Free-Agent Signing Deadline Impacts Dec. 15 Trade Eligibility
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NBA teams have until the end of Monday to sign an unrestricted or restricted free agent if they want that player to be eligible for trade consideration on Dec. 15, the league’s traditional opening date for most in-season deals.
Under collective bargaining rules, a newly signed free agent must be on his team’s roster for at least three months before he can be moved. Because Dec. 15 falls three months from Monday, anyone who inks a contract after the deadline will not meet the three-month requirement and therefore cannot be traded on that date. Those players would become trade-eligible three months after the actual signing date.
The cut-off applies only to standard NBA contracts; training-camp deals, Exhibit 10 pacts and two-way agreements follow separate timelines.
Source: Hoops Rumors
