When Can NBA Teams Start Trading?
The NBA trade deadline is approaching and teams are looking to make deals. Here’s a look at when teams can start trading players.
Introduction
The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching, and rumors are already flying about which teams will be looking to make a move. But when can NBA teams actually start trading?
The answer is: December 15. That’s the date when most players who signed new contracts during the offseason become eligible to be traded.
So far this season, there have been a few blockbuster trades involving superstar players like Anthony Davis and Jimmy Butler. But those deals were made before the December 15 deadline, so they didn’t technically count as “trades.”
Now that the trade deadline is approaching, we could see even more big names on the move. It should be an exciting few weeks leading up to the deadline!
The NBA’s Trade Rule
The NBA’s trade rule is fairly simple: During the season, teams can trade players and draft picks on any day that ends in “y”. So, if today is Wednesday, October 28th, any team in the NBA can make a trade today.
The trade deadline is usually in late February, and is when most trades happen. But teams can continue to make trades after the deadline; they just have to involve players who were not on an active NBA roster at the time of the deadline. So if a player gets waived by one team after the deadline, he can be traded to another team.
The offseason trade moratorium usually lasts from early July to mid-September, although there are ways for teams to get around it if they need to.
When Can NBA Teams Start Trading?
The NBA’s trade deadline is Thursday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. EST. That means most deals will be consummated in the days and hours leading up to the deadline.
This season, there’s a chance that more trades go down before the deadline than on the deadline itself. That’s because the league’s collective bargaining agreement has created a situation where many players signed new contracts this past offseason become eligible to be traded on Dec. 15.
So far, there have been a few big trades involving players who were recently signed to new contracts. The New Orleans Pelicans traded DeMarcus Cousins to the Sacramento Kings just two days after he signed a one-year, $17 million deal with them in free agency. The Minnesota Timberwolves traded All-Star forward Jimmy Butler to the Philadelphia 76ers just three days after he agreed to sign a four-year, $94 million deal with them in free agency.
Both of those deals were completed on Dec. 15, meaning that those players only had to wait 60 days after signing their new contracts before they could be moved again. That’s the minimum amount of time under NBA rules that a player who signs a new contract can be traded again.
There are other notable players around the league who signed new contracts this past offseason and are now eligible to be dealt as well, including Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (who signed a four-year, $120 million extension), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Paul George (who agreed to a four-year, $137 million max deal in free agency) and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (who signed a five-year, $148 million extension).
Conclusion
In conclusion, NBA teams can start trading when the season starts, but there are some restrictions. Players who are on rookie contracts or on two-way contracts cannot be traded. There are also some restrictions on trades involving draft picks.
