The NBA is a beloved franchise in the history of sports and fans adore their NBA superstars. However, those kings of the rings are nothing but flesh and blood. So, it’s pretty common, even more, common than you might think to get injured while playing in the NBA.
Now, you’re looking for a particular answer to the question, “Can you trade injured players in the NBA?”. It’s quite easy to get lost in the complex pages of NBA guidelines. Some say you can trade and others don’t recognize that injured players can be traded!
So, what is the actual answer to this decade-old question? The answer is yes, you can trade injured NBA players in the off-season depending on the rules and regulations.
However, there are too many layers that you need to explore before you can discuss this question with other NBA enthusiasts. Hence, sit tight and we will answer all of your queries with clear and NBA-guideline-appropriate answers!
Can You Trade Injured Players in the NBA? What Happens if an NBA Player Gets Injured?
When the question is can you trade injured players NBA?
In most scenarios, when a player in the NBA gets injured, he will be temporarily benched or taken out of the main squad for medical evaluation. The physicians and medical experts will examine the player and determine the course of treatment for full recovery.
The player with the injury will remain in rehabilitation and work on improving his health to move into the main team again. However, sometimes injured players can be taken out of the team permanently depending on the severity of the injury.
While it is not very common, the most drastic measurement of an injury can result in early retirement in some cases. So, the overall impact of the injured player can heavily impact both the morale of the team and his personal life.
When Can NBA Players be Traded?
The current NBA guideline permits any team in the NBA to engage in trades between the start of the regular season. Currently, the next season’s trade deadline for the NBA is February 9, 2024. So, all of the trades need to be completed within this timeframe. Otherwise, teams engaging in a trade will be in direct violation of NBA trade rules.
Moreover, between the moratorium phase (July 1-5), no trade can be initiated. Teams can either select from the draft picks as well as free agents in between the trading window.
Lastly, any team in the NBA can recruit or negotiate players in the regular season. However, the trade has to be completed in the offseason.
Who is Trade-eligible in the NBA?
Without being severely injured or suspended, any player in the NBA is essentially, trade-eligible. That translates to being a player who can be traded with a buyout or another player among the teams. However, there are some exceptions to this eligibility of NBA professionals.
Players who signed to be free agents this offseason will have a buffer period before they become trade-eligible again. Another crucial point to note is the draft picks can’t be traded within 30 days of their initial contract.
Furthermore, there are some NBA players who get involved with a team for a very short time (less than a month). So, those players are also ineligible to be traded until their short-term contracts become a regular NBA contract.
Apart from those few exceptions, any player can be traded among the teams in both the offseason and regular season.
Can You Cut an Injured NBA Player?
No, there are strict rules to prevent any injured NBA player from removing or cutting from the team without any valid reason. Either the team has to pay compensation or it has to give the salary to the player for the rest of the contract.
There are actually several bindings from the NBA to ensure a sustainable living for the players, even when they are injured. However, the injuries will only have a direct effect on the contract when it’s on the field. Off-the-field injuries due to a player’s negligence are not compensated by the teams.
Guaranteed Contracts
This type of contract is initiated to ensure the players in the NBA don’t delve into any financial risks due to injuries on the field. So, when a player is injured, the team is obligated to pay the salary of the injured player and take the financial burden until the player is healed.
Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)
The most important factor in all of the injured player trading has been mentioned in the Collective Bargaining Agreement decreed by the NBA. This agreement between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), outlines the rights and obligations of both players and teams. So, abiding by these rules, all the injured players are protected and traded in the market.
Waiving an Injured Player
While it is not possible to cut a player from the team without any proper reason, the team can still waive the injured player. What does it mean to waive injured players? Well, injured players are offered as waivers and then other teams can claim them.
If the waived offers are unclaimed, then they become free agents after the contract expires. Once the players are free, teams can acquire them without any additional fee which brings imbalance to the salary cap restriction.
Despite the waiver offers, there are several implications of the salary cap in terms of injured players. On such occasions, teams can actually exceed the salary cap and buy players to replace the injured players. So, depending on the situation, a team can implement any reasonable rule to deal with the injured player.
Can NBA Teams Replace Injured Players?
Yes, NBA teams can definitely replace their injured players when it’s necessary. However, all the teams need to follow the NBA guidelines, especially the rules of salary cap, roster limits, and free agent trades.
Within the rules, an NBA team can look for either a short-term replacement (10-day contract) or a long-term replacement (disabled player exception). While teams can’t recruit any free agents until the period starts in July, teams can trade injured players with other teams’ players.
In addition to that, teams can ask for exemption from many traditional guidelines of the NBA to keep the competition balanced. If the NBA considers the importance and urgency of the situation, then teams with one or more injured players can look for their replacement and trade any player in the league.
Do Injured NBA Players Get Paid? Can you trade injured players nba?
Yes, injured players are protected by the NBA and guaranteed contracts so that they don’t get into financial turmoil. Until the players are completely recovered, the team bears the cost of rehabilitation and compensates the player accordingly.
However, there are some exceptions here as well. The salary or bi-weekly wage is protected only when the injured player remains obedient. If the player violates any NBA guidelines or gets suspended by the team, then the team can either deduct a percentage of the salary or even the full pay.
Furthermore, for the benefit of the team, the NBA has an injury exception rule that allows the team with injuries to exceed the salary cap and trade a replacement to fulfill the roster. Overall, NBA rules are considerate to both the injured players as well as the teams.
Do Traded Injured Players Get the Same Salary?
