Unless he’s part of a sign-and-trade deal, an NBA free agent who signs a new contract can’t be traded immediately. The Collective Bargaining Agreement states that a newly signed free agent is ineligible to be traded until December 15 or until he’s been under contract for three months, whichever comes later.
Based on that rule, the majority of the free agents who signed new contracts in July, August, and the first half of September will become trade-eligible on December 15 (a smaller group of free agents who met certain specific criteria won’t become trade-eligible until January 15).
By our count, at least 88 players are currently on track to become eligible to be moved on December 15. That doesn’t take into account any players signed to Exhibit 9 or Exhibit 10 contracts who might earn regular season roster spots, since they’re not included on our list (they’ll be added if they haven’t been waived by opening night).
However, with the exception of camp invitees who unexpectedly stick around for the regular season, that list won’t continue to expand to include any additional names after Tuesday, which is exactly three months away from December 15. A free agent who signs a new contract after September 15 will remain trade-eligible for a full three months rather than becoming trade-eligible on December 15.
For instance, a player who signs on September 22 would become eligible to be dealt on December 22; one who signs on October 4 would become trade-eligible on January 4, and so on.
For most players, there will be no meaningful difference between becoming trade-eligible on December 15 or a few weeks later, since the majority of deals get done in the days leading up to February’s deadline anyway. But it’s not entirely out of the ordinary for trades to be completed on December 15 or shortly thereafter, as soon as certain players’ restrictions lift. That sort of Dec. 15 trade won’t be possible this season for any free agent who signs after Tuesday.
It’s also worth noting that a player who is traded after December 16 can’t have his salary aggregated with another player’s salary in a separate deal prior to the trade deadline. That rule will further limit teams’ flexibility to make moves this winter involving late-September or October signees.
Finally, we should mention that November 11 is an important date in this discussion, since this season’s trade deadline will land on February 11. A player who signs a free agent contract on November 12 or later will be ineligible to be dealt at all during the 2026/27 season.
Once the season begins next month and we have a better sense of which players signed after Sept. 15 have earned spots on regular season rosters, we’ll publish a new list of those players’ unique trade eligibility dates to complement our December 15 and January 15 round-ups.