NBA Waiver Order Now Based On 2025/26 Records
As of December 1, the NBA’s waiver priority order is determined by teams’ current-year records, rather than the previous season’s results.
That means, starting today, the waiver order for this season is based on teams’ 2025/26 records, with the worst teams getting the highest priority. In other words, if two teams place a claim on the same player, the team lower in this season’s NBA standings will be awarded that player.
Up until today, the waiver claim order was based on which teams had the worst records in 2024/25.
Waiver claims are relatively rare in the NBA, but it’s still worth noting which teams will have the first crack at intriguing players who may be cut over the next few weeks or months.
[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Waiver Claims]
Here’s what the teams at the top of the NBA’s waiver order look like as of Monday, Dec. 1:
- Washington Wizards (2-16)
- New Orleans Pelicans (3-18)
- Brooklyn Nets (3-16)
- Indiana Pacers (4-16)
- Sacramento Kings (5-16)
- Los Angeles Clippers (5-15)
- Dallas Mavericks (6-15)
- Charlotte Hornets (6-14)
- Utah Jazz (6-13)
- Portland Trail Blazers (8-12)
In instances where multiple teams have identical records, head-to-head record for the current season is used to break ties — the team with the worst winning percentage in head-to-head games gets the higher priority. If the tied teams have yet to face one another or if they’ve split their head-to-head matchups, a coin flip determines priority for those clubs.
If a waived player can’t be claimed using the minimum salary exception, a team must use a mid-level exception (non-taxpayer or room), bi-annual exception, trade exception, disabled player exception, or cap room to absorb his salary.
Most teams, especially those operating below the tax aprons, have at least one of those exceptions available to place a waiver claim, but it’s worth noting that a club with a top priority won’t be in position to nab just anyone who reaches waivers.
Teams right up against hard caps also may not have the ability to claim even a minimum-salary player on waivers. For example, the Lakers are currently operating just $1.12MM below their first-apron hard cap, so they wouldn’t be able to fit a player with, say, a $2MM cap hit.
2025/26 NBA Disabled Player Exceptions
A disabled player exception can be granted when an NBA team has a player go down with an injury deemed to be season-ending. The exception gives the club some additional spending flexibility to add a single-season replacement in the trade market or in free agency
We go into more detail on who qualifies for disabled player exceptions, what they’re worth, and how exactly they work in our glossary entry on the subject. But essentially, a DPE allows a team to sign a player to a one-year contract, trade for a player in the final year of his contract, or place a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract. The exceptions are worth either half the injured player’s salary or the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception (whichever amount is less).
Because the rules related to disable player exceptions are somewhat restrictive and the exceptions themselves generally aren’t worth a lot, they often expire without being used. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on which disabled player exceptions have been granted, just in case.
We’ll use this space to break down the teams with disabled player exceptions available for the 2025/26 league year, updating it as the season progresses if more teams are granted DPEs and/or to indicate which ones have been used.
Teams have until January 15 to apply for a disabled player exception and until March 10 to actually use them.
Here’s the list so far:
Available disabled player exceptions:
- Chicago Bulls:
- $2,714,760 (Noa Essengue)
The No. 12 overall pick in the 2025 draft, Essengue played just six total minutes in two outings at the NBA level before suffering a shoulder injury in the G League that required season-ending surgery.
The Bulls have plenty of breathing room below the luxury tax line to take on additional salary, but they also still have their full mid-level and bi-annual exceptions available, so they may not end up needing the disabled player exception they were granted in mid-December.
Still, it’s another tool at their disposal on the trade market and in free agency for a Bulls team that could consider making a number of in-season roster changes, given all its players on expiring contracts.
- Dallas Mavericks:
- $2,626,680 (Dereck Lively II)
- $1,148,137 (Dante Exum)
Both Lively and Exum underwent offseason procedures to address foot and knee issues, respectively, but follow-up surgeries were necessary in each case. The Mavericks confirmed during the same week in December that Lively would undergo season-ending foot surgery and that Exum would require season-ending knee surgery.
Neither player has a significant salary, so neither of the Mavericks’ disabled player exceptions is especially large. But it might not matter, since Dallas is operating right up against a second-apron hard cap and doesn’t have the flexibility to add much salary anyway.
- Houston Rockets:
- $12,500,000 (Fred VanVleet)
VanVleet tore the ACL in right knee at an unofficial team mini-camp in September, prior to the start of training camp, and underwent surgery to address the injury a few days later.
