We might remember the 2025 NBA trade deadline as the year of the no-trade clause.

If Bradley Beal didn’t have a no-trade clause, Jimmy Butler would likely be on the Phoenix Suns right now instead of the Golden State Warriors. If Luka Dončić did have a no-trade clause, he’d likely still be on the Dallas Mavericks instead of the Los Angeles Lakers.

At the moment, Beal and Lakers forward LeBron James are the only two players in the NBA who have actual no-trade clauses in their respective contracts. A player has to spend eight years in the league and four years with his current team before he’s allowed to receive a no-trade clause.

Other players can also veto trades in certain circumstances, including those on one-year contracts (excluding options) who would have Early Bird or full Bird rights at the end of the season. According to longtime NBA insider Marc Stein, 12 players fit that bill this year, including Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden and Memphis Grizzlies guard Luke Kennard. Twelve others elected to forfeit those rights, including Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. and Brooklyn Nets guard Keon Johnson.

To the public’s knowledge, Beal was the only player whose no-trade clause thwarted his team at the trade deadline. But the Suns’ experience with him and the Mavericks’ experience with Dončić at the deadline could make both players and teams rethink how to approach no-trade clauses moving forward.

The Suns’ Failed Butler Pursuit

Once Butler requested a trade from the Miami Heat, it quickly became clear that he wanted to land on the Phoenix Suns. There was just one problem: The Suns were over the second apron, so they weren’t allowed to take back more salary in a trade than they sent out, nor could they aggregate two smaller contracts to acquire a larger salary.

Kevin Durant ($51.2 million), Devin Booker ($49.2 million) and Beal ($50.2 million) are the only three Suns players earning more than Butler ($48.8 million) this season. The Suns had to send out one of that trio to acquire Butler. They had no other pathway to acquire him.

At first, they tried to explore frameworks involving Beal. However, ESPN’s Bobby Marks reported that the Heat had “no desire” to take back Beal’s contract, which forced them to look elsewhere. According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Washington Wizards (Beal’s former team) and Atlanta Hawks were the only two teams that would consider taking him if he were willing to waive his no-trade clause.

That proved to be an insurmountable obstacle for Phoenix. Beal’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst in early January that there had been “no discussions about trades with the Suns or any other team” and that Beal’s “total focus is on helping the Suns turn things around.”

Fred Katz of The Athletic later reported that Beal “would consider waiving his no-trade clause for the right destination,” although Bartelstein made it clear that he would not relinquish it entirely upon landing on a new team. That was “a non-starter for Miami, and for most of the NBA,” Shelburne reported.

The Wizards originally gave Beal his no-trade clause when they signed him to a five-year, $251.0 million supermax contract in July 2022 because they were so desperate to keep him. One year later, they ended up shipping him to Phoenix for Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, four first-round pick swaps and six second-round picks.

Because of his age, injury history, the remaining length of his deal and his no-trade clause, Beal’s contract is now widely considered to be the worst in the NBA. After seeing how Beal’s no-trade clause scuttled the Suns’ pursuit of Butler, teams across the league will likely think twice about ever handing out a no-trade clause to anyone short of a once-in-a-generation prospect such as James or Victor Wembanyama.

The Dončić Debacle

Most NBA fans would have put Dončić in that once-in-a-generation category as well. After all, he’s the only player in league history to average at least 33.8 points, 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game, which he did in 2023-24. He’s also one of only two players ever (along with Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson) to average at least 28.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists across his first seven NBA seasons.

Dončić had spent his entire NBA career with the Mavericks, but this is only his seventh season in the league. He wasn’t eligible for a no-trade clause when he signed his five-year, $215.2 million max contract extension with Dallas in August 2021, nor would he have been this coming offseason.

If Dončić wanted a no-trade clause in his next contract, he would have needed to turn down an NBA-record five-year, $345.3 million supermax extension offer this summer and then decline his $49.0 million player option for the 2026-27 season. As an unrestricted free agent in 2026, he would have been eligible for a no-trade clause if he re-signed with the Mavericks, but not if he signed with another team.

The Mavericks instead got ahead of what they feared could be a “tumultuous summer,” as beleaguered general manager Nico Harrison told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News, with perhaps the most shocking trade in NBA history. With no warning whatsoever, they shipped Dončić, Markieff Morris and Maxi Kleber to the Lakers in a three-team for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick.

That decision sent shockwaves across the NBA. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards told reporters that it left him “scared” because if Dončić could get traded, “anyone is able to get traded.” Booker was likewise stunned.

Meanwhile, Durant hypothesized that the Mavericks’ bold decision could inspire imitators. (Little did he know, the Suns would be one such team.)

Once the Suns couldn’t find a taker for Beal, they began exploring trades involving Durant that could land them Butler, according to Shelburne. However, they didn’t inform Durant or his agent about those trade discussions at first, which appears to have resulted in some bad blood. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Durant was “blindsided” by that, while Windhorst added that he was “not happy he was put into trade talks.”

Durant hasn’t spent four years with the Suns, so he also isn’t eligible for a no-trade clause yet. He will be once his contract expires after the 2025-26 season, although team governor Mat Ishbia expressed hope in November that Durant would sign an extension this coming offseason.

Could Durant’s experience at the trade deadline give him second thoughts about that? Might he prefer to wait to re-sign until 2026 so he can negotiate for a no-trade clause? Would the Suns even agree to give him one?

These are the types of thorny situations that teams might now have to navigate after perhaps the most explosive trade deadline in league history. Beal and Dončić could be the catalysts for both players and teams reevaluating how they approach no-trade clauses moving forward.

Unless otherwise noted, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball Reference. All salary information via Spotrac and salary-cap information via RealGM. All odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

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