No, there is no exact rule or law in the NBA that when an injured player is traded, he needs to get the same salary or more. It totally depends on the internal negotiation and decision between the teams involved in the trade.
As the traded injured player’s salary will be provided by the acquisition team, the salary depends on that team. If the player realizes that he can’t contribute to the team as much as before then it’s ubiquitous to drop the salary for the newly made contract. However, there’s no reason to think that an injured player won’t get any salary at all.
Can a Player Refuse a Trade in the NBA?
Generally, the authority of a player in the trade negotiation is very insignificant and limited. According to the NBA contracts, players are essentially assets owned by the respective teams. So, players are tradable as long as it is under the contracts and players can’t really veto against it.
However, there are, again, some exceptions to this particular guideline as well.
No-Trade Clauses
If a player has made a contract with the team with a no-trade clause, can’t be traded unless and until the player wants to. Usually, this type of exemption of traditional guidelines is available for veteran or all-star players who have made tremendous strides in the basketball ring. Still, this type of clause is very rare to see in this age of NBA.
Now, you might be thinking, “Who has a No-trade clause in the NBA?”
As of 2023, only one player has the No-trade clause in his contract and he’s none other than Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards.
One-Year Bird Rights
The most common attribute to the player’s right to be traded comes in the form of 1-year Bird rights. According to this clause, a player who has played for a team for a year or more looking for a free contract can veto a trade.
This right acts as a shield for players who want to have more control over their careers and have more authority in the trade negotiation.
What is the Injured Player Exception?
Disabled player exception or injured player exception is a provision under the CBA that allows the team to recruit or trade to cope with the injured player. This provision is added to the CBA to make the teams financially stable when players are getting injured often.
To become eligible for this provision, a team needs to have an injured player who is expected to miss all of the games for the rest of the season. Moreover, the team needs to file a petition to the NBA addressing the severity and urgency of recruiting a player due to the injury.
Now what’s the benefit of the team because of this disabled player exception? For starters, the team with the injured player is not bound by the salary cap placed by the NBA. While it does not mean the salary can shoot up to the roof, it is still a great position for the team to recruit a replacement for that season.
However, this particular provision is only applicable for one year or one season. Without any severe implications, the team can’t extend the DPE contract with the player. Otherwise, the team will go against the guidelines of the NBA. Read the article how Can you play basketball with plantar fasciitis?
What is the NBA 60-Day Trade Rule? (NBA Recently Traded Restriction)
NBA 60-day Trade rule or Aggregation rule is a newly adapted provision in the CBA that prevents any “superteams” from being created in the league. The main restriction of this rule came in accordance with the teams who were leveraging the salary cap to bring too many star players under one roof.
However, this rule does not apply to all players or teams. Only the teams that exceed the salary cap restrictions when they acquire new or injured players. Within 2 months of the trade, the teams can not package the players with others to acquire new players.
While teams can easily exceed the salary cap with a fine, the traded players can’t be further traded within 2 months. So, even the injured players have to remain on the new team for 60 days before they can be traded again.
However, in some cases, this rule can be flexible to balance the competition among the teams.
What is the No-Reacquisition Rule in the NBA?
The no-reacquisition rule or trade return rule is a regulation of the NBA that prevents teams from reacquiring a player within a certain time period. With this particular regulation, the NBA can restrict teams from exceeding the salary cap by using the loophole of trading a player and then acquiring them again in a short time which is one year.
Furthermore, teams that initiate the trade, can not bring the player back within any circumstances. While the league, particularly, the NBA can allow a team to reacquire in very rare instances, it’s not easy to file for a petition and then convince the NBA.
In a situation where a team wants to reacquire an injured player, it can negotiate for the player given the gravity of the situation. So, it is still possible to trade injured players within a short time even though the no-reacquisition rule prevents teams from doing that.
Can An NBA Player Be Traded Twice In One Season?
Yes, an NBA player who is on the bench or not on the active roster can be traded twice in one playing season. However, that only applies to the players not participating in the running games.
If an NBA player is actively playing, he can be traded only once, whether injured or not. However, for a trade with an injured player, there are some conditions to be met.
In a case when two teams are negotiating for an injured player, the team wanting the player has to be under the salary cap. Otherwise, the trade won’t follow the NBA guidelines and it would be illegal to trade in that manner.
What are The Concerns of Trading an Injured Player?
The risk of trading an injured player is multidimensional and all of the parties involved in the trade lose out eventually. The team with the injured player can’t get the true market value for the player while the player does not get the expected salary for the rest of the season.
Any player who has a season-ending injury knows the impact does not leave the body with just a single season. If the player is not traded, then the team has to bear all the costs associated with the injury and the rehabilitation process. Moreover, if the player is not traded, then it can affect the salary cap which will hurt the team to acquire a new player.
While the previous points indicate that it’s best to trade the injured player, it can disrupt the morale of the team and diminish the fan’s support. When a main roster player is traded, the whole enthusiasm of the team falls. In addition to that, fans hate the club because the team threw a player out when he needed the team most.
So, it’s always risky to trade an injured player. From a business perspective, it’s obvious to trade the player, even at a lower market value. It’s not always possible for the team to discard its valuable assets.
Final Words
Overall, injured players can be reassured because of the guaranteed contracts and CBA provisions. Teams, on the other hand, need to look for tons of ways to trade injured players because it is not easy to trade injured players.
The best course of action for any team with an injured player is to look for a suitable replacement and then hope for the player’s sound recovery!