A report in October indicated that the Rockets had applied for a disabled player exception in response to VanVleet’s injury, and while there was no follow-up report confirming that request was granted, Eric Pincus of Sports Business Classroom has the $12.5MM DPE on his list of available exceptions, which suggests the NBA officially signed off.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, they’re operating about $1.26MM below their first-apron hard cap and can’t surpass that threshold at any time during the 2025/26 league year. As a result, they can’t really add salary using the VanVleet disabled player exception at this point, though there’s a chance it could come in handy on the trade market, or in free agency later in the season.
- Indiana Pacers:
- $14,104,000 (Tyrese Haliburton)
Haliburton’s injury technically occurred during the 2024/25 league year, as he tore his right Achilles tendon during Game 7 of the NBA Finals in June. However, because the injury will sideline Haliburton for all of ’25/26, the Pacers were granted a disabled player exception. It’s worth the amount of the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, since half of Haliburton’s $45.6MM salary would far exceed that amount.
The Pacers are operating about $4.7MM below the luxury tax line, so they’re unlikely to add a significant amount of extra salary during the season, but this exception is big enough that there are a variety of ways in which they could end up using a portion of it.
- Los Angeles Clippers:
- $2,677,000 (Bradley Beal)
The Clippers were awarded their disabled player exception in the wake of Beal’s season-ending hip injury. It’s worth half of his $5.35MM salary.
The Clippers are in nearly the exact same situation as the Rockets, with an open spot on their 15-man roster but without enough breathing room below their first-apron hard cap to sign a free agent to fill that spot until later in the season, with or without this DPE. The Clippers’ team salary is about $1.28MM below their hard cap, limiting their spending options for now.
- Oklahoma City Thunder:
- $2,327,520 (Thomas Sorber)
For a second straight year, the Thunder’s top draft pick will miss his entire rookie season due to an ACL tear. Oklahoma City knew about Nikola Topic‘s injury when they drafted him in 2024, but Sorber’s happened in early September during an offseason workout.
The Thunder were granted a disabled player exception for Sorber’s injury, but it’s not worth much. The only ways in which it could realistically end up being useful would be to trade for a player on a near-minimum contract that can’t be absorbed using the minimum salary exception or to outbid a team offering a prorated minimum-salary deal on the buyout market.
Oklahoma City’s position relative to the luxury tax line is worth noting. The team is just over $1MM away from that threshold and will likely want to stay below it this season to avoid starting the repeater clock.
- Washington Wizards:
- $1,769,880 (Cam Whitmore)
Whitmore’s first season as a Wizard came to an early end after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder. After initially ruling him out indefinitely, Washington later announced he would miss the rest of the season and submitted a request for a disabled player exception just ahead of the January 15 deadline.
That request was granted, but the Wizards’ new exception is one of the least valuable of this season’s DPEs, and the team already has several other exceptions available, including the full non-taxpayer MLE and multiple trade exceptions. It seems unlikely that Washington will find a use for its DPE.
Community Shootaround: Early Impressions Of 2025/26 Rookies
Entering the 2025/26 season, No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg was widely regarded as the favorite to become this season’s Rookie of the Year. However, through the first five-plus weeks this fall, one of his former Duke teammates, Kon Knueppel, has been the most impressive player from the NBA’s 2025 draft class.
Knueppel, who was selected fourth overall by the Hornets in June, has averaged 18.6 points per game in his first 18 NBA outings, posting an excellent .476/.417/.884 shooting line and chipping in 5.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 33.3 minutes per night. Outside of one game in the first week of the season, he has been a permanent fixture in the Hornets’ starting lineup and has already made a significant impression on his veteran teammates.
“He’s been great,” Hornets forward Miles Bridges said of Knueppel, per Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “(He’s) been our best player. He’s been consistent and he brings it every game, every day. That’s just the type of player he is, so it’s been great playing with him.”
Knueppel ranks first among NBA rookies in scoring and is among the league leader in three-pointers made — only Stephen Curry, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, and James Harden have made more outside shots than Knueppel (63), and none of those four veterans are knocking them down at a higher percentage than the Charlotte rookie is.
As Boone points out, BetOnline.ag now lists Knueppel as the betting favorite for this season’s Rookie of the Year award, but he’s hardly the only first-year player who has gotten off to a promising start.
