NBA Trade Season Heats Up: 85 Players Become Eligible, Blockbuster Moves Loom

December 15 marks an important date on the NBA calendar, as 85 players who signed free-agent contracts this past offseason are now officially eligible to be traded. This list includes a mix of players, ranging from cornerstone stars like Pascal Siakam of the Pacers and Paul George of the Sixers—who are highly unlikely to be moved—to players already involved in trade speculation, such as Jonas Valanciunas of the Wizards.

Intriguingly, two of these newly eligible players are already part of trades awaiting finalization. Thomas Bryant will move from Miami to Indiana, while De’Anthony Melton heads from Golden State to Brooklyn. With December 15 lifting trade restrictions, these deals can be officially completed at any time.

Some of the league’s most prominent names, including LeBron James, James Harden, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, Tobias Harris, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Russell Westbrook, also became trade-eligible today. However, 12 players on this list—including LeBron and Harden—possess veto power over trades due to clauses in their contracts, limiting their mobility. Notably, the Nuggets and Suns each feature multiple players with such restrictions.

Adding to the complexity, 10 newly trade-eligible players are on non-guaranteed contracts, including two from the Pacers. If traded before January 10—the date when most contracts become fully guaranteed—only their non-guaranteed salary would count for matching purposes for the team trading them, while the acquiring team must account for the full cap hit.

Despite this influx of trade-eligible players, a significant number remain ineligible until January 15 or later, depending on specific contract conditions. Historically, most trades occur closer to the February 6 deadline rather than immediately after the December 15 milestone. However, this season is already bucking the trend, with two deals ready to be finalized today. If either is completed, it will mark the first December 15 trade since 2010. While early movement is notable, the bulk of the action is expected to take place in January and February as teams finalize their plans.