December 15 is one of those dates.
Why? It’s the first time many players who signed contracts this past offseason are eligible to be traded. It doesn’t apply to everyone who recently inked a new deal — John Collins, Duncan Robinson and Derrick Rose are among those who can’t be traded until Jan. 15 at the earliest because they met certain criteria, per Hoops Rumors — but it applies to a large number of players.
As a result, teams will have fewer restrictions when it comes to putting together deals that can improve their roster from Dec. 15 onwards.
NBA League Pass: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial)
Which teams are impacted most by December 15 restriction?
According to Hoops Rumors, the teams with the most players who can’t be dealt until Dec. 15 are the Lakers and Heat with nine each.
The Pistons, Bulls and Nets have the second-most with six players each who can’t be traded before then.
The only teams that don’t have any players who can’t be traded until Dec. 15 are the Grizzlies and Timberwolves. The Timberwolves, however, have two players — Jordan McLaughlin and Jarred Vanderbilt — who can’t be traded until Jan. 15.
Which players can’t be traded until December 15?
It’s a long list, but here are some notable ones:
Dennis Schroder, Celtics Patty Mills, Nets Kelly Oubre, Hornets Alex Caruso, Bulls DeMar DeRozan, Bulls Lonzo Ball, Bulls Lauri Markkanen, Cavaliers Tim Hardaway Jr. , Mavericks Will Barton, Nuggets Kelly Olynyk, Pistons Nemanja Bjelica, Warriors Nicolas Batum, Clippers Carmelo Anthony, Lakers Malik Monk, Lakers Kyle Lowry, Heat Markieff Morris, Heat Victor Oladipo, Heat P. J. Tucker, Heat Evan Fournier, Knicks Kemba Walker, Knicks Nerlens Noel, Knicks Andre Drummond, 76ers Danny Green, 76ers Chris Paul, Suns Khem Birch, Raptors Rudy Gay, Jazz Hassan Whiteside, Jazz Spencer Dinwiddie, Wizards
Of course, it’s hard to imagine players like DeRozan, Lowry and Paul being traded, but it’s worth noting that they will become trade eligible on Dec. 15.
