Key dates approaching for NBA rosters this week

As the NBA flips its calendar to 2015, its 30 teams will emerge from any holiday break with big decisions on their hands.

The first 10 days of the new year hold two very important dates as far as roster construction is concerned, so expect front offices to be deep in internal discussions in the coming week.

The first key date isn't a pressing concern but more a matter of convenience for teams. On Jan. 5, teams are free to sign players to 10-day contracts. A 10-day contract is exactly what it sounds like. It allows teams to give players a short-term trial without outlaying a full-year contract. A team can sign a player to two 10-day contracts before having to sign them for the full season, meaning teams can trial D-League players or other free agents for nearly three weeks before making a longer-term call.

Ten-day deals aren't a necessity all year, as teams can sign players to non-guaranteed contracts and then release them shortly after, but they take on added importance late in the year.

That's because as of Jan. 10, all contracts become guaranteed. Teams can sign players to non-guaranteed or partially-guaranteed contracts, but after Jan. 10, the base salary in all deals is locked in for the remainder of the season.

Because of the two-day waiver period, teams wishing to be free of non-guaranteed salary after Jan. 10 need to waive players by 8 p.m. ET on Jan. 7. There are currently 48 players playing under deals that aren't fully guaranteed, according to ESPN.

The combination of teams releasing non-guaranteed deals and 10-day contracts coming into effect should make for at least some minor roster churn in the coming weeks.