The Golden State Warriors made an important decision on Wednesday, fully guaranteeing the contract of backup center Trayce Jackson-Davis. That move may have been expected, but it still represents a vote of confidence in the young big man.
Heading into the season, not every contract in the NBA is guaranteed. Many are only partially guaranteed, or even "non-guaranteed" which means a team could waive a player and wipe their salary entirely off of their books. That is a negotiating tool teams have to maintain roster flexibility.
On January 10th, all of those contracts become fully guaranteed, so it represents a watershed moment for the league. Teams have to decide by January 7th whether to waive or keep those players; if they waive them, they need two full days for them to clear waivers before the deadline.
One of the most common times a player will have a non-guaranteed salary is if they signed a multi-year deal as a second-round pick. Many second-round picks get a two-way contract, not a full NBA deal, so for those who negotiate a full contract one of the perks for the team is reducing the guarantees.
Such was the case for Trayce Jackson-Davis, whom the Warriors drated 57th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft out of Indiana. "TJD" signed a four-year deal with the Warriors where the first two seasons were guaranteed and the second two were non-guaranteed (the fourth year is also a team option).
Jackson-Davis has been an inconsistent part of their rotation part of their rotation, playing in 26 games thus far. His per-36 numbers are down a small step from his first two seasons, and he continues to be a small minus on offense and a small positive on defense.
Trayce Jackson-Davis is sticking around
That is the kind of player the Warriors could reasonably move on from, but it didn't make sense for them to do so by waiving him. They would clear his salary, but they are pressed right up against the second tax apron. Jackson-Davis is making $2.2 million this season, which is below the minimum for many veteran players. Replacing him with a player who makes less would be virtually impossible.
As a third or even fourth center, Jackson-Davis is perfectly fine. If he doesn't take a step forward, the Warriors likely won't play him a rotation minute in the playoffs, assuming that Draymond Green, Al Horford and Quenten Post are all healthy. Waiving him won't allow them to sign anyone who would be more helpful, and he has performed in spurts in the past.
Guaranteeing his contract also doesn't mean the Warriors have to keep him all season; he could be included in a trade, either as the target of another team (would the Boston Celtics like to take a flier? The Indiana Pacers?) or as a small sweetener to get a larger deal done.
Jackson-Davis likely doesn't have a leap in him, but he is totally fine for what he is, and an above-average return on the penultimate pick in the 2023 draft. The Warriors ensured that he will be sticking around for the time being, a small but meaningful vote of confidence in their young center.
TJD made it past the cut date. Now he'll try to play well enough to get next year's contract guaranteed.