The NBA Trade Deadline is one of the most anticipated dates on the league calendar. When is it for the 2022-23 season?
There are a handful of dates on the NBA calendar that mean more than others. The NBA Draft, for instance, represents the day a new influx of young talent gets spread across the league and called up to the big show. July 1 typically represents the turning of the page to the new league year, meaning free agents can agree on contracts with new teams.
But perhaps no date is more important than the NBA Trade Deadline, where some teams build contenders and others get swindled.
Whether it’s a rebuilding team stockpiling draft picks in exchange for taking on contracts no one wants, a competitor getting the final piece to push themselves over the top, or a team making minor moves to reach the optimal roster makeup for their team, everyone is involved and impacted by the trade deadline.
It’s unique, too, because unlike free agency where there is a window of about a week where deals are agreed to and signed, the trade deadline flurry can start as early as January. For instance, last year, four deals were completed in January and four were completed in February before February 9.
On February 9 and 10, the day before and day of the trade deadline, 12 deals were completed.
The ramp-up from January to the mid-February deadline is really exciting and the early January deals can sometimes define how February shakes out.
But what about 2022-23? When is this year’s deadline?
When is the 2022-23 NBA trade deadline?
The 2022-23 NBA trade deadline is on February 9th at 3 p.m. Eastern. In January, 10-day contracts are eligible to be signed starting on January 5th, and all standard NBA contracts become fully guaranteed for the year on January 10th. That means the most likely window for trades to happen is January 10th-through-February 9th.
This year, a variety of things could occur. Though it’s finally calm in Brooklyn for now, Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving could request trades. Kemba Walker seems like a likely trade or buyout option at some point.
The Knicks missed out on Donovan Mitchell, so it seems logical to think they might be in play to make some moves as well.
As always, trade deadline day should be extremely exciting.