Flagg has been a little up and down for the Mavericks, in part because he was asked to open the season as the team’s primary point guard. However, he has been shooting the ball more consistently as of late (above 50% in his past eight games) and has increased his scoring average to 15.9 PPG while also contributing 6.4 RPG and 3.1 APG.
No. 2 overall pick Dylan Harper missed some time due to a calf strain, but he has looked good in his seven appearances so far, averaging 13.0 PPG, 3.9 RPG, and 3.6 APG on .472/.375/.850 in a limited bench role for the Spurs (22.4 MPG). His overall plus/minus mark of +43 ranks second among rookies, despite the fact that he’s only played 157 minutes so far.
The top-ranked rookie in overall plus/minus is Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe at +44. The third overall pick is right behind Flagg in points per game (15.6) and has been an effective three-point shooter (.366 3PT%) while also leading all rookies in assists per game (4.2).
While the odds favor one of those top four picks in the draft earning Rookie of the Year honors, there are other legitimate contenders further down the 2025 draft board. Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward, for example, has earned a spot in Memphis’ starting lineup and has performed admirably in that role, with season-long averages of 13.7 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 2.8 APG on .466/.375/.864 shooting.
In New Orleans, lottery picks Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen have been two bright spots amid a disappointing start for the Pelicans. Fears is averaging 15.1 PPG with a .453/.365/.786 shooting line, while Queen is filling up the box score with 15.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.1 blocks, and 1.0 steals per game in his past nine contests. Both players are currently part of New Orleans’ starting lineup.
Knueppel’s teammate Ryan Kalkbrenner (9.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 BPG, .802 FG%) and Jazz forward Ace Bailey (15.0 PPG on .532/.409/.714 shooting in his past seven games) are a couple more first-year players who have looked pretty good so far.
We want to know what you think. Who are your favorite players from the 2025 draft class? Which of these players do you expect to emerge as the Rookie of the Year favorite? Whose long-term futures are you most excited about?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Players Eligible For In-Season Veteran Extensions In 2025/26
As we explain in our glossary entry on veteran contract extensions, rookie scale extensions used to be the most common form of contract extension in the NBA. However, recent Collective Bargaining Agreements have loosened the rules on eligibility for veteran extensions and made them more financially advantageous, especially for players who don’t expect mega-deals.
As a result, we’ve seen a substantial bump in veteran contract extensions in recent seasons. In every league year since 2021/22, at least 17 players have signed veteran extensions, including 27 in 2024/25. We’re not quite up to 17 yet in ’25/26, but there’s plenty of time for this season’s list to continue to grow, right up until June 30, 2026.
[RELATED: 2025/26 NBA Contract Extension Tracker]
Certain extension-eligible players, such as Austin Reaves and Coby White, may prefer to wait until they reach free agency to sign a new contract, since their maximum extension would be far less than the maximum contract they’d be eligible to earn on the open market.
The maximum starting salary a player can receive in a veteran extension is up to 140% of his current salary. A player on a more modest contract can receive a maximum starting salary worth up to 140% of the NBA’s estimated average salary.
In 2025/26, 140% of the estimated average salary would work out to a $19,418,000 salary in the first year of a contract extension. A player who signs an extension that fits that bill could get up to four years and approximately $87MM. That’s far below market value for a player like Reaves, who turned down that offer from the Lakers at the start of the 2025 offseason.
Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith is an example of a player who did sign that sort of extension (starting at $19,418,000) in recent months, though his new deal is just for two years instead of four.
Now that the regular season is underway, the group of veterans eligible for contract extensions has shrunk, since players with more than one year left on their contracts aren’t permitted to sign an in-season extension. But there are still a number of veterans in the final year of their respective contracts who remain eligible for extensions right up until the last day of the current league year (June 30).
Listed below are the players who meet the criteria for a veteran extension. Players who were recently traded can be extended, but they have to wait for six months after the trade to sign a contract longer than four total years (including the current season) with a first-year bump of more than 20% or a subsequent annual raise exceeding 5%. If a player below is noted as having “limited” eligibility until a certain date, that’s why.
Once a player regains his full extension eligibility, he becomes eligible to sign an extension of up to five total years (including the current season) with a 40% first-year raise (or 40% of the estimated average salary).
Additionally, extension-eligible players with a player or team option for 2026/27 would have to eliminate that option year as part of an extension agreement in order to meet the necessary criteria.
