The NBA has its eye on Thursday, March 25 for this season’s trade deadline, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). While that’s the tentative plan, the date will still need to be approved by the league’s Board of Governors, Charania notes.
In recent years, the trade deadline has landed in early February. However, in those instances, the season was tipping off in mid-October and ending in early- to mid-April. In 2020/21, the regular season will run from December 22 to May 16.
A March 25 is still a little later in the season than usual, coming well after the league-wide salary guarantee date (February 27) and after the dates when recently-signed players will be trade-eligible (February 6 and March 3).
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It would fall a couple weeks before the April 9 deadline for players to be waived by one team and retain playoff eligibility for a new club.
I was hoping they’d push it forward a week not backwards (relative to before) which is probably an unpopular view (especially in a site like this)
I want bubble teams to have to make tough choices sooner rather than have late jump-ons/buyouts and the map already drawn out for them….
Just part of being a wannabe internet GM itch I guess
I think the CBA says signed players can’t be traded until 3 months following their signed contract. Wouldn’t they have to revise the CBA to do that?
Players who have signed so far will be trade-eligible on February 6 (or, if they meet certain critera, March 3). I’ll have to check what happens with the guys that sign later than December 25 though. I’m not sure how exactly how the three-month rule has been adjusted for the shortened season.
Just get rid of Deadline.