Ranking the 7 best NBA players who can't be traded until Jan. 15

Trade rumors are flying fast and furious but we haven't seen any deals yet as several teams wait for additional players to become available. Dec. 15 is just a few days which is when teams can begin to trade any newly signed free agents. But there are 16 players in the NBA, who signed contracts in the offseason, who can't be traded until Jan. 15.

The NBA has a different set of rules for NBA teams signing a player using Bird or Early Bird rights. This happens when a team re-signs a player, who has been with the team on a contract for two to three seasons, gets at least a 20 percent raise, the contract is worth more than the minimum, and the team is over the salary cap. Players signed to contracts using Bird or Early Bird rights, can't be traded until Jan. 15 of the next season.

A lot of the players who signed this type of contract have had some good years with their team or are coming off their rookie deal but not quite good enough for a max extension. Because of the talent and larger salaries in this player pool, a lot of additional deals could become available once they're eligible to be traded. Here are the seven best players who can't be traded until January 15.

There is a lot of talent in the pool of players, but the all-around game of Herbert Jones has given him the nod in this top seven. This year Jones has been having a career year for the New Orleans Pelicans and still excelling on the defensive side of the ball.

This season he is averaging 12 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.2 blocks, all of which are career highs. He is also posting a career-high in every shooting split as well — 50.3 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from 3 and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.  Considering that his first two seasons, Jones was very reluctant to shoot 3-pointers, getting up to a serviceable percentage is huge.

Jones was the 35th overall pick in the 2021 draft and signed just a two-year contract for his rookie deal. Those two years allowed the Pelicans to sign Jones to an extension using early bird rights, for four years and $53.8 million that kicked in at the start of this season.

As a second-rounder, Jones has turned himself into a very important piece for the Pelicans. For the last two seasons he has started every single game that he's played in, and in his rookie season started 69 of the 78 he's played in. The reason he became a starter so quickly is his defense.

Standing at 6-foot-7 with very long arms, Jones is a lockdown perimeter defender. This season he is one of 11 players to be averaging at least one steal and one block per game. He's playing at an All-Defensive level and could potentially be a great trading piece for the Pelicans down the line. The way Jones has improved his game, a great player would have to be involved for the Pelicans to move him.