A trade kicker is a contractual clause that pays an NBA player a bonus when he’s traded. They’re one of the tools teams have at their disposal to differentiate their free agent offers from the ones put on the table by competing clubs — or to incentivize a player to sign an extension before he reaches free agency.
Sometimes the kicker is worth a fixed amount, but usually it’s based on a percentage of the remaining value of the contract. So, a player who has a 10% trade kicker is eligible for a bonus worth 10% of the amount of money he has yet to collect on his deal (not counting an option year).
Regardless of whether a trade kicker is set at a fixed amount or a percentage, the bonus can’t exceed 15% of the remaining value of the contract. Most trade kickers are worth 15%, the highest percentage allowed.
A trade bonus must be paid by the team that trades the player, rather than the team acquiring him. The current Collective Bargaining Agreement also allows a player to waive part or all of his trade kicker as part of a deal, if he so chooses.
If you want a more detailed explanation of how trade kickers work, check out the Hoops Rumors Glossary entry on the subject.
Here’s a list of the NBA players who have active trade kickers for 2025/26, listed alphabetically, along with the details of those trade bonuses:
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Hawks (7.5%)
OG Anunoby, Knicks (15%)
LaMelo Ball, Hornets (15%)
Nicolas Batum, Clippers (15%)
Bradley Beal, Clippers (15%)
Devin Booker, Suns (10%)
Jalen Brunson, Knicks (15%)
Clint Capela, Rockets (5%)
Dorian Finney-Smith, Rockets (3.232%)
Darius Garland, Cavaliers (15%)
Paul George, Sixers (15%)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (15%)
Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves (7.5%)
Aaron Gordon, Nuggets (3%)
Draymond Green, Warriors (15%)
James Harden, Clippers (15%)
Kyrie Irving, Mavericks (15%)
LeBron James, Lakers (15%)
Ty Jerome, Grizzlies (15%)
Derrick Jones, Clippers (5%)
Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (15%)
Naji Marshall, Mavericks (5%)
Ja Morant, Grizzlies (15%)
Austin Reaves, Lakers (15%)
Jayson Tatum, Celtics (15%)
Klay Thompson, Mavericks (15%)
Matisse Thybulle, Trail Blazers (15%)
Myles Turner, Bucks (15%)
Derrick White, Celtics (15%)
Trae Young, Hawks (15%)
Ivica Zubac, Clippers (5%)
The following players have trade bonuses on their contracts, but those bonuses would be voided if they were to be traded during the 2025/26 league year, since they’re already earning this season’s maximum salary:
The following players have signed contract extensions that will include trade kickers, but those extensions won’t go into effect until at least the 2026/27 season: