LeBron James holds rare NBA no-trade clause

Jul 29, 2025 6:40 PM

No-trade clauses remain rare in the NBA, as players must meet strict criteria to qualify – and even then, not all have the leverage to negotiate one.

To be eligible, a player must have at least eight years of NBA experience, four years with his current team (not necessarily consecutively), and be signing a free agent contract – not an extension.

For the second straight season, multiple players have formal no-trade clauses in 2025–26. LeBron James (Lakers) retained his clause from his 2024 deal, and Damian Lillard added one in his new contract with the Trail Blazers.

Last season, it was James and Bradley Beal, but Beal relinquished his clause during a buyout with the Suns.

Before 2024–25, the last time multiple players had no-trade clauses was in 2017–18, with James, Dirk Nowitzki, and Carmelo Anthony.

Beyond formal clauses, several players have implicit trade veto rights. These apply to those who:

Re-signed with their teams on one-year deals (or two-year deals with a player/team option), or
Had offer sheets matched by their original teams.

Players with No-Trade Clauses:

LeBron James (Lakers)
Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers)

Players with Trade Veto Rights (due to contract structure):

James Harden, Nicolas Batum (Clippers)
Kyle Lowry (76ers)
Fred VanVleet, Aaron Holiday, Jae’Sean Tate (Rockets)
Joe Ingles (Timberwolves)
Moritz Wagner (Magic)
Jericho Sims (Bucks)
Collin Gillespie (Suns)

These players can veto trades during the 2025–26 season. If traded, they retain that right and lose Bird/Early Bird rights, defaulting to Non-Bird status.