In the NBA, as in other team sports, players are traded from time to time.
“Basketball is a game, but the NBA is a business.”
February 6th at 3 PM ET was the deadline for any in-play NBA team to trade players for the remainder of the season.
When NBA players are traded, the exchange occurs between 2 teams. Each player joins the other team with exactly the same terms of their existing contract; in other words, there is no financial benefit received by the player. Additionally, all teams must not exceed the NBA’s salary cap ($140.59 million per team for 2024-2025 season). As a result, unless players are equally paid for an even swap (known as a direct trade), others will also be jostled around in the mix (known as a multi-trade).
The purpose of the NBA Trade deadline is to create balance among teams, preventing them from making changes purely due to injuries or underperformance. Simply put, teams have to live with their decisions for the final balance of the season.
“It’s hard to make tough decisions. And it’s hard to make the right decisions when they’re tough.” (Patrick Dumont, Owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who shocked everyone by trading star Slovenian player Luka Dončić to the L.A. Lakers. Some say the move will take the heat off 40-year-old LeBron James as he eases away from the game)
There are a few nuances to this rule.
After the trade deadline, the only way in-play teams can adjust their rosters is by picking up players released by other teams (via waivers) or signing players who are not currently on any roster (free agents).
Some players, such as LeBron James, have no-trade clauses in their contracts, which means they cannot be traded to another team or pre-identified teams without their consent. This is a rare perk typically only given to high-profile, elite players who have considerable leverage in contract negotiations. Obviously, this limits a team’s flexibility.
Dear supporting NBA families, sports agents, rental/real estate agents and moving companies … you’ve got some work to do FAST.
“The wise adapt themselves to circumstances, as water moulds itself to the pitcher.” (Chinese proverb)
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