How Many Years of Picks Can a Team Trade In the NBA?

Modern NBA team-building is almost entirely centered around trading away picks.

To compete for a championship, teams need a star. Since superstars rarely reach free agency in their prime, there are two primary ways to acquire one: 

• 1) Draft and develop them.
• 2) Trade for them.

Sometimes, a team pulls a rabbit out of the hat. For example, the Bucks built the core of its 2021 team with non-lottery picks. Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted 15th, and Khris Middleton was a second-rounder. 

Those scenarios can happen, but they’re quite rare. Even the draft-and-develop champions, Oklahoma City, acquired MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander via a trade with the Clippers.

Trading away picks has become a win-win for teams looking to make a move. 

Teams that give up picks for an effective superstar end up in the NBA’s championship bubble. Consider the Lakers’ trade for Anthony Davis.

If the trade doesn’t work, and the team combusts, then the team gets worse. And without an upcoming first-round pick, the team often bottoms out, ending up in a future lottery, where they can readily pick up a new potential superstar.

One way or another, big trades that involve multiple first-round picks are an effective way to end up with a potential star player. And as more and more teams discover this, the outgoing trade offers have become increasingly ludicrous, with many first-round picks stapled into the deal.

How Many Years of Picks Can You Trade In the NBA?

NBA teams can trade seven years of picks. 

The first year of picks eligible to trade is the nearest one with a pending draft. Currently, that’s 2025, since the NBA Draft has yet to take place this year.

The latest picks that can be traded are six years following the first year.

What’s the Latest Year of NBA Picks That Can Currently Be Traded?

At the moment, the latest NBA picks that can be traded are from 2031. That’ll change after the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft.

What Is the Stepien Rule and How Does It Work?

The Stepien Rule prevents teams from trading away first-round picks in consecutive years. 

Thanks to the Stepien Rule, fans will often see trades that give away picks in 2026, 2028, and 2030 – in other words, nonconsecutive years. The NBA prevents teams from enduring multiple consecutive years without a first-round draft pick.

Importantly, the first-round picks do not have to be their first-round picks. 

Ted Stepien was the late owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early 1980s. His poor management and rapid firings led the NBA to add new rules that prevented team management from completely gutting all of its assets. 

The Rise of Swap Rights

Because teams can’t trade away first-round picks in consecutive years, that’s led to a rise in NBA swap rights. This is where NBA teams trade away the right to switch picks to another team, which the opposing team can execute if the swap ends up in their favor.