NBA Sets 2025-26 Trade Deadline Date And It Matters Today

The NBA has officially locked in its trade deadline for the 2025-26 season. The date to circle: Thursday, February 5 at 3 p.m. ET, per the league’s newly released key dates for the year.

This deadline had been expected, given the regular season is set to tip off on October 21, but it hadn’t been listed on NBA.com until now.

The reason that the February 5 deadline matters today? Veteran contract extensions, as noted by Hoops Rumors’ Luke Adams. If a player signs one now — or anytime between today and the deadline — there’s a good chance they won’t be eligible to be traded this season.

That restriction kicks in if the new deal hits any of these marks:

• The current contract and extension total more than four years.

• The extension starts at more than 120% of either the final-year salary of the current deal or the league’s estimated average salary (for players earning below average).

• The extension includes a raise greater than 5% between any seasons.

• The deal includes a renegotiation of the player’s current salary.

Knicks forward Mikal Bridges is a good example, Adams noted. His extension was finalized on August 1 and checks several boxes. For starters, it pushed him to five years total, including 8% annual raises, and gave him a starting salary well above 120% of this season’s number.

That means Bridges can’t be traded for six months. The good news for New York? That six-month mark is February 1, four days before the deadline.

This rule only applies to veteran extensions. Rookie scale extensions are a different story. They can be traded right away, though the poison pill provision can still complicate things.

Some veteran deals also steer clear of the restrictions. Mavericks center Daniel Gafford is a case in point, Adams wrote. Gafford signed a three-year extension that kept him under the four-year total, started at exactly 120% of his previous salary, and included just 5% raises. That makes him fully trade-eligible now.

One last date to keep in mind: November 5. Any free agent who signs after that won’t be eligible to be traded at all during the 2025-26 season.

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