The NBA trade deadline isn't until Feb. 8, 2024, but trade season officially starts Friday when a number of players who signed as free agents in the offseason become eligible to be traded for the first time during the 2023-24 season. In this article, we will list which players become eligible to be traded and explain why they weren't able to be traded in the first place.
Newly signed trade restriction rules
Trades are one of the most fun parts about the NBA, but there are a number of rules and restrictions that are set in place to ensure that teams don't trade players excessively. One such rule is the “newly signed trade restriction.” This rule states that any newly signed free agent who signs with his team during the offseason cannot be traded for three months or until Dec. 15, whichever is later. There are other restrictions set in place that prevent some players from being trade-eligible until Jan. 15, or even six months after signing an extension, but most players become eligible to be traded on Dec. 15.
Overall, 81 players who previously couldn't be traded will become eligible to be moved on Dec. 15. The list of those players is below.
NBA Players eligible to be traded starting on Dec. 15
Atlanta Hawks
Wesley Matthews
Boston Celtics
Dalano Banton
Oshae Brissett
Svi Mykhailiuk
Brooklyn Nets
Harry Giles
Dennis Smith Jr.
Lonnie Walker IV
Trendon Watford
Charlotte Hornets
Frank Ntilikina
Chicago Bulls
Jevon Carter
Torrey Craig
Terry Taylor
Cleveland Cavaliers
Ty Jerome
Caris LeVert
Georges Niang
Max Strus
Tristan Thompson
Dallas Mavericks
Seth Curry
Dante Exum
Kyrie Irving
Derrick Jones Jr.
Dwight Powell
Grant Williams
Denver Nuggets
Justin Holiday
Reggie Jackson
DeAndre Jordan
Detroit Pistons
None
Golden State Warriors
Draymond Green
Cory Joseph
Dario Saric
Houston Rockets
Dillon Brooks
Jeff Green
Aaron Holiday
Jock Landale
Fred VanVleet
Indiana Pacers
Bruce Brown
Los Angeles Clippers
Mason Plumlee
Russell Westbrook
Los Angeles Lakers
Jaxson Hayes
Taurean Prince
Cam Reddish
D'Angelo Russell
Gabe Vincent
Christian Wood
Memphis Grizzlies
Derrick Rose
Miami Heat
Thomas Bryant
Kevin Love
Josh Richardson
Orlando Robinson
Milwaukee Bucks
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Malik Beasley
Jae Crowder
A.J. Green
Robin Lopez
Khris Middleton
Minnesota Timberwolves
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Troy Brown Jr.
Shake Milton
New Orleans Pelicans
E.J. Liddell
Cody Zeller
New York Knicks
Ryan Arcidiacono
Donte DiVincenzo
Oklahoma City Thunder
None
Orlando Magic
Joe Ingles
Philadelphia 76ers
Mo Bamba
Patrick Beverley
Phoenix Suns
Keita Bates-Diop
Bol Bol
Drew Eubanks
Eric Gordon
Damion Lee
Chimezie Metu
Josh Okogie
Yuta Watanabe
Portland Trail Blazers
Moses Brown
Sacramento Kings
Alex Len
JaVale McGee
San Antonio Spurs
Julian Champagnie
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Toronto Raptors
Jalen McDaniels
Dennis Schroder
Garrett Temple
Utah Jazz
Omer Yurtseven
Washington Wizards
None
Takeaways from the Dec. 15 date
The Detroit Pistons, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Washington Wizards are the only teams that don't have any players becoming trade-eligible on Friday. The other 27 teams all signed at least one free agent who was ineligible to be traded until Dec. 15. The Phoenix Suns have the most players who fit this criteria. Seven players are “newly signed” players, and it makes sense, as the Suns had a busy offseason finding cheap role players to fit alongside their big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
The Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Houston Rockets also have a lot of players becoming trade-eligible on Dec. 15, as they will each have six players who become eligible to be traded. The Mavs had a lot of big decisions to make during their offseason, with the biggest being whether or not they should pay Kyrie Irving. Dallas decided to bring back Irving and, therefore, commit to an expensive, but extremely talented, frontcourt with Luka Doncic.
The Lakers still employ LeBron James, and any LeBron James-led team is going to bring in a number of veteran free agents every offseason in order to help their aging legend. There has already been buzz surrounding the Lakers and Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine, who reportedly wants a trade there but is currently out with a foot injury.
The Bucks also had their biggest offseason ever. Not only did they trade for Damian Lillard, but they brought in six free agents as well.
The Rockets had perhaps the biggest offseason of anybody, and that is why they have five players who qualify as “newly signed.” Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet were two of the biggest free agents to sign with new teams when they landed mega deals with Houston.
The vast majority of players who become eligible to be traded on Dec. 15 are unlikely to be traded, and most of them aren't big-name players, either. Still, in this era, players are moved from team to team more so than they ever have been before. It seems safe to say that one of these players will be traded this season; it is just a matter of when. Dec. 15 might not be the most active trade day in the NBA, but it certainly kicks off the trade season, with Jan. 15 another date to watch in a month with some other players becoming trade-eligible then.
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