Question 78: What roster size limits exist? What is the Inactive List? What is Injured Reserve? Do any other such lists exist?
An NBA team can have a maximum of 15 players on its roster during a season (and up to 20 during the offseason). A team may have 12 or 13 players on its active roster, although it can drop to 11 for up to two weeks at a time. They must suit-up at least eight players for every game. Any remaining players must be on the team's Inactive List, and are ineligible to play in games. A minimum of zero players (if the team has 13 active players) or one (if the team has 12 active players) must be on the team's Inactive List, although a team with 12 active players can drop to zero for up to two weeks at a time.
Teams can temporarily have four players on their Inactive List (bringing their roster size to 16) with league approval in the event of a hardship. A hardship can be deemed to occur when the team has four players who are sick or injured and have missed at least three games, and will continue to be unable to play.
The composition of the Inactive List can change on a game-by-game basis -- no less than 60 minutes prior to tipoff, the team must present to the official scorer a list of the players who will be active for that game. A player can be inactive for as little as one game. While individual teams are only required to carry a minimum of 13 players, (12 active and one inactive), the NBA also guarantees a league-wide average of at least 14 players per team. The league is surcharged if they do not meet this obligation...
Injured Reserve is the former name of the Inactive List. It was originally intended for players who were injured and unable to play, however teams often used it as a convenient place to stash extra players. While a medical reason was required for players to be put on Injured Reserve, the league did not insist on an independent physician confirming the diagnosis. Thus it was common for a seemingly healthy player to suddenly develop "back spasms" right before rosters were cut to 12 players, and spend the entire season on Injured Reserve as a result. With the 1995 CBA they gave up the ghost, dropped the medical requirement, and changed the designation to "Inactive List." (The cynic will note that marginal NBA players seem to have a lot fewer back spasms nowadays.)
Players assigned to the NBA Developmental League (see question number 80) are automatically placed on their team's Inactive List.
