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This has come up on the Trade Board recently...I have my own suspicions as to the answer, but thought I'd ask the gurus here for confirmation.

I understand that in the offseason, the following players cannot be traded:
- players whose contracts expire July 1
- players whose contracts COULD end July 1 as the result of a player option or ETO, unless the player has already elected to stick to his contract (i.e. to not opt out)
- players whose contracts COULD end July 1 as the result of a team option, unless the team has already picked up the option (Am I even right on this one?)

In any case, what about players whose contracts are not guaranteed for '08-09? Can Memphis trade Aaron McKie to another team? Can the other team then cut him for immediate capspace? Or is there a provision that, kind of like a team option, the next year has to be guaranteed?

Again, I have my own hunch, but if anyone can provide a concrete answer (and correct my assumptions if they're wrong)? Thanks in advance.

There are no restrictions on trading players who will have non-guaranteed contracts starting July 1 like McKie and Van Horn. And the team that takes such a player in trade can cut him any time before the beginning of the regular season with no cap implications. Finally, there is no provision that the next year has to be guaranteed.

It happens more often than you thinl. Having said that, the first example that comes into my head was the powerhouse Eddie Basden for Martynas Andriuskevicius deal back in 2006.

Sham wrote:It happens more often than you thinl. Having said that, the first example that comes into my head was the powerhouse Eddie Basden for Martynas Andriuskevicius deal back in 2006.

That deal was so major! Paxson didnt may another trade after that until he traded Ben Wallace in Feb 2008

As I suspected.

Thanks, gents!!

There's an easy principle here that is consistent.

In May-June, you can trade a player with a future non-guaranteed contract because THERE IS DEFINITELY A CONTRACT GOING FORWARD. (Yes at some point and under some circumstances the contract may end, but frankly every contract guaranteed or not will end at some point.) The terms of the non-guarantee don't matter, as long as there is a future contract in place to trade. One team is trading away that contractual relationship (with the privileges and responsibilities it carries) and the other team is gaining the same.

In the other situations (ETO or option still to be determined). there is no assurance that there is a future contract. And if I don't have a player under future contract, I don't have a right to trade him after his service has been completed (other than via SNT). However, if the situation evolves where there definitely IS a future contract (ie, ETO is declined, player option is picked up, or team option is picked up) then the player becomes tradeable.

Oooh, I got a better one. David Wesley for Cedric Simmons. There we go, I knew I could do it. I'm so proud of me.