As the calendar flips to 2026, NBA transaction season ramps back up again. January into February is a busy transaction period in the NBA world before the sprint to the playoffs. We’ve got you covered here on Spotrac, so that you don’t get caught off-guard by an important date!

Key Dates

Here are the upcoming key dates to be aware of in the NBA:

  • January 5: Teams can sign players to 10 Day contracts. Here’s a list of callup candidates to watch.

  • January 7: Final day to waive players on partially guaranteed contracts before their contract becomes fully guaranteed. This one is a little complicated, because contracts actually become fully guaranteed on January 10. However, players have to clear waivers before January 10. That means teams have to waive them by January 7, in order for the 48-hour waiver period to pass.

  • January 10: All NBA contracts are fully guaranteed. This includes both standard and two-way contracts. Note: This is not the deadline to sign a player to a contract! Teams can sign players to contracts through the final day of the regular season.

  • January 15: Final day for teams to apply for a Disabled Player Exception. In order to have a DPE approved, the player must be expected to miss the remainder of the season. The DPE amount is for half of the injured player’s salary, with the maximum amount equal to the Non-Taxpayer MLE ($14.1 million this season). A DPE can be used to sign a free agent to a rest-of-season contract with no options for the following season. A team can also use a DPE to trade for or claim a player off waivers whose expiring salary fits inside the DPE amount and includes no options for the following season.

  • January 15: More players become trade-eligible. This group includes players who signed a contract using Bird or Early Bird rights that had at least a 20% raise over their prior salary. The headline player of this group is Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.

  • February 5: NBA Trade Deadline is at 3:00 PM ET. Over the last few years, we’ve seen trade activity start early in deadline week, with things ramping up as the deadline approaches.

  • February 13-15: NBA All-Star Weekend

  • March 1: Playoff Waiver Eligibility Deadline. In order for a player to be eligible to play in the 2026 NBA Playoffs, they need to be waived by March 1. Players waived after March 1 can still be signed or claimed off waivers by a playoff team, but cannot play in postseason games. Note: This is not the deadline to sign a player to a contract! Teams can sign players to contracts through the final day of the regular season.

  • March 10: Final day for a team to use a Disabled Player Exception to sign a free agent or claim a player off waivers. See January 15 note for further DPE-related restrictions.

  • April 12: Final day of Regular Season. This is the final day that teams can sign a player to a contract (including converting two-way players to a standard deal). All remaining signing exceptions (Non-Taxpayer MLE, Taxpayer MLE, Room Exception) expire. It’s also the day that the Luxury Tax snapshot is taken for the 2025-26 season to determine a team’s tax status.

  • April 14-17: NBA Play-In Tournament

  • April 18: 2026 NBA Playoffs Begin

Team-Specific Dates

Here are a few team-specific dates to also be aware of as far as the ability to fit in a prorated veteran minimum rest-of-season signing under their hard cap:

  • January 6: Dallas Mavericks (would require creating a roster spot)

  • January 7: LA Clippers

  • January 8: Houston Rockets

  • January 9: Orlando Magic

  • January 18: Los Angeles Lakers

  • March 24: Golden State Warriors (would require creating a roster spot)

  • April 2: New York Knicks

If teams shed salary prior to their specific date, they could sign a player earlier than the date listed.