thybulle ahead of his free agency, given that the Blazers still harbor playoff aspirations and might also want his Bird rights. Also, he\u2019s out indefinitely with knee tendinopathy after late fall thumb surgery and has only played four games all season, so another team would need to sign off on his health before pursuing him.<\/p>\n

8. Kyle Anderson, PF, Memphis Grizzlies \u2014 Between the Jazz youth movement and their crowded frontcourt, Anderson hasn\u2019t had a ton of chances in Utah, and it\u2019s not clear where he would fit in Memphis\u2019 rebuild either. Anderson has $9.7 million on the books for next season, but it\u2019s non-guaranteed. \u201cSloMo\u201d fits best on a team that needs ballhandling and versatile defense and won\u2019t sweat his lack of shooting.<\/p>\n

Tier II: Interesting fliers\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Will the Spurs buy out Jeremy Sochan? (Peter Creveling \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

9. Jeremy Sochan, PF, San Antonio Spurs \u2014 He can\u2019t shoot and struggles as a backup five, and we\u2019ve definitely determined he\u2019s not a point guard, which is why he can\u2019t get any run in San Antonio. He needs to go back to a more developmental situation and figure out where his game fits.<\/p>\n

10. Ochai Agbaji, SG, Brooklyn \u2014 Agbaji looked like a back-end rotation player in Toronto a year ago; he has definitely not looked like one this year, hitting just 18.5 percent from 3 despite shooting form that releases perfect parabolas. He\u2019s only 25, however, and this may just be extreme variance. We\u2019ll see if he\u2019s in Brooklyn\u2019s plans; but if he\u2019s released, keep an eye on Cleveland. The Cavs originally drafted Agbaji before throwing him into the Donovan Mitchell trade. Agbaji is also two-way eligible, but I\u2019d be surprised if he wasn\u2019t on a 15-man roster.<\/p>\n

11. Josh Minott, PF, Brooklyn \u2014 It appears the Nets intend to keep Minott, as they didn\u2019t charge the Boston Celtics anything for dumping his contract onto their roster. If for some reason he wriggles free, his switchable defense and relative youth should get other rebuilding teams\u2019 attention.<\/p>\n

12. Ousmane Dieng, SF, Milwaukee Bucks \u2014 His final stop in a three-trade odyssey seems to be a team that actually wants him. Dieng had trouble getting minutes on the Oklahoma City\u2019s Thunder\u2019s talented roster, and his motor doesn\u2019t run very hot, but he has great positional size and shows some spice as a passer.<\/p>\n

13. Dalen Terry, SF, New Orleans Pelicans \u2014 Thrown overboard by Chicago and then by discarded by the Knicks in the Jose Alvarado trade, it\u2019s not clear Terry is in the Pels\u2019 plans either. New Orleans wants to upgrade two-way Bryce McGowens to a regular contract, and Terry would seem the most obvious cut. That said, he\u2019s 23, he\u2019s shooting 41.3 percent from 3 this year, and his stats in four years with the Bulls are more \u201cfringe rotation\u201d than \u201cget this guy out of here.\u201d He\u2019s also two-way eligible through the end of the season.<\/p>\n

14. Kobe Brown, PF, Indiana Pacers \u2014 The Clippers didn\u2019t pick up his option for next season, and that decision is \u201ccontagious\u201d and extends to his new team \u2014 the Pacers cannot pay him more than the declined option of $4.8 million this coming summer. Does Indiana still want to take a look, or would it prefer a different option with one of their last roster spots? If waived, Brown is two-way eligible through the end of next season.<\/p>\n

15. Leonard Miller, PF, Chicago Bulls \u2014 Miller may finally get a chance at some real minutes after nearly three years at the end of the Minnesota Timberwolves\u2019 bench. Is he any good? Who can say? He\u2019s only played 179 minutes in three seasons! That\u2019s a light week for Mikal Bridges. Miller still has a team option for next season, so the Bulls would seem likely to hang on to him, but perhaps there\u2019s another guy out there they like better.<\/p>\n

Tier III: Mildly helpful back-end roster guys<\/p>\n

16. Khris Middleton, SF, Dallas \u2013 The key to the salary match in the Washington Wizards\u2019 trade for Anthony Davis, Middleton\u2019s level of play has dropped considerably since his glory days in Milwaukee. The Mavs should tank the rest of the way and don\u2019t need him, and one wonders about a Middleton\/Bucks reunion. Note that Middelton cannot be signed by any of the three teams over the first apron (New York, Golden State or Cleveland) because he currently makes more than the non-taxpayer midlevel exception; he and Terry Rozier are the only players on this list for which that applies.<\/p>\n

17. Kelly Olynyk, C, San Antonio \u2014 The veteran stretch big is still getting run as the Spurs\u2019 third center and seems highly unlikely to be released, but I\u2019m listing him here for completeness. The Raptors would be one obvious interested party.<\/p>\n

18. Lonzo Ball, SG, waived by Utah \u2014 Paying Ball $10 million and expecting him to play at a championship-caliber level as a 20-minute backcourt player? Yeah, that isn\u2019t a great idea. But paying him the minimum to be a fifth guard who can come in, play some defense, make an occasional open 3 (please?) and not screw up the game for six minutes? Yeah, he can still capably do that.<\/p>\n

