The NBA experienced a high volume of trades last season, but none of them took place during the first full month of the regular season. The trade that the Heat and Grizzlies have agreed to make that will send Mario Chalmers to Memphis is poised to become just the fifth November trade since 2009, as former Nets executive Bobby Marks points out (Twitter link). If it becomes official within the next two days, it would also be the earliest November trade since the Nuggets shipped Allen Iverson to the Pistons for a package that included Chauncey Billups on November 3rd, 2008.
Much of the lack of movement is because most of the players who sign during the offseason aren’t eligible to be traded until December 15th. The shorter contracts put in place under the 2011 collective bargaining agreement that give more players a chance to hit free agency each summer means even fewer players are eligible for inclusion in trades this early in the season. Before that agreement, the 2011 lockout wiped out all games and would-be player movement in November that year, further shortening the list below.
Most of the recent November trades resemble the Chalmers swap, which doesn’t feature a star changing teams, but the Iverson-Billups deal wasn’t the only one that broke that mold. The Knicks shipped out Zach Randolph and Jamal Crawford in separate trades on November 21st, 2008, and notable names like Trevor Ariza, Stephen Jackson and Peja Stojakovic have also changed addresses early in the season. Here’s the complete list of trades that have taken place in November over the last 10 years:
- November 26th, 2013: Timberwolves trade Derrick Williams to Kings for Luc Mbah a Moute.
- November 13th, 2012: Bobcats trade Matt Carroll to Hornets for Hakim Warrick.
- November, 20th, 2010: Hornets trade Peja Stojakovic and Jerryd Bayless to Raptors for Jarrett Jack, David Andersen and Marcus Banks.
- November 16th, 2009: Warriors trade Stephen Jackson and Acie Law to Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic.
- November 21st, 2008: Knicks trade Zach Randolph and Mardy Collins to Clippers for Tim Thomas and Cuttino Mobley.
- November 21st, 2008: Knicks trade Jamal Crawford to Warriors for Al Harrington.
- November 3rd, 2008: Nuggets trade Allen Iverson to Pistons for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb.
- November 20th, 2007: Magic trade Trevor Ariza to Lakers for Brian Cook and Maurice Evans.