Trading for a Player Currently in College

[HammJ]

Just thought I'd bounce this off the experts...

Is there any way to trade a player for one that is currently playing in college? As an example... what if, I dunno, the Oklahoma City Thunder offered to trade Kevin Durant to the Oklahoma Sooners for Blake Griffin. Is there any specific language in the CBA that would prevent such an exchange? As in, this very moment?

As a second example, could the Thunder, hypothetically, trade a player such as Russell Westbrook for... just grabbing at straws here... Davidson's Stephen Curry?

Respectfully,

One pathetically desperate Thunder fan

[Manhattan Project]

The closest thing to what you are saying is this story of Larry Bird.

The Boston Celtics selected the 6'9", 220-pound Bird 6th overall in the 1978 NBA Draft, even though they were uncertain whether he would enter the NBA or remain at Indiana State to play his senior season. Bird ultimately decided to play his final college season, but the Celtics retained their exclusive right to sign him until the 1979 NBA Draft, because of the NBA's "junior eligible" rule that existed at that time (allowing a collegiate player to be drafted when the player's original "entering" class was graduating and giving them one calendar year to sign them, even if they went back to college). Shortly before that deadline, Bird agreed to sign with the Celtics for a US $650,000 a year contract, making him at the time the highest-paid rookie in the history of the NBA. Shortly afterwards, the NBA draft eligibility rules were changed to prevent teams from drafting players before they were ready to sign. The rule is called the Bird Collegiate Rule.

Sadly enough that rule is no longer in effect. What you are proposing is impossible due to many various reasons. Unfortunately you are going to have to wait until the end of the season to get Blake Griffin.

[Three34]

Just keep losing and you'll be fine.