Overview
- A cohort of 77 players who signed as free agents in 2025 can be traded starting Dec. 15, including James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Julius Randle, Myles Turner, Fred VanVleet and Damian Lillard.
- Eleven re-signees who received raises greater than 20% via Bird or Early Bird rights cannot be moved until Jan. 15, a group that includes Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga and Naz Reid.
- Veteran extensions with six‑month no‑trade windows stagger key eligibilities: Devin Booker on Jan. 10, Jaren Jackson Jr. on Jan. 13, Herb Jones on Jan. 14, Mikal Bridges on Feb. 1, Luka Dončić on Feb. 2 and De'Aaron Fox on Feb. 4.
- Some players are effectively off the board this season due to timing rules, including Toumani Camara, A. J. Green, P. J. Washington and Aaron Nesmith, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is barred for one year by a supermax and Seth Curry’s Nov. 30 signing keeps him ineligible.
- A CBA tweak lets teams aggregate salaries of players acquired by Dec. 16 via trade exceptions, which executives say could prompt copycat deals like last December’s Dennis Schröder maneuver, with reports naming Chris Paul as a potential early candidate for such cap gymnastics.