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The NBA Cup final is Tuesday, but the lead-up to the game could see some fireworks as the league welcomes the unofficial beginning of trade season.
Monday marked the first day that players who signed a free-agent contract in the previous offseason are eligible to be traded, according to the NBA’s CBA. An additional 82 NBA players were eligible to be traded starting Monday.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, 90% of NBA players can officially be included in a trade as of Monday.
One of the trade-eligible players is Chris Paul, who was sent home by the Clippers from a road trip two weeks ago before the team announced it was “parting ways” with the 12-time All-Star. Paul signed a minimum deal with Los Angeles in the summer.
There is an additional CBA quirk that could incentivize teams to make a trade by Tuesday.
If a player is traded on or before Dec. 16, he can be repackaged and his salary aggregated with other players in another trade before the trade deadline on Feb. 5. Players dealt after Dec. 16 can be traded again this season, but they must be traded without the ability to include other salaries to aid in matching with a trade partner.
The rule discourages teams from trading a player multiple times in one season. But in the NBA’s notorious two-apron world, any additional salary restrictions further complicate a team’s roster flexibility.
The Warriors took advantage of this CBA nugget last year when they dealt for guard Dennis Schröder on Dec. 16. Less than two months later, they traded Schröder to the Jazz as part of a five-team trade to acquire Jimmy Butler. A few days later, Schröder was moved a third time to the Pistons.
Most of the rest of the league will become eligible to be traded on Jan. 15, including those who signed multiyear extensions.
One notable example is Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, who signed a two-year, $48.5 million extension in the offseason after a lengthy stalemate. After a strong start to the season, Kuminga has fallen out of head coach Steve Kerr’s rotation, logging three consecutive DNP-CDs.
The 23-year-old is a piece Golden State could use to improve its aging roster around Steph Curry, but he will be eligible for a trade only starting next month.
The NBA rumor mill has already been active for weeks, highlighted by the uncertainty around Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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