NBA trade deadline 2024: Player eligibility as of Dec. 15

The NBA calendar hitting Dec. 15 marks yet another significant date, as 81 free agents who signed in the offseason are now eligible to be traded.

To get a better sense of the 2023-24 trade market, we have organized the entire player pool into different roster types (franchise centerpiece, All-Star, starter, reserve, etc.), listing the salary and years remaining on their contracts. You can use these tables when attempting to determine what trades are possible across the league -- especially since only the Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic have cap space.

The 2023 collective bargaining agreement introduced new trade rules, which are explained below.

Teams such as the Atlanta Hawks ($23 million), Brooklyn Nets ($19.9, $18.1 and $6.8 million), Washington Wizards ($12.3 million and $9.8 million), Miami Heat ($9.5 and $7.2 million), Portland Trail Blazers ($8.8 and $8.3 million), Memphis Grizzlies ($7.5 million), Philadelphia 76ers ($6.8 million), New York Knicks ($6.8 million), Phoenix Suns ($6.5 million) and Boston Celtics ($6.2 million) have large trade exceptions and can acquire a player without sending back salary.

This is the last trade deadline that teams over the first and second apron (Miami for example) have the ability to use a trade exception.

New trade rules

The NBA and National Basketball Players Association adjusted the trade rules in the new CBA, giving teams below the luxury tax more flexibility and spending power to acquire players in a trade.

The Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Max Strus this offseason in a sign-and-trade deal by using the $7.5 million expanded traded player exception, a $2.5 million increase from the previous CBA.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, high-spending teams over the first and second aprons saw the traded player exception decrease from 125% to 110%, giving them less flexibility in matching salary in potential deals.

Here is a breakdown showing the salaries a team can acquire in a trade.

Dec. 15 signing restriction

These 81 players who signed new contracts in the offseason will become eligible to be traded Friday -- though some of them can veto trades because of the one-year Bird restriction (see full explanation below).

Additional trade restrictions

Not every trade-restricted player becomes eligible to be traded Friday. Here are the players who still will have some kind of restriction preventing them from being traded (or in some cases, being traded to specific teams) even beyond this week.

Explaining the trade restrictions

Signing (SR): The majority of players who signed a contract in the offseason have a Dec. 15 trade restriction. The Jan. 15 restriction is for free agents who signed with their own team (with either Bird or early Bird rights) and a contract that is 120% greater than the previous season. For free agents like Memphis Grizzlies center Bismack Biyombo who signed after Sept. 15, the restriction lasts until three months after they signed their contract.

There is a group of 11 players, including Los Angeles Lakers big man Anthony Davis, who either signed an extension or had their contract renegotiated and have a six-month restriction from the date the contract was executed. The restriction is because the extension and remaining years left on the original contract exceeds three seasons and the percentage increase is more than 5%.

Jaylen Brown signed a Designated Veteran Player Extension (better known as the supermax) and cannot be traded until July.

One-year Bird rights (1YB): This restriction applies if a free agent signs a one-year contract and will have Bird rights with his current team when he becomes a free agent. A player can still be traded but must consent to the deal. If he does, the Bird rights do not transfer to his new team. The 2023 CBA introduced a new clause that players are now allowed to waive the one-year Bird restriction in their contract. D'Angelo Russell and Moritz Wagner are two players who agreed to waive it.

Aggregate restriction (AR): A player who was acquired in a trade (other than by a team using cap space) cannot be aggregated with another contract for a period of two months. For example, the 76ers forward Robert Covington cannot be aggregated with another contract until Jan. 1. Philadelphia is allowed to trade Covington for another player.

Poison pill provision (PPP): For players still on their rookie deals before an extension kicks in, the NBA counts their fourth-year salary as outgoing money and the average of the extension amount and last year of their rookie contract as incoming money. One example: Deni Avdija would count as $6.6 million in outgoing salary for the Washington Wizards but $12.3 million for an acquiring team.

NTC (No-trade clause): Suns guard Bradley Beal is the only NBA player who has a true no-trade clause. Beal was eligible to negotiate the clause in his contract because he has played eight years in the NBA and four with his former team in Washington. The no-trade clause carried in the trade to Phoenix.

Matched offer sheet (MR): Matisse Thybulle signed an offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks and has veto power on any trade. He is not allowed to be traded to Dallas this season. Thybulle also has a Jan. 15 signing restriction.

Trade eligible players