19. Mike Conley, PG, waived by Charlotte Hornets \u2014 The beloved vet has seen his level of play drop at 38, but it seems quite possible he\u2019ll end up back in Minnesota \u2014 a legal move since he technically stopped in Chicago first.<\/p>\n

20. Chris Paul, PG, Toronto \u2014\u00a0 CP3 looked near the end in his short stint with the Clippers, but his sheer IQ may give him some utility in the right situation. The Raptors intend to waive him at some point, presumably when he\u2019s found a destination and can arrange a proper buyout.<\/p>\n

21. Cole Anthony, PG, Phoenix Suns \u2014 Another shoot-first small guard. I\u2019m keeping him here on faith, because I\u2019m floored that he was so bad in Milwaukee after a pretty solid five-year run in Orlando. He\u2019s only 25! We\u2019ll see if the Suns keep him around to have another ballhandler.<\/p>\n

22. Jevon Carter, PG, waived by Chicago \u2014 He can knock down shots and will pressure the ball; if he can play next to a ballhandler, he can soak up backcourt minutes.<\/p>\n

Tier IV: Maybe there\u2019s something left in the tank?<\/p>\n

23. Chris Boucher, PF, waived by Utah \u2014 Lost at the end of the bench in Boston, Boucher lacks muscle and ball skills but can knock down an open 3 and block shots. Could Toronto look at bringing him back?<\/p>\n

24. Kevin Love, C, Utah \u2014 He\u2019s enjoying his role as the Jazz OG and might stay put. He\u2019s still a monster on the glass and a 3-point threat.<\/p>\n

25. Amir Coffey, SF, Phoenix \u2014 It\u2019s not clear if the Suns will keep him; he\u2019s a theoretical 3-and-D wing and back-of-rotation glue guy who has struggled to provide enough \u201c3.\u201d<\/p>\n

26. Jordan McLaughlin, PG, San Antonio \u2014 He has only played 132 minutes in a crowded backcourt, but the Spurs likely have better waiver candidates on hand (see below) if they need a roster spot.<\/p>\n

27. Drew Eubanks, C, Sacramento \u2014 His numbers are way down this year, and he\u2019s only played four minutes in the last month while two rookies moved ahead of him in the center rotation. Not great.<\/p>\n

28. Gabe Vincent, PG, Atlanta Hawks \u2014 It\u2019s unclear if he\u2019s in the Hawks\u2019 long-term plans after his recent trade from the Los Angeles Lakers, but the Hawks need another guard have two other non-performing roster spots to work through first.<\/p>\n

29. Pat Connaughton, SG, waived by Charlotte \u2014 He played well enough in 22 games to provide a glimmer of hope that he can still fill at a role at 33. Would Bucks have interest in reuniting?<\/p>\n

30. Xavier Tillman Sr., C, Charlotte \u2014 A beloved locker-room guy, Tillman\u2019s knees are an issue; he\u2019s a 6-8 center with no shooting range, and he never played in Boston.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Do the Pelicans plan on keeping Kevon Looney? (Mark J. Rebilas \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

31. Kevon Looney, C, New Orleans Pelicans \u2014 Looney has an $8 million team option for next season; the Pels might like the offseason flexibility that provides enough to keep him around despite his limited production.<\/p>\n

32. Dwight Powell, C, Dallas \u2014 Powell has been Mister Mav, and that likely will keep him on the roster, even though the Mavs don\u2019t really need him.<\/p>\n

33. Nick Richards, C, Chicago \u2014 It appears the Bulls traded for him intentionally (no, really) and that he\u2019ll be staying put as one of their few actual tall people. If not, he\u2019d be one of the few true centers of any stripe on the market.<\/p>\n

34. Bismack Biyombo, C, San Antonio \u2014 He\u2019s still in the league because he\u2019s a great guy and can protect the rim. Just don\u2019t ask him to catch a pass or make a shot.<\/p>\n

35. Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107, SG, L.A. Clippers \u2014 I\u2019m not sure where the Clippers are going directionally after trading James Harden and Ivica Zubac, and Bogie might be worth keeping just for his $16 million team option this summer. But he also may be at the point where his legs just can\u2019t do it anymore; it\u2019s been rough this year.<\/p>\n

36. Lindy Waters III, SG, San Antonio \u2014 The shooter would only wriggle free if the Spurs found a different wing they liked better on the buyout market; that doesn\u2019t seem like it would be too hard given the year he\u2019s had.<\/p>\n

37. Georges Niang, PF, waived by Memphis \u2014 He has been out the entire season and may need to try to make a roster next fall.<\/p>\n

38. De\u2019Andre Jordan, C, New Orleans \u2014 Brought in as a veteran OG for the young Pels, he might get his wings if New Orleans decides to take a look at some other talent for next year.<\/p>\n

Tier V: This might be it<\/p>\n

39. Nigel Hayes-Davis, SF, waived by Milwaukee \u2014 The former Wisconsin star had a short-lived return to the Badger State; he could take a buyout and head back to Europe.<\/p>\n

