One of the most exciting and defining moments of the NBA season is just around the corner: The 2021-22 NBA Trade Deadline, which is the last moment when teams can trade their players and picks before the offseason.
Given that nature, contending teams often try to strengthen their roster with veterans on struggling teams. On the flip side, bad teams try to get young players in return to be better and more competitive in the future.
This trade deadline isn’t going to be the exception to that rule, as we predict multiple big names will find a new destination when the clock hits zero. But when is the deadline? Let’s find out.
2022 NBA Trade Deadline: February 10
Once again, the trade deadline will take place before the All-Star Break, as per the league’s decision in 2017. This time, the deadline will take place on February 2022 at 3:00 PM Eastern Time.
(Via NBA)
“The motivation for moving the trade deadline before All-Star was the sense that it was more unsettling to have a player traded right after the All-Star break,” Silver said at the 2017 NBA Summer League. “That All-Star break would’ve been an opportunity for the player to move himself, his family, get their family readjusted, and get adjusted to the new team, when they would have that four- or five-day period to do that. There was really no magic to it — it was something we had discussed for several years.”
What Happens After The NBA Trade Deadline?
Teams who failed to move their veterans or add any player could still enter the buyout market. The player and the franchise agree to buy out the rest of their contract and thus become free agents. This often works for older players looking to win an NBA championship rather than playing on a rebuilding team.