Here’s the full list of veterans eligible for contract extensions during the 2025/26 season:
Atlanta Hawks
- Mouhamed Gueye
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Kristaps Porzingis
- Trae Young
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
Boston Celtics
- Anfernee Simons
- Jordan Walsh
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Brooklyn Nets
- Jalen Wilson
- Eligible as of March 1.
Charlotte Hornets
Chicago Bulls
- Jevon Carter
- Zach Collins
- Ayo Dosunmu
- Kevin Huerter
- Julian Phillips
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Nikola Vucevic
- Coby White
Cleveland Cavaliers
- Craig Porter Jr.
- Eligible as of February 14.
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Dean Wade
Dallas Mavericks
Denver Nuggets
- Jalen Pickett
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Hunter Tyson
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Detroit Pistons
- None
Golden State Warriors
- Draymond Green
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
- Trayce Jackson-Davis
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Gui Santos
Houston Rockets
- None
Indiana Pacers
- None
Los Angeles Clippers
- Bogdan Bogdanovic
- Eligible as of March 16.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Rui Hachimura
- Maxi Kleber
- Austin Reaves
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
- Gabe Vincent
Memphis Grizzlies
- GG Jackson II
- Eligible as of February 9.
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Vince Williams Jr.
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Miami Heat
- Norman Powell
- Terry Rozier
- Andrew Wiggins
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
Milwaukee Bucks
- Andre Jackson Jr.
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Minnesota Timberwolves
- Mike Conley
- Eligible as of February 22.
- Leonard Miller
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
New Orleans Pelicans
- None
New York Knicks
Oklahoma City Thunder
- Luguentz Dort
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Kenrich Williams
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
Orlando Magic
- None
Philadelphia 76ers
- None
Phoenix Suns
Portland Trail Blazers
- Duop Reath
- Eligible as of February 16.
- Rayan Rupert
- Matisse Thybulle
- Robert Williams
Sacramento Kings
Keon Ellis
- Eligible as of February 9.
- Zach LaVine
- 2026/27 player option must be declined.
San Antonio Spurs
- Harrison Barnes
- Julian Champagnie
- 2026/27 team option must be declined.
- Kelly Olynyk
- Eligible as of March 4.
Toronto Raptors
- None
Utah Jazz
- Georges Niang
- Limited eligibility until February 6.
- Jusuf Nurkic
Washington Wizards
Community Shootaround: Early Check-In On MVP Race
It’s still way too early in the 2025/26 season to draw any conclusions about how the NBA’s Most Valuable Player race will play out, but through five weeks, several former MVPs are on pace to have the most productive season of their respective careers, writes Zach Kram of ESPN.
As Kram outlines, if the season ended today, the record for player efficiency rating (PER) in a single season held by Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (32.9) would be topped by three players: Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (33.5), Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34.6), and Jokic himself (37.0!).
Along similar lines, Jokic (72.8% true shooting), Gilgeous-Alexander (67.1%), and Antetokounmpo (66.2%) are on pace to have three of the four most efficient seasons ever for a player averaging at least 30 points per game, Kram writes.
Besides matching his career high with 29.6 points per game, Jokic is also averaging 12.8 rebounds and 11.1 assists per night, with an astonishing .626/.434/.853 shooting line. According to Kram, no player in NBA history has ever led the league in assists per game in one season and rebounds per game in another — Jokic has a legitimate chance to be the league leader in both categories this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been just as good, if not better, than he was in his NBA season a year ago, with averages of 32.2 PPG and 6.6 APG on .543/.412/.898 shooting. His Thunder have the best record in the NBA (17-1) and have been so dominant that their star point guard has frequently been able to call it a night early. Gilgeous-Alexander has logged just 52 fourth-quarter minutes so far this season, making his per-game statistical averages all the more impressive.
Antetokounmpo, meanwhile, is a two-time MVP, but he has never scored more points per game (31.2), handed out more assists per game (6.8), or shot a higher field goal percentage (62.9%) than he has so far this season. The Bucks have been 18.8 points per 100 possessions better when Giannis is on the court compared to when he’s not, which is even better than the Nuggets’ differential with and without Jokic (+18.3) or the Thunder’s differential with and without SGA (+13.2).
As great as those guys have been, this isn’t just a three-man race. Star guard Luka Doncic is currently the NBA’s scoring leader at 34.5 points per game, and he’s also contributing 8.9 assists, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per contest for a 12-4 Lakers team that ranks third in the West.
