During each NBA league year, teams face limits on the amount of cash they can send out and receive in trades. Once they reach those limits, they’re no longer permitted to include cash in a deal until the following league year.
For the 2019/20 NBA season, the limit is $5,617,000. If a team is including cash in a deal, the minimum amount required is $110,000.
The limits on sending and receiving cash are separate and aren’t dependent on one another, so if a team sends out $5,617,000 in one trade, then receives $5,617,000 in another, they aren’t back to square one — they’ve reached both limits for the season and can’t make another deal that includes cash.
Adding cash to a deal can serve multiple purposes. It can be a sweetener to encourage a team to make a deal in the first place, like when the Timberwolves acquired Shabazz Napier and Treveon Graham from the Warriors. The Wolves were doing the hard-capped Dubs a favor by taking those unwanted contracts and the fact that Golden State had to include $3.6MM in cash along with Napier and Graham, essentially covering their salaries, reflected that.
Cash can also be a necessity to meet CBA requirements. This was the case in the three-team trade involving the Pacers, Suns, and Heat that sent T.J. Warren to Indiana and second-round pick KZ Okpala to Miami. Phoenix needed to receive something in the deal, so the Pacers sent $1.1MM in cash to the Suns, the minimum amount necessary to meet the “touching” requirement in a three-way deal.
We’ll use the space below to track each team’s cash sent and received in trades for the 2019/20 season, updating the info as necessary leading up to the 2020 trade deadline and for the first part of the 2020 offseason next June. These totals will reset once the calendar turns to July 2020 and the ’20/21 league year begins.
Atlanta Hawks
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $2,543,629
- Received $1,313,576 from Clippers.
- Received $1,759,795 from Trail Blazers.
Boston Celtics
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Brooklyn Nets
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Charlotte Hornets
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Chicago Bulls
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Dallas Mavericks
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $4,817,000
- Received $800,000 from Thunder.
Denver Nuggets
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Detroit Pistons
- Cash available to send: $3,617,000
- Sent $2,000,000 to Sixers.
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Golden State Warriors
- Cash available to send: $17,000
- Sent $2,000,000 to Grizzlies.
- Sent $3,600,000 to Timberwolves.
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Houston Rockets
- Cash available to send: $4,617,000
- Sent a conditional $1,000,000 to Thunder. *
- Sent a conditional $1,000,000 to Thunder. *
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Indiana Pacers
- Cash available to send: $4,517,000
- Sent $1,100,000 to Suns.
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Los Angeles Clippers
- Cash available to send: $4,193,424
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Los Angeles Lakers
- Cash available to send: $4,617,000
- Sent $1,000,000 to Pelicans.
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Memphis Grizzlies
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $3,617,000
- Received $2,000,000 from Warriors.
Miami Heat
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,507,000
- Received $110,000 from Clippers.
Milwaukee Bucks
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $2,017,000
- Received $3,600,000 from Warriors.
New Orleans Pelicans
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $3,517,000
New York Knicks
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Cash available to send: $4,817,000
- Sent $800,000 to Mavericks.
- Cash available to receive: $4,617,000
- Received a conditional $1,000,000 from Rockets. *
- Received a conditional $1,000,000 from Rockets. *
Orlando Magic
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Philadelphia 76ers
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $3,617,000
- Received $2,000,000 from Pistons.
Phoenix Suns
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $4,517,000
- Received $1,100,000 from Pacers.
Portland Trail Blazers
- Cash available to send: $3,857,205
- Sent $1,759,795 to Hawks.
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Sacramento Kings
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
San Antonio Spurs
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Toronto Raptors
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Utah Jazz
- Cash available to send: $5,617,000
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
Washington Wizards
- Cash available to send: $4,517,000
- Sent $1,100,000 to Pelicans.
- Cash available to receive: $5,617,000
* Note: The Rockets owe the Thunder a 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected). If that pick is protected and not conveyed in 2026, the Rockets would instead owe the Thunder $1MM in cash along with their ’26 second-round pick.
Information from Basketball Insiders and various media reports was used in the creation of this post.
Why do Bulls have less than the max to send? (I think it shows last year’s amount.)
Yep, good catch. Fixed now, thanks.