After weeks of trade rumors and speculation, the 2013 deadline finally arrives on Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm central time. As we count down the final days until the deadline and look forward to seeing which players end up on the move, we'll direct your attention to a number of resources and links that will help prepare you for the week:
- Over the course of the season, we've profiled a number of players we consider to be trade candidates, including Josh Smith, Carlos Boozer, J.J. Redick, and others. You can find all those pieces linked right here.
- Not every NBA player is eligible to be traded this week. We listed the players ineligible to be dealt, and also rounded up the guys who have the ability to veto trades.
- A number of traded player exceptions, including a massive $13MM TPE for the Nuggets, are set to expire at the deadline. The list of expiring exceptions is here, while the complete list of outstanding trade exceptions is here. If you're unclear on how exactly these exceptions work, you can read our glossary entry.
- Generally speaking, players on expiring contracts are more likely to be moved than guys with another year or two left on their deals. Our list of 2013/14 free agents includes all the players currently on expiring contracts, plus those who have some form of option for next season.
- We recently took a look at the teams just above or just below the luxury tax line. Those clubs could be particularly motivated to avoid taking on salary as they weigh potential trade offers.
- Given the possibility that a few first-round picks could change hands this week, be sure to keep tabs on our tentative 2013 draft order to see where those draft picks might land.
- If you're looking to keep up with rumors on a particular player, check out our instructions on how to follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.