A Pretty Important Date On The NBA Calendar Is Quickly Approaching
For those who may just be casual fans of the NBA, you may not be aware why in the next few days we’re going to be getting a whole lot of Shams/Woj in regards to potential trades, even though the trade deadline isn’t until February. So I wanted to write this quick blog so that everyone can be fully aware about what’s about to happen and why that is the case. Consider this a little cheat sheet as we get ready for what is going to be chaos in the NBA.
You see the CBA explains that for any free agent who signs a new deal over the summer, they cannot be traded for three months or until December 15th. Basically, if you signed your deal before mid September, you are finally going to become trade eligible in 4 days. There is another set of rules that limit players from being traded until January 15th, but let’s focus on the crop that technically could be on the move once Saturday hits. Now it gets tricky, just because you are eligible to be traded, there are a select few that have vetoing power. Think of this as a no trade clause, and they have that power because they signed a 1 year deal after their qualifying offer which gives them 1 year Bird rights which is what enables them to turn down a trade.
So, to make things easy, here are the players from each team that are now free to be moved, and then I’ll put an * on the names that can veto
Atlanta Hawks
– Vince Carter
– Daniel Hamilton
– Alex Len
Boston Celtics
– Aron Baynes*
– Jabari Bird
– Brad Wanamaker
Brooklyn Nets
– Ed Davis
– Treveon Graham
– Shabazz Napier
Charlotte Hornets
– Tony Parker
Chicago Bulls
– Ryan Arcidiacono
– Antonio Blakeney
– Jabari Parker
Cleveland Cavaliers
– Channing Frye
– Rodney Hood*
– David Nwaba
Dallas Mavericks
– Ryan Broekhoff
– Devin Harris
– DeAndre Jordan
– Salah Mejri*
– Dirk Nowitzki*
Denver Nuggets
– Torrey Craig
– Isaiah Thomas
Detroit Pistons
– Jose Calderon
– Zaza Pachulia
– Glen Robinson III
Golden State Warriors
– DeMarcus Cousins
– Kevin Durant*
– Jonas Jerebko
– Kevon Looney
Houston Rockets
– Carmelo Anthony
– Michael Carter-Williams
– James Ennis
– Gerald Green*
Indiana Pacers
– Tyreke Evans
– Doug McDermott
– Kyle O’Quinn
Los Angeles Clippers
– Luc Mbah a Moute
– Mike Scott
– Tyrone Wallace
Los Angeles Lakers
– Michael Beasley
– Kentavious Caldwell-Pope*
– LeBron James
– JaVale McGee
– Rajon Rondo
– Lance Stephenson
Memphis Grizzlies
– Kyle Anderson
– Omri Casspi
– Shelvin Mack
Miami Heat
– Wayne Ellington*
– Udonis Haslem*
– Derrick Jones
Milwaukee Bucks
– Pat Connaughton
– Ersan Illyasova
– Brook Lopez
Minnesota Timberwolves
– Luol Deng
– James Nunnally
– Derrick Rose*
– Anthony Tolliver
New Orleans Pelicans
– Ian Clark*
– Jahlil Okafor*
– Elfrid Payton
– Julius Randle
– Kenrich Williams
New York Knicks
– Mario Hezonja
– Luke Kornet*
– Noah Vonleh
Oklahoma City Thunder
– Raymond Felton*
– Nerlens Noel
Orlando Magic
– Isaiah Briscoe
Philadelphia 76ers
– Amir Johnson*
– JJ Redick*
Phoenix Suns
– Trevor Ariza
Portland Trail Blazers
– Seth Curry
– Nik Stauskas
Sacramento Kings
– Nemanja Bjelica
– Yogi Ferrell
San Antonio Spurs
– Marco Bellinelli
– Dante Cunningham
– Rudy Gay*
– Quincy Pondexter*
Toronto Raptors
– Lorenzo Brown*
– Greg Monroe
Utah Jazz
– Georges Niang
Washington Wizards
– Jeff Green
– Dwight Howard
Now, some of these names you recognize, and some you may have no idea who they are. And remember, just because you are eligible does not mean the team is actively trying to move them. However, with names like Ariza and Melo out there where we know they are trying to be moved, now is the time to keep your head on a swivel. Also, what about a team like CHI? Do you think they may want to get out of that Jabari Parker contract? They now theoretically could if they could find a partner. One team to also keep an eye on is obviously the Lakers, because like half of their rotation players are not able to be moved come Saturday, and we all know LeBron is going to be making additions before the playoffs roll around.
This is my way of just making sure everyone has their Woj/Shams alerts on and you take the next few days to catch up on sleep because once the handcuffs are off and GMs can make moves, we are for sure going to see some action, it’s just a matter of between who and when.