Beyond Doncic, it’s probably a step down to the next tier of early MVP candidates, Kram acknowledges. But Pistons guard Cade Cunningham is averaging career highs in points (27.1) and assists (9.6) per game while leading the surprising Pistons to an East-best 15-2 record.
Sixers guard Tyrese Maxey is carrying Philadelphia on his back, scoring 33.0 points in 40.4 minutes per game on remarkable efficiency (.471/.415/.880).
Perennial All-Stars like Donovan Mitchell, Stephen Curry, Jalen Brunson, and Anthony Edwards are also putting up massive numbers for winning teams.
And Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama (26.2 PPG, 12.9 RPG, 3.6 BPG) looked ready to join the MVP conversation before being sidelined by a calf strain.
We want to know what you think. Which early-season performance has impressed you the most? Do you view it as a three- or four-player race for this season’s MVP award, or will any of those players outside the Jokic/SGA/Giannis/Doncic quartet end up getting first-place votes?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
Key Dates For Teams Up Against Hard Cap, Tax Line
There are currently five NBA teams who have an open spot on their respective 15-man rosters and don’t have the ability to sign a free agent to fill that opening because of their proximity to a first- or second-apron hard cap.
For instance, after hard-capping themselves at the first apron in the offseason, the Lakers are operating just $1,124,195 below that threshold. A prorated minimum salary for a veteran signed today would count against the cap for $1,834,380 and wouldn’t fit under Los Angeles’ hard cap. But as of January 18, that figure would drop to $1,121,743, just low enough for the Lakers to accommodate it.
Here are the dates as of which those five teams who have 14-man rosters and are right up against a hard cap could first sign a player:
- January 7: Los Angeles Clippers
- January 8: Houston Rockets
- January 9: Orlando Magic
- January 18: Los Angeles Lakers
- April 2: New York Knicks
The Warriors were also on this list when the season began, but they now have enough room below their hard cap to sign a 15th man — every day they put off doing so creates a little more flexibility below that threshold, which could come in handy later in the season.
Those teams aren’t the only ones worth keeping an eye on due to their cap limitations though. The Mavericks, for example, have a full 15-man roster, but could be looking to make a change after ruling out Dante Exum for the season due to a knee injury. That wouldn’t be possible right now though, since Dallas is just $1,292,084 away from a second-apron hard cap. The Mavs won’t be able to add a new 15th man in place of Exum until January 6, at which point a prorated minimum deal would carry a cap charge of $1,280,107.
There are also a handful of teams operating just under the luxury tax line who wouldn’t have the ability to sign a free agent to a minimum-salary contract without surpassing that threshold. The tax line isn’t a hard cap, so there’s nothing stopping a club from surpassing it today and then trying to duck below it later in the season. But that comes with some risk, since getting below the tax typically requires the cooperation of a trade partner.
Here are the teams currently unable to sign a veteran free agent without going into the tax, along with the dates when that will change:
- December 13: Miami Heat
- December 19: Portland Trail Blazers
- January 26: Oklahoma City Thunder
The Trail Blazers and Thunder currently have full 15-man rosters, and there’s no indication that either team wants to make a roster move. The Heat, on the other hand, have an open roster spot, so they’re worth keeping a closer eye on starting in mid-December.
It’s worth noting that all of these dates apply to free agent signings only. If a team were to sign a player whose draft rights it held to a rookie minimum contract, the cap hit would be significantly lower, so it could happen sooner. But few teams have that sort of draft-rights player waiting in the wings to join the roster during the season.
We should also mention that the dates above only apply to one-year, minimum-salary contracts. If a team wants to bring in a player on a multiyear minimum deal, the first-year cap hit is generally higher, so it would have to happen later in the season.
Finally, these dates are all contingent on the team’s current cap situation, so they’re subject to change if a club makes a trade, completes a buyout, or makes a 10-day signing that changes its position relative to the tax line or aprons.
Details On NBA Cup Prize Money For 2025
The group stage of the NBA Cup will wrap up later this week, with teams playing their final round robin matchups on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. By the time Friday’s games are complete, seven teams will have joined the Raptors in advancing to the knockout round of the league’s in-season tournament.
