The past five full seasons, from 2019-20 through 2023-2024, indeed averaged eight trades featuring three or more teams, according to transaction research data provided to The Stein Line. That’s nearly double the amount over the previous decade: There were an average of 4.5 multi-team trades per season from 2008-09 2018-2019 according to the same data.
Salary cap Rumors
This 2024-25 season, which is the first campaign NBA teams have felt the full brunt of the second luxury tax apron in the new collective bargaining agreement, has delivered a further uptick. There have been nine multi-team trades … and the salary cap year won’t be over until we get through the June draft. And even if we don’t see any more three-teamers (or larger trade constructions) before free agency and a new cap year begins, more than a third of the 25 in-season trades that were just consummated required three or more teams to be completed.
For all the considerable hand-wringing about how the league’s trade math has become high-level calculus — and how straying into either of the NBA’s luxury tax aprons would seriously curtail teams’ ability to make deals — there was no shortage of action before the Feb. 6 trade buzzer. It appears front offices leaguewide are just getting more resourceful. Trickier even.. “Teams need to make trades,” said one Eastern Conference executive. “It’s just all going to be more complex. The NBA activated something much bigger.”
One general manager told me that, in conjunction with the rise in the multi-team trades, we can likely expect to see a greater number of draft picks being added to trades to help facilitate activity. The in-season trade business we just witnessed featured plenty of second-round picks changing hands, both as a form of currency when teams can successfully keep first-round draft pick compensation off the table … but also to satisfy the NBA’s “touching” rules. All teams involved in a multi-team construction are required to send out something or acquire something — either player, pick, cash, or draft rights — with at least two of the other teams involved in the transaction.
Keith Smith: Alex Len signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on a prorated veteran minimum contract, a league source confirmed for @spotrac . That leaves the Lakers with enough room under the second-apron hard cap for another prorated veteran minimum signing, should they want to make one.
Bobby Marks: Before signing Alex Len, the Lakers were $1.6M below the 2nd apron. Len cap hit if signed on: Tuesday: $743,829 Wednesday: $731,831 The Lakers do have flexibility to add another player and stay under the apron. They would need to clear a roster spot.
Fred Katz: The Lakers are now left with Jaxson Hayes as their only center. And one piece to note about this: Since they are above the first apron, they cannot sign any buyout players who were previously making more than the midlevel exception.
Alex Regla: Lakers will have around $40ish million in expiring contracts next year. That could be super helpful since they don’t have much to any tradable draft capital left.
