The NBA offseason has been a treat. We have seen some major moves take place, both in free agency and in trades. Two that stand out are the deal that sent Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns to the Houston Rockets and the move by the Portland Trail Blazers to bring back star point guard Damian Lillard. The start of the 2025-26 NBA season is not far off, and soon we will see these players with their new teams.
However, it might be a while before there are any more big trades made in the NBA. It's somewhat complicated, but don't expect anything major until after December 15 at the earliest.
Major NBA trades may have to wait until after December 15
The reason for this is that when players sign contracts, they cannot be traded away from those teams until Dec. 15 at the earliest. Some of the players that can't be traded until after Dec. 15 include Clint Capela, Chris Paul, and Lillard.
PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|
Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Atlanta Hawks |
Luke Kennard | Atlanta Hawks |
Luke Garza | Boston Celtics |
Josh Minott | Boston Celtics |
Spencer Dinwiddie | Charlotte Hornets |
Mason Plumlee | Charlotte Hornets |
Tre Jones | Chicago Bulls |
Larry Nance Jr. | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Kyrie Irving | Dallas Mavericks |
D'Angelo Russell | Dallas Mavericks |
Bruce Brown | Denver Nuggets |
Tim Hardaway Jr. | Denver Nuggets |
Caris LeVert | Detroit Pistons |
Duncan Robinson | Detroit Pistons |
Clint Capela | Houston Rockets |
Dorian Finney-Smith | Houston Rockets |
Josh Okogie | Houston Rockets |
Jeff Green | Houston Rockets |
Aaron Holiday | Houston Rockets |
Jae'Sean Tate | Houston Rockets |
Fred VanVleet | Houston Rockets |
James Wiseman | Indiana Pacers |
Nicolas Batum | Los Angeles Clippers |
Bradley Beal | Los Angeles Clippers |
James Harden | Los Angeles Clippers |
Brook Lopez | Los Angeles Clippers |
Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers |
Deandre Ayton | Los Angeles Lakers |
Jaxson Hayes | Los Angeles Lakers |
Jake LaRavia | Los Angeles Lakers |
Marcus Smart | Los Angeles Lakers |
Ty Jerome | Memphis Grizzlies |
Jock Landale | Memphis Grizzlies |
Cam Spencer | Memphis Grizzlies |
Cole Anthony | Milwaukee Bucks |
Gary Harris | Milwaukee Bucks |
Chris Livingston | Milwaukee Bucks |
Kevin Porter Jr. | Milwaukee Bucks |
Bobby Portis | Milwaukee Bucks |
Taurean Prince | Milwaukee Bucks |
Jericho Sims | Milwaukee Bucks |
Gary Trent Jr. | Milwaukee Bucks |
Myles Turner | Milwaukee Bucks |
Joe Ingles | Minnesota Timberwolves |
Julius Randle | Minnesota Timberwolves |
Kevon Looney | New Orleans Pelicans |
Jaden Springer | New Orleans Pelicans |
Jordan Clarkson | New York Knicks |
Guerschon Yabusele | New York Knicks |
Ajay Mitchell | Oklahoma City Thunder |
Tyus Jones | Orlando Magic |
Mo Wagner | Orlando Magic |
Justin Edwards | Philadelphia 76ers |
Eric Gordon | Philadelphia 76ers |
Kyle Lowry | Philadelphia 76ers |
Trendon Watford | Philadelphia 76ers |
Jared Butler | Phoenix Suns |
Collin Gillespie | Phoenix Suns |
Nigel Hayes-Davis | Phoenix Suns |
Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers |
Blake Wesley | Portland Trail Blazers |
Drew Eubanks | Sacramento Kings |
Doug McDermott | Sacramento Kings |
Dennis Schröder | Sacramento Kings |
Luke Kornet | San Antonio Spurs |
Jordan McLaughlin | San Antonio Spurs |
Lindy Waters III | San Antonio Spurs |
Sandro Mamukelashvili | Toronto Raptors |
Garrett Temple | Toronto Raptors |
Marvin Bagley III | Washington Wizards |
But that isn't the only safeguard in place to prevent trades. There are actually even a few players that cannot be traded until after Jan. 15. Among those players are Davion Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Naz Reid, Isaiah Jackson, Tre Mann, and others.
PLAYER | TEAM |
|---|---|
Tre Mann | Charlotte Hornets |
Sam Merrill | Cleveland Cavaliers |
Paul Reed | Detroit Pistons |
Isaiah Jackson | Indiana Pacers |
Santi Aldama | Memphis Grizzlies |
Davion Mitchell | Miami Heat |
Ryan Rollins | Milwaukee Bucks |
Naz Reid | Minnesota Timberwolves |
For this reason, trades in general may not pick up until around the trade deadline. Of course, January 15 would put us pretty close to that deadline, which is typically the first Thursday in the month of February.
But for now, expect crickets on the trade front. Free agency is over too, so it's going to take a little bit time before we see any major transactions. The 2025-26 NBA season will kick off on Tuesday, October 21. Preseason games will take place at the beginning of October and wrap up four days before Opening Night.