40. Doug McDermott, PF, Sacramento \u2014 Not really sure why he\u2019s still on the team, but you do you, Sacramento<\/p>\n

41. Eric Gordon, SG, waived by Memphis \u2014 He\u2019s 37 and has only played six games this year. He can still knock down an open shot but has absolutely no juice left for anything else.<\/p>\n

42. Mason Plumlee, C, waived by Oklahoma City \u2014 The sometime-southpaw never played even on a Charlotte team desperate for frontcourt size. It will be up to Jay Huff to carry on his never-dunk-while-facing-the-basket legacy.<\/p>\n

43. Maxi Kleber, PF, Lakers \u2014 He makes $11 million and never plays, but being friends with Luka Don\u010di\u0107 might keep him around for three more months.<\/p>\n

44. Dario \u0160ari\u0107\u00a0, PF, Detroit Pistons \u2014 His salary was kicked around a few times during deadline week, but the Croatian big man hasn\u2019t been an NBA-caliber player for a few years now.<\/p>\n

45. Dante Exum, SG, Washington \u2014 The oft-injured guard is out for the season and will be waived imminently.<\/p>\n

46. Terry Rozier, PG, Miami Heat \u2014 All but certain to be cut from his $26 million deal; Rozier is radioactive until his federal gambling case resolves, and even then there\u2019s the little issue of how he played in the basketball games.<\/p>\n

Tier VI: See ya at Summer League<\/p>\n

47. Tyrese Martin, SG, waived by Brooklyn \u2014 Nets cut him even though he\u2019s playing nearly 20 minutes a game, a strong sign they won\u2019t release Minott (above). Martin lacks one huge strength but can respectably sponge wing minutes without killing you, and remains 2-way eligible through next season.<\/p>\n

48. Rayan Rupert, SF, Portland \u2014 The Blazers need to waive at least one player to convert 2-way Caleb Love to a standard contract, and two if they also wish to convert Sidy Cissoko. Rupert has shown flashes as a defender, but it\u2019s year 3 and he\u2019s still a total zero on offense. He would be 2-way-eligible for another team if released.<\/p>\n

49. Isaac Jones, PF, waived by Detroit \u2014 Two-way eligible because he\u2019s only in his second season; he could possibly return to Sacramento, where he was signed last year after the draft.<\/p>\n

50. Malaki Branham, SG, Charlotte \u2014 He has given no real evidence that he\u2019s an NBA caliber player in four pro seasons but remains two-way eligible through the end of this season.<\/p>\n

51. Hunter Tyson, PF, waived by Brooklyn \u2014 A wild draft stretch in 2023 by Denver, Tyson never approached rotation-level quality as a Nugget. He remains two-way eligible and could sign a two-year two-way.<\/p>\n

52. N\u2019Faly Dante, C, waived by Atlanta \u2014 Out for the season with a torn ACL; it seems likely he will be monitored by the Hawks over the summer for a potential two-way next year.<\/p>\n

53. Duop Reath, C, waived by Atlanta \u2014 He\u2019s out for the season but was traded for Vit Krej\u010d\u00ed as matching salary.<\/p>\n

54. Nikola Duri\u0161i\u0107, SF, Atlanta \u2014 He\u2019s not even remotely an NBA player but is somehow still here. Amazingly, he has not been active for a single game despite being healthy the entire season and is languishing badly in the G League. The Hawks need to turn this roster spot into a positive player.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to the after-party, everyone! You thought the party ended with the trade deadline? Guess again! Actually, it\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":586482,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3792],"tags":[208,7,75,247,473,329,193,149,187,188,164,194,126,4056,135,150,177,189,121,152,6,470,191,179,76,207,472,471,986,477,4055,474,476,427,468],"class_list":{"0":"post-586481","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento-kings","8":"tag-atlanta-hawks","9":"tag-basketball","10":"tag-boston-celtics","11":"tag-brooklyn-nets","12":"tag-charlotte-hornets","13":"tag-chicago-bulls","14":"tag-cleveland-cavaliers","15":"tag-dallas-mavericks","16":"tag-denver-nuggets","17":"tag-detroit-pistons","18":"tag-golden-state-warriors","19":"tag-houston-rockets","20":"tag-indiana-pacers","21":"tag-kings","22":"tag-los-angeles-clippers","23":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","24":"tag-memphis-grizzlies","25":"tag-miami-heat","26":"tag-milwaukee-bucks","27":"tag-minnesota-timberwolves","28":"tag-nba","29":"tag-new-orleans-pelicans","30":"tag-new-york-knicks","31":"tag-oklahoma-city-thunder","32":"tag-orlando-magic","33":"tag-philadelphia-76ers","34":"tag-phoenix-suns","35":"tag-portland-trail-blazers","36":"tag-sacramento","37":"tag-sacramento-kings","38":"tag-sacramentokings","39":"tag-san-antonio-spurs","40":"tag-toronto-raptors","41":"tag-utah-jazz","42":"tag-washington-wizards"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=586481"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/586481\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/586482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=586481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=586481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=586481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}