NBA pre-draft trade deadline passes, order officially set

By Bryan Rose | Jun 26, 2014

Jun 27, 2013; Brooklyn, NY, USA; A general view as NBA commissioner David Stern (right) , deputy commissioner Adam Silver (left) and former NBA player Hakeem Olajuwon speak on stage after the first round of the 2013 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

While there are expected to be a hefty amount of trades during the 2014 NBA Draft, none will become official in the hours leading up to the event as the pre-draft trade deadline has passed without a single move.

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So what essentially is the pre-draft trade deadline? In essence, up until 2pm est, teams can freely trade their draft picks among themselves. However, once the deadline passes, teams are no longer allowed to trade their picks until after selections are made.

Now, that’s not to say teams can’t agree on a deal in the hours leading up to the draft – in fact – it’s very possible we’ll see one or even a handful of trades rumored to be ‘completed’ but the NBA will not make them official until after a selection is made.

That’s why so often you see teams making rather odd picks only moments later hearing news that the selection was traded to an opposing team.

Of course, with the advancement of technology and social media, we often know of the trades well before any pick is made. However back when most people were still on dial-up, we didn’t have that luxury and were thrust into a panic when our favorite team ended up drafting a player you wanted nothing to do with, only to find out three hours later he had been traded.

So in short – the draft order is now officially set and no further trades will be allowed by the NBA until after a draft pick is selected and becomes ‘property’ of said team.