[signoftimes]

Here's some info on the sign and trade

T there is a special rule that allows teams to re-sign their own free agents for trading purposes, called the sign-and-trade rule. Under the sign-and-trade rule, the player is re-signed and immediately traded to another team. This is done by adding a clause to the contract which stipulates that the contract is invalid if the player's rights are not traded to the specific team within 48 hours.

A sign-and-trade deal can be made even with players that have been renounced. However, a sign-and-trade deal cannot be made when the player was signed using the Mid-Level, $1 Million or Disabled Player exception. Sign-and-trade deals are only allowed if the contract is for three years or longer (however, only the first season of the contract must be guaranteed).

One complication with sign-and-trade deals is that the signed player can immediately become a BYC player (see question number 71 for more information on BYC), so it's the player's BYC value that must be used when determining whether the trade is allowed.

77. Sign-and-trade looks like a win-win proposition. But some players have signed smaller contracts as free agents, rather than do a sign-and-trade. Why?
Yes, it's happened. Both Antonio McDyess with Denver and Tom Gugliotta with Phoenix signed free agent contracts and lost a significant amount of money that they could have earned had a sign-and-trade been done. This is because they could not reach a satisfactory agreement with their original teams (Phoenix and Minnesota, respectively). It takes two to tango, or in the case of a sign-and-trade, three.


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78. If a sign-and-trade is not used, when can a team trade a free agent it signs? Do they have to keep him forever?
A player cannot be traded until three months after signing a contract or December 15th of that season, whichever is later. If the player is playing under a one-year contract and will have Larry Bird or Early Bird rights at the end of the contract, he can't be traded at all.