Can teams now tap the non‑taxpayer mid‑level, room and bi‑annual exceptions to claim waived players? Under the NBA’s CBA, those exceptions let clubs pick up roster casualties whose salaries stay under the MLE—about $15 million for 2026‑27.
Previously, a waiver claim required a team to squeeze the full salary into cap room, a traded‑player exception, or a disabled‑player exception.
Even with fresh tools, claims remain rare. After the draft and early free‑agency, most franchises lack extra salary space or roster slots, and many waived athletes carry contracts deemed poor value.
Unsurprisingly, the bulk of claims target minimum‑salary contracts, since any club can use the minimum‑salary exception to place a bid.
The exception, however, only covers deals of up to two years. A three‑year minimum contract is ineligible, as is a player who previously earned above the minimum in an earlier season. For my money, the two‑year cap wastes a useful tool.
In short, the minimum‑salary exception applies only to players whose current deal could have been signed using that same exception.
Consequently, almost every released player clears waivers, with only two claims recorded in 2025‑26—the lowest total since 2010‑11.
We’ll still log every 2026‑27 waiver claim because a hidden gem can change a roster. Last season the Suns snagged Jordan Goodwin off the Lakers; he became a steady rotation piece and later secured a three‑year, $19 million deal as a free agent.
Below is our live list, updated throughout the season as new moves occur.
- Trail Blazers claim Micah Potter from Pacers (July 10) (story)
- The Pacers, pressed against their first‑apron hard cap, moved Potter to add veteran big man Larry Nance Jr. Portland, already deep with Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, Yang Hansen and Branden Carlson, took a chance on Potter’s non‑guaranteed minimum deal. He isn’t assured a roster spot amid Portland’s front‑court crowd, but he posted solid numbers last year: 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists on .515/.423/.842 shooting in 19.3 minutes per game.
- Heat claim Bez Mbeng from Hornets (September 22) (story)
- Mbeng signed an Exhibit 10 with Charlotte aiming to secure G‑League rights and play for the Greensboro Swarm, yet Miami intervened. By claiming him, the Heat can award the $91 K Exhibit 10 bonus the Hornets had pledged, while his NBAGL rights stay with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He’ll likely be waived again and report to the Skyforce this fall.