The NBA will have a slightly earlier trade deadline for the 2017/18 season, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). According to Charania, the league has approved changing 2018’s trade deadline to February 8, the second Thursday before the All-Star break.
Typically, the NBA trade deadline falls a little later in February — the Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for it happen on the 17th Thursday of the regular season. In 2017/18, the deadline fell on February 23, which was the Thursday after the All-Star break and the day that regular season action resumed.
For the 2017/18 season, team executives won’t have the ability to discuss trades during the All-Star break, since the game will take place on Sunday, February 18. Perhaps the NBA hopes to avoid a scenario like the one that took place during this year’s event, when word of DeMarcus Cousins‘ trade to the Pelicans broke while the game was still in progress.
The change may also have an impact on buyout season, which generally takes place on a compressed timeline between the deadline and the March 1 deadline for waived players to retain their postseason eligibility.
According to Charania (Twitter link), the NBA’s Board of Governors voted for the change during a meeting on Tuesday, and teams were informed of the decision today.
Aww…
Ikr
If the CBA provides for a trade deadline date, then this isn’t a done deal until the players approve it, too. Expect drawn out negotiations.
Makes more sense to move it back, not forward. Then trades won’t happen near the All Star Game at all. Like with anything else, you gotta cater to the procrastinators.