The Lakers player Eligible to be traded.

Which Lakers can now be traded now that December 15th is approaching and the trade market is about to open?

The date December 15th has been one of the most reliable indicators of how the NBA has evolved over the past few decades. Dec. 15 was formerly just a date on the NBA schedule, but it has now gained recognition among fans as the unofficial start of trade season.

Every year on December 15, players who sign free agency become eligible for trades; these players usually make up the bulk of the league. Even though deals are rarely completed in December, this date generally represents when teams can get serious about trade discussions. There are exceptions, though, and more on that later.

Which Lakers players have trade restrictions that extend into the rest of the season, and which ones are untradeable altogether? Who becomes available for trade on December 15? Let’s examine each of those groupings.

Tradeable as of December 15
Before December 15, only a select few Lakers players were available for trade; these included LeBron James, rookies Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis, and sophomore Max Christie. Everybody else is subject to some kind of trade restriction.

That is lifted on December 15 for the majority of players on the roster. In particular, it is now possible to trade Gabe Vincent, D’Angelo Russell, Christian Wood, Taurean Prince, Jaxson Hayes, and Cam Reddish. All players except Russell joined the team this summer through free agency.

Russell struck an intriguing deal. He would have had a no-trade clause because he inked a two-year contract with a player option for the second season. He did, however, re-sign with the team after waiving his no-trade clause, probably in exchange for a little more cash from the Lakers.

able to be exchanged January 15
Because Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura re-signed this summer to deals that increased their salaries by at least 20% from the previous season, they will not be eligible to be traded for another month.

Unlike D’Lo, who also re-signed this summer, Russell signed for a significantly lower annual salary and did not receive the 20% pay increase that D’Lo received.

The Lakers have several contracts worth between $10 million and $17 million, such as those with Reaves and Rui. It does mean chasing a player on a big contract, like a Zach LaVine, will have to wait until mid-January, if it happens at all. It does mean they could trade out players with more than they could move the Russell Westbrook contract last season, for example.

unable to be traded during this season
Due to long-term extensions they both signed before the season began, two more Lakers are not eligible to be traded at all this year. Anthony Davis signed a maximum extension in early August, so he cannot be traded for a year. That also means that when the upcoming off-season begins, he won’t be the subject of trade talks, but a trade is almost certain.

Jarred Vanderbilt is the other player who has limitations as a result of signing an extension. He signed a four-year extension on September 15, which included a six-month trade ban. That would allow him to be traded on March 15, well after the deadline for trades.