It's easy to think NBA summer league rosters are thrown together at the last minute. You take a couple of second-year players, a few draft picks, and a bunch of young guys who may or may not be playing in the NBA at some point.

But believe it or not, a little more goes into it than that.

"With the summer league, every team obviously puts a lot of focus on its own players," Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti told PBN. "But you also need to fill out the roster and put a team on the floor that can function."

Cleveland GM Danny Ferry explained the Cavaliers' process this way: "For us, (assistant GM) Lance Blanks oversees the process of building the team. It is usually built around the young players on your team from the year before and the players just drafted by your team. You really want to see this group play as much as possible. From there, you try to balance building a balanced team and finding players that could possibly fill an area of need for your roster."

Phoenix GM Steve Kerr said the Suns use a similar approach, as the summer squad is put together by assistant GM David Griffin.

"It's always a combination of using three of our current players (that's the limit), all of our draft picks (this year that number is two) and then a number of young free agents who we like who can complement our core group of five or six roster and draft pick-types," Kerr said. "Also, you usually have a guy or two on your roster that are simply favors for agents, so that ‘their guy' can be in the summer league."

Presti's Thunder recently completed play in the Orlando summer league. Their roster featured first-round draft picks James Harden and B.J. Mullens, as well as second-year pros Russell Westbrook, Kyle Weaver and D.J. White.

The rest of the roster consisted of a mishmash of guys who are somewhere between the NBA and playing professionally in Guam -- or some other far off place.

So how do NBA teams go about surrounding their prize possessions with other guys who can play?

"The process usually starts during the spring, with conversations between the teams and agents for players who aren't on the (regular-season) roster," Presti said.

If the conversations go well, invitations are extended.

Sounds simple enough. But there are obstacles.

"Sometimes an agent will look at your roster and say, ‘Hey, you already have three (power forwards) under contract' and decide the guy they represent isn't a good fit," explained Orlando assistant GM Dave Twardzik. "So even if you invite a player, you can get turned down if they feel like there's not an opportunity to make the team."

Other times, a player will accept an invite in April or May -- then back out after a team drafts someone who plays the same position.

"When we get those calls from agents backing out, we totally understand," Twardzik said. "Guys need to put themselves in the best possible situation."

As Presti said, the process starts around the same time as the end of the regular season and start of the playoffs. That is how players such as point guard Russell Robinson end up on the Magic's roster. "He had a tremendous second-half of the season in the D-League with Reno," Twardzik said. "We were scouting him and thought he would be a good fit."

But as any second-round pick or undrafted free agent can tell you, the road from summer league roster to training camp invite to actually making the team is a long, winding and often bumpy road. And while the front of your jersey may read "Thunder" or "Magic," the odds are against you unless the name on the back reads Westbrook, Harden or in Orlando's case, Anderson (as in Ryan, the second-year forward acquired as part of the trade for Vince Carter).

Those are the players who will get the longest looks from the front office and most attention from coaches in practices and games.

"It's a tough grind," Twardzik said. "We bring guys in for physicals, then an evening practice, then we have three days of two-a-days. Then you play five games in five days."

This leads to teams stuffing their summer rosters with 14 or 15 players. That, in turn, results in some guys who are just trying to get a little exposure not even getting in the game.

"But it would be an injustice to play everybody in every game when you have that many players," Twardzik said. "It's just not possible. So some guys may start one day, then not play the next. But with injuries and players backing out, you need that amount of people."

He added: "It's a double-edged sword. You want to see as many guys as possible, but you can't play them all."

Still, GMs everywhere agree that players on the brink of the NBA should never feel discouraged. After all, if they're on a summer roster, they're being taken seriously.

"Teams are always looking to make additions and always approach summer league with an open mind," Presti said. "Just like you do in any evaluation setting, you pay attention to what players do in practice, get a closer look at their abilities, and get to know them off the floor. And even if someone can't help your team this season, you are always looking to build relationships for down the line."

Added Twardzik, "It's good for the players, exposure-wise. The summer leagues are scouted by every NBA team, plus a lot of international teams. It could lead to a number of opportunities for everyone involved."

Sam Amico is the editor of Pro Basketball News. He can be reached at amico@probasketballnews.com.