More than 100 players who signed offseason free agency contracts have become eligible to be traded as of today, Dec. 15, per NBA rules, and relayed by Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors.
Some of the players on that list (106 in all, per Adams) have already seen their names surface in trade rumors — from Knicks point guard Kemba Walker to Celtics point guard Dennis Schroder to Spurs shooting guard Bryn Forbes.
This is likely to ramp up trade talks between executives, and the ensuing rumors, between now and the Feb. 10 deadline. For instance, many around the league seem to believe the 76ers have been waiting for this day to get serious about Ben Simmons talks.
“Of course, while December 15 is considered the unofficial start of the NBA’s trade season, we shouldn’t expect a flurry of deals in the coming days,” Adams wrote. “Typically, teams wait until closer to the trade deadline (February 10) to make their moves.”
Also, 19 of the players who became eligible to be traded cannot be traded without their consent, Adams noted. Some of those players will be eligible to be traded on Jan. 15, others on very specific dates.
“The league’s recent trade history doesn’t mean we won’t see any trades this month, but if we get more than one or two, it would be an exception to the rule,” Adams noted. “We should expect more activity in January and February, even as talks start to heat up in December.”
As an aside, players such as Suns point guard Chris Paul, Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Bulls forward/guard DeMar DeRozan all became eligible to be traded Wednesday, but it’s safe to say none are going anywhere.
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