The prize money for the players whose teams make the NBA Cup quarterfinals has once again increased in the third year of the event. According to Colin Salao of Front Office Sports, the bonuses for 2025 are as follows:
- Players on the team that wins the NBA Cup: $530,933 apiece
- Players on the team that loses the NBA Cup final: $212,373 apiece
- Players on the two teams that lose in the NBA Cup semifinals: $106,187 apiece
- Players on the four teams that lose in the NBA Cup quarterfinals: $53,093 apiece
When the Lakers won the inaugural in-season tournament in 2023, those figures were $500K, $200K, $100K, and $50K, respectively. The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for the prize money to increase annually at the same rate that the league’s basketball-related income (BRI) grows. That growth rate was about 3.1% this past year.
A player on a standard contract whose team makes the knockout round of the NBA Cup will earn a full bonus share, while a player on a two-way deal receives a half share. That means the two-way players on this year’s in-season tournament champion will claim bonuses worth $265,467 each.
While these bonuses are a drop in the bucket for the league’s highest-paid players, they represent a significant raise for players earning the minimum or close to it. Last season, when Milwaukee won the NBA Cup, there were 12 Bucks players (including two-ways) whose total earnings for the year increased by more than 17% as a result of the prize money.
Special Trade Eligibility Dates For 2025/26
In a pair of previous articles, we took a closer look at the trade restrictions placed on two groups of players who signed free agent contracts this past offseason. The smaller of the two groups featured players who can’t be traded by their current teams until January 15, having re-signed on contracts that met a set of specific criteria. The other offseason signees we examined aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15.
In addition to those two groups, there are a few other subsets of players who face certain trade restrictions this season. They either can’t be traded until a certain date, can’t be traded in certain packages, or can’t be traded at all prior to February’s deadline.
Listed below are the players affected by these trade restrictions. This list, which we’ll continue to update throughout the season as needed, can be found on our desktop sidebar under “Hoops Rumors Features,” or in our mobile menu under “Features.”
Players who recently signed as free agents or had their two-way contracts converted:
A player who signs a free agent contract typically becomes trade-eligible either three months after he signs or on December 15, whichever comes later. That means a player who signs on September 10 would become trade-eligible on Dec. 15, but one who signs on Sept. 22 wouldn’t be eligible to be dealt until Dec. 22.
Similarly, players who have two-way pacts converted to standard contracts can’t be dealt for three months after that happens.
Here are the affected players, who signed free agent contracts or were converted from two-way deals after Sept. 15, along with the dates their trade restrictions lift:
December 25:
- Thomas Bryant (Cavaliers)
December 29:
- Gary Payton II (Warriors)
January 1:
- Al Horford (Warriors)
- De’Anthony Melton (Warriors)
January 16:
- Russell Westbrook (Kings)
January 18:
- Keaton Wallace (Hawks)
January 23:
- DeAndre Jordan (Pelicans)
February 4:
- Precious Achiuwa (Kings)
Players who sign free agent contracts or have their two-way deals converted to standard contracts after November 5 this season won’t become trade-eligible prior to the 2026 trade deadline, which falls on February 5. That restriction applies to the following players, listed in alphabetical order:
- Seth Curry (Warriors)
- Micah Potter (Pacers)
Players who recently signed veteran contract extensions:
A player who signs a veteran contract extension can’t be dealt for six months if his new deal exceeds the NBA’s extend-and-trade limits by meeting any of the following criteria:
- Includes a first-year raise greater than 20% (or greater than 20% of the estimated average salary, for players earning below that average).
- Includes a subsequent annual raise greater than 5%.
- Includes a renegotiation of the player’s current salary.
- Secures the player for more than four total seasons (including both his current deal and the extension).
A player can sign a veteran extension and remain trade-eligible as long as his new deal doesn’t meet any of those criteria. Mavericks big man Daniel Gafford, for instance, remained eligible to be traded after signing a three-year extension that featured a 20% raise for the first year and 5% raises in the second and third years.
Kevin Durant‘s two-year extension with the Rockets falls into this boat too, since he accepted a pay cut in year one and a 5% raise in year two.
Here are the players whose recent veteran extensions exceed the extend-and-trade limits, along with the dates their trade restrictions lift:
December 14:
- Steven Adams (Rockets)
December 29:
- Jaylin Williams (Thunder)
January 7:
- Jakob Poeltl (Raptors)
January 10:
- Devin Booker (Suns)
January 13:
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
January 14:
- Herbert Jones (Pelicans)
February 1:
- Mikal Bridges (Knicks)
February 2:
- Luka Doncic (Lakers)
February 4:
- De’Aaron Fox (Spurs)
Ineligible to be traded before this season’s February 5 deadline:
- Toumani Camara (Trail Blazers)
- A.J. Green (Bucks)
- Aaron Nesmith (Pacers)
- P.J. Washington (Mavericks)
Additionally, when a player signs a super-max contract extension, he becomes ineligible to be traded for one full year.
