NBA teams have until Wednesday to sign free agents if they want the option to trade those players later in the season. Anyone who signs on Thursday or beyond will be ineligible to be moved in a deal for the remainder of the 2025-26 campaign.
The league’s collective bargaining agreement prevents a newly signed free agent from being traded for three months or until December 15, whichever comes later. Because this year’s trade deadline arrives in early February, players added after Wednesday will not satisfy the three-month waiting period in time, effectively ruling out any mid-season transactions involving them.
Players who join a roster on or before Wednesday will clear the required window before the deadline and could still be included in trades. The cutoff primarily affects clubs keeping an open roster spot for flexibility, forcing a decision on whether to finalize a signing now or lose the ability to trade that player until the offseason.
Free agents who remain unsigned past the deadline may still join teams at any point, but any contract executed from Thursday forward comes with a built-in trade moratorium lasting through the end of the season.
Source: Hoops Rumors
