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D-LEAGUE ROSTER FORMATION
How many players are on a D-League roster?
There can be up to 12 players on a roster. There can be only 10 active players with two inactive players. With NBA assignees there, a team may dress a maximum of 12 players for any given game.
Is there a minimum roster size during the season?
Teams must maintain a roster size of 10 during the regular and playoff season. This can change with the assignment process. As a result, no team may dress less than 8 players or more than 12 given certain assignment/call-up circumstances.
Do NBA assignment players count towards the D-League roster total?
No, teams can have more than 12 players on their roster for a given game if there are NBA assignment players included. Also, they can dress up to 12 players for a game if NBA assignees are with the team.
What happens when an NBA team without a D-League affiliate wants to place a player on assignment?
Those teams will be subject to the flex assignment system. An explanation of that is below.
Flex Assignment System: Upon receipt of an assignment from an independent NBA team, the NBA D-League will identify any NBA D-League team willing to accept the assigned player. The assigning independent NBA team will then choose the destination for assignment between those teams. If no NBA D-League team is willing to accept the assigned player, he will be assigned to one of the hybrid affiliate teams pursuant to a lottery.
Is there a limit on how many NBA players each team can have assigned?
Yes. Each team can only have three (3) NBA players assigned at one time.
Disclaimer: If there are flex assignment players involved, then a team can theoretically have more than three assignees at once. The limit of three is for their own affiliate.
Can free agents sign with any D-League team of their choosing?
No. Players sign contracts with the league and enter a player pool. The teams can then claim players dependent on their waiver order. The waiver period is 48 hours and once that has passed and a player is unclaimed then they enter the “available player pool” and any team can acquire them regardless of waiver priority.
What is an “assignment” player?
A player put on assignment is a player on an NBA roster who is being sent to the D-League to get some playing time. The NBA club still holds their exclusive rights and only they can recall said player. Assignment players must have three (3) years of NBA experience or less and can be assigned an unlimited number of times.
*Players with 4 or more years of experience can also be assigned to the D-League however they must give their NBA team consent for the assignment.
Does an “assignment” player still count against the 15-man NBA roster?
Yes. Sending a player to the D-League on assignment does not free up a roster spot for the NBA club who assigned him.
What is a “draft rights” player?
If an NBA teams still holds the draft rights to a particular player and they join the D-League, then they are automatically allocated to that NBA team’s affiliate. A draft rights player may only earn an NBA call up from their parent club, so they are in essence a protected player.
What is an “affiliate” player?
At the end of NBA training camps, NBA teams can allocate up to four players to their D-League affiliate team (if they have one). These players can still be called up by any other NBA team once they are in the D-League.
What is an “in-season affiliate” player?
If an NBA team waives a player after the season has started they have the option of allocating that player to their D-League affiliate as an in-season affiliate player. They can only do this if they did not have the maximum four (4) affiliates at the beginning of the season. Only players who were in training camp are eligible. For example, the Philadelphia 76ers waived Christian Wood and allocated him as an in-season affiliate player this season.