That means Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won’t become trade-eligible prior to the 2026 deadline despite signing his extension in July. Gilgeous-Alexander is the only player who signed a super-max (designated veteran) contract this summer.
Players who were recently claimed off waivers:
A player who is claimed off waivers is ineligible to be traded for 30 days. When a waiver claim occurs during the offseason, the 30-day clock begins on the first day of the subsequent season.
As our tracker shows, two waiver claims have occurred so far during the 2025/26 league year, with one happening in July – the Suns claiming Jordan Goodwin – and one earlier this month, when the Pistons claimed Isaac Jones.
Goodwin became eligible to be dealt this week, as Thursday marked the 30-day point of the season. Jones, who was claimed by Detroit on November 6, will become trade-eligible on December 6.
Players who were recently traded:
Players who were recently traded can be flipped again immediately. However, unless they were acquired via cap room, they can’t be traded again immediately in a deal that aggregates their salary with another player’s for matching purposes. There’s a two-month restriction on making that sort of move.
However, as our offseason trade tracker shows, no deals have been completed since September 16, which was more than two months ago. So this aggregation restriction doesn’t currently apply to any players.
Any player who is traded after December 16 (without being acquired via cap room) won’t be eligible to be flipped before the trade deadline in a second deal that aggregates his salary with another player’s. A special exception allows a player acquired between Dec. 5 and Dec. 16 to be “re-aggregated” beginning on Feb. 4, a little ahead of the typical two-month waiting period.
Note: Only players on standard, full-season contracts are listed on this page. Players who sign 10-day contracts can’t be traded. Players who sign two-way deals can’t be traded for up to 30 days after signing.
Community Shootaround: Early Eastern Conference Impressions
Coming into the 2025/26 season, the general consensus among NBA fans and experts alike was that the Western Conference would be deeper and much more competitive than the Eastern Conference, where multiple All-Stars – including Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton – would be sidelined while recovering from major injuries.
The sense was that at least seven or eight teams in the West looked like solid playoff clubs, while several more – including the Mavericks, Grizzlies, Trail Blazers, Kings, Suns, and Pelicans – believed they could break into that group.
So far this fall, the teams at the very top of the West have been just as good as we expected. The Thunder are 15-1, the Nuggets and Rockets only have three losses apiece, and the Lakers, Spurs, and Timberwolves are all at least five games above .500.
But the quality depth we expected in the West hasn’t been there yet. The ninth-place team – Portland – is just 6-9, with playoff hopefuls like the Grizzlies (5-11), Clippers (4-11), Mavs (4-12), Kings (3-13), and Pelicans (2-13) all falling well short of their preseason expectations.
Eastern Conference clubs still have a losing record against the West in the early going, but that has been largely a result of the East’s very worst teams playing a lot of inter-conference games — the Hornets, Nets, Pacers, and Wizards have gone 3-19 against Western Conference opponents, while the other 11 East teams have a 30-17 record vs. the other conference.
In the West, a 5-9 record currently puts the Jazz in a play-in spot, but the 8-8 Bucks are on the outside of the top 10 in the East. Still, it’s not as if Milwaukee faces an insurmountable deficit in the standings. While the 13-2 Pistons are three games ahead of anyone else in the conference, the Nos. 2 through 11 seeds are currently separated by just 2.5 games, from the 10-5 Raptors to those 8-8 Bucks.
The Pistons and Raptors have been two of the conference’s most pleasant surprises so far. Detroit was viewed as a solid playoff team and Toronto was expected to be better than last season’s 30-win version of the team, but both clubs have far exceeded expectations. The Pistons have the NBA’s second-best defense after barely cracking the top 10 in that category last season; the Raptors, meanwhile, are up from 26th in the NBA in offense to eighth this fall.
The Knicks and Cavaliers, who were expected to be good, are third and fourth in the East, closely followed by the 9-6 Heat and Sixers. Miami’s new uptempo offensive system has the Heat playing at the fastest pace in the NBA and has helped rejuvenate a team playing without All-Star guard Tyler Herro. In Philadelphia, Tyrese Maxey appears to be taking a leap to a new level of stardom, whether or not Joel Embiid and Paul George are available — Maxey is the NBA’s second-leading scorer behind Luka Doncic.
