They have to be vested veterans to not go thru the waivers process. That would be a player with 4 or more accrued seasons. Vested veterans aren't subject to the waiver-claim process, unless they are waived after the trade deadline. Normally, when a vested veteran is cut he becomes a free agent, free to negotiate with any team in the league. But that changes after the trade deadline, to protect the integrity of the system. The league doesn't want a team out of contention late in the season cutting a player who might then join a team in playoff contention and upset the season's competitive integrity.
