NBA trades are imminent! 77 players will become tradable tomorrow: Harden, Irving lead, Paul included

On December 15th Beijing time, a key moment on the NBA schedule is Tuesday (December 16th Beijing time) — the majority of players who signed free-agent contracts this summer will become trade-eligible from today onward. This means the trade market instantly gains 77 additional players available, expanding teams’ negotiation options and assets, significantly boosting the likelihood of trades closing.

Below is the complete list of eligible players, ranked by their 2025-26 season salary as a percentage of the salary cap.

The list of players eligible for trade starting December 16th (total of 77) is as follows —

James Harden — $39,182,693

Kyrie Irving — $36,566,002

Julius Randle — $30,864,198

Myles Turner — $25,318,251

Fred VanVleet — $25,000,000

Duncan Robinson — $16,834,692

Nicolas Alexander-Walker — $15,161,800

Caris LeVert — $14,104,000

Damian Lillard — $14,104,000

Dennis Schröder — $14,104,000

Bobby Portis — $13,445,754

Dorian Finney-Smith — $12,700,000

Luke Kennard — $11,000,000

Luke Kornet — $11,000,000

Brook Lopez — $8,750,000

Ty Jerome — $8,781,000

Deandre Ayton — $8,104,000

Trey Jones — $8,000,000

Kevon Looney — $8,000,000

Clint Capela — $6,700,000

Dairon Sharp — $6,250,000

Ziaire Williams — $6,250,000

Jack LaLavine — $6,000,000

Cameron Thomas — $5,993,172

D'Angelo Russell — $5,685,000

Nicolas Batum — $5,601,600

Gailhon Abseley — $5,500,000

Bradley Beal — $5,354,000

Marcus Smart — $5,134,000

Kevin Porter Jr. — $5,134,000

Moritz Wagner — $5,000,000

Gary Trent Jr. — $3,697,105

Gary Harris — $3,634,153

Jaxson Hayes — $3,449,323

Torrey Prince — $3,303,774

Ajayi Mitchell — $3,000,000

Cameron Spencer — $2,537,989

Luka Garza — $2,461,463

Jericho Sims — $2,461,463

Sandro Mamuklashvili — $2,461,463

Drew Smith — $2,378,870

Josh Minott — $2,378,870

Chris Boucher — $2,296,274

Mason Plumlee — $2,296,274

Larry Nance Jr. — $2,296,274

Harvey Green — $2,296,274

Thanasis Antetokounmpo — $2,296,274

Cole Anthony — $2,296,274

Amir Coffey — $2,296,274

Jordan Clarkson — $2,296,274

Landry Shamet — $2,296,274

Eric Gordon — $2,296,274

Garrett Temple — $2,296,274

Marvin Bagley III — $2,296,274

Anthony Gill — $2,296,274

Dante Exum — $2,296,274

Bruce Brown — $2,296,274

Tim Hardaway Jr. — $2,296,274

Jeff Green — $2,296,274

Al Horford — $2,296,274

Josh Okogie — $2,296,274

Jalen Tate — $2,296,274

Chris Paul — $2,296,274

Jock Landale — $2,296,274

Bones Hyland — $2,296,274

Kyle Lowry — $2,296,274

Joe Ingles — $2,296,274

Colin Gillespie — $2,296,274

Blake Wesley — $2,296,274

Drew Eubanks — $2,296,274

Doug McDermott — $2,296,274

Bismack Biyombo — $2,296,274

Jordan McLaughlin — $2,296,274

Lindy Waters III — $2,296,274

Enfaly Dante — $2,048,494

Justin Edwards — $2,048,494

Nigel Hayes-Davis — $2,048,494

Which players must wait until January 16th?

Most free agents become trade-eligible on December 16th, but a small group is an exception. Because they re-signed using the Bird or Early Bird exception with a salary increase over 20%, they cannot be traded until January 16th. The list of players eligible starting January 16th (11 total) is as follows —

Josh Giddey — $25,000,000

Jonathan Kuminga — $22,500,000

Naz Reid — $21,551,724

Santi Aldama — $18,485,916

Davion Mitchell — $11,600,000

Quentin Grimes — $8,741,209

Sam Merrill — $8,482,144

Trey Mann — $8,000,000

Isaiah Jackson — $7,600,000

Paul Reed — $5,335,894

Ryan Rollins — $4,000,000

Other trade timing restrictions explained

Nine players signed veteran minimum contracts that include a 6-month trade restriction clause, each with different eligibility dates. The trade-eligible players by date are —

Steven Adams — December 15th

Jalen Williams — December 20th

Jakob Poeltl — January 8th

Devin Booker — January 11th

Jaren Jackson Jr. — January 14th

Herbert Jones — January 15th

Mikal Bridges — February 2nd

Luka Dončić — February 3rd

De'Aaron Fox — February 5th

Warriors-specific trade timing explanation

The Warriors’ signing process this summer was somewhat unusual, creating an exception. Because the team delayed some signings while managing Kuminga’s situation, the trade eligibility dates for several players were pushed back accordingly.

Al Horford and De'Anthony Melton must wait until January 2nd next year (three months after signing on October 2nd) to be traded; Gary Payton II and 56th pick Will Richard will become trade-eligible on December 30th.