The Bulls, Hawks, Magic, and Celtics hold the play-in spots in the East for the time being. Orlando and Atlanta, widely projected to be playoff teams, are still finding their footing as they incorporate offseason additions and deal with injuries affecting star players (Paolo Banchero and Trae Young), but Chicago and Boston have been better than expected.
The Bulls are getting contributions up and down their roster, with seven players averaging at least 13.3 points per game; the Celtics are showing they’re still a dangerous team without Tatum on the court, as Jaylen Brown has admirably taken on the No. 1 role on offense by averaging career highs in points per game (27.5) and field goal percentage (50.3%).
Finally, while the Bucks are sitting at .500 now, three of their recent losses have come in games that Giannis Antetokounmpo missed or exited early. As long as their superstar forward is available for most of the season, they look like a solid playoff contender.
We want to get your early impressions on the Eastern Conference. Which of the early-season surprises – including the Pistons, Raptors, Heat, Sixers, and Bulls – do you believe are for real? Which of the 11 current .500-and-above teams in the East do you expect to finish outside of the top 10? Which teams will be in the top six? Do you believe the East has a deeper group of top-10 teams than the West?
Head to the comment section below to weigh in with your thoughts!
NBA Stars Affected By Player Participation Policy In 2025/26
As we outline in a Hoops Rumors glossary entry, the NBA’s player participation policy – instituted in 2023 – is designed to reduce instances of teams resting healthy players during the regular season.
The player participation policy is focused almost exclusively on players considered “stars” and includes rules prohibiting those stars from sitting out NBA Cup games or nationally televised games without an approved reason (including a legitimate injury).
A team can also run afoul of the policy if it rests more than one star in the same game, repeatedly rests a star in road games instead of home games, or shuts down a star for an extended period of time. The Cavaliers were hit with a fine on Tuesday for violating the policy on November 12, when they rested two stars – Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley – in the same game.
For the purposes of the policy, the league defines a “star” as a player who has been named to an All-Star or All-NBA team at least once during the prior three seasons, which is why both Mitchell and Mobley qualified.
A player who earned an All-Star or All-NBA berth in 2023, 2024, and/or 2025 would be considered a “star” during the 2025/26 season and would be subject to the restrictions of the player participation policy.
Here’s the full list of the players who meet that criteria:
- Trae Young (Hawks)
- Jaylen Brown (Celtics)
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics)
- Darius Garland (Cavaliers)
Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers)- Evan Mobley (Cavaliers)
- Anthony Davis (Mavericks)
- Kyrie Irving (Mavericks)
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets)
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Jimmy Butler (Warriors) *
- Stephen Curry (Warriors) *
- Kevin Durant (Rockets) *
- Alperen Sengun (Rockets)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
- Pascal Siakam (Pacers)
- James Harden (Clippers) *
- Kawhi Leonard (Clippers)
- Luka Doncic (Lakers)
- LeBron James (Lakers) *
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Grizzlies)
- Ja Morant (Grizzlies)
- Bam Adebayo (Heat)
- Tyler Herro (Heat)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks)
- Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves)
- Julius Randle (Timberwolves)
- Zion Williamson (Pelicans)
- Jalen Brunson (Knicks)
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder)
- Jalen Williams (Thunder)
- Paolo Banchero (Magic)
- Joel Embiid (Sixers)
- Paul George (Sixers) *
- Tyrese Maxey (Sixers)
- Devin Booker (Suns)
- Jrue Holiday (Trail Blazers) *
- Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers) *
- DeMar DeRozan (Kings) *
- Domantas Sabonis (Kings)
- De’Aaron Fox (Spurs)
- Victor Wembanyama (Spurs)
- Scottie Barnes (Raptors)
- Lauri Markkanen (Jazz)
Note: The players marked with an asterisk (*) were either 35 years old on opening night or have accumulated 34,000+ career regular minutes or 1,000 career regular season and playoff games, making them eligible for pre-approved rest nights during back-to-back sets.
A total of 17 teams have multiple players considered “stars” for the purposes of the player participation policy in 2025/26, while just four clubs (the Nets, Hornets, Bulls, and Wizards) don’t have a single player affected.
This group of players could grow following the 2026 All-Star Game. A player who isn’t one of 45 currently listed above would have his name added if he’s selected as an All-Star this season. He would be subject to player participation policy restrictions for games played after All-Star weekend.