When is the NBA Trade Deadline?

The NBA Trade Deadline is approaching rapidly. Be sure to find out when it is to be looking for any last minute moves teams are making.

The week is finally here, and it was kicked off in a huge way by a trade with the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans that sent DeMarcus Cousins down to the Big Easy. The NBA trade deadline season is upon us, and this week will have no shortage of rumors, trade talk, and bustle.

Philadelphia 76ers fans sure hope that their team is involved, because all they’ve wanted to see since this season began is their frontcourt logjam dissolved. It’s incredibly past due, as the Sixers have had three lottery pick centers (Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, and Joel Embiid) on their roster and all healthy at one time this season, and also have a second-round draft pick in Richaun Holmes that they have struggled to give minutes to.

The team has attempted to get all of these players minutes, but it’s been more or less impossible to effectively do this year. No matter what combination of big men they put on the floor together, someone’s abilities are compromised.

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So when Philly was rumored to be close on multiple trades regarding Okafor, fans rejoiced. But now, every team they’ve been in serious talks with has filled their big man needs with other trades.

So, when do the Sixers need to make a trade by? What day do you need to be paying most attention to? Well, you should be periodically checking every day this week if you want to be up to date on all the rumors, because some are likely to come to fruition this week.

But the day to watch closely is Thursday, February 23. The deadline officially takes place at 3pm.

All paperwork on trades must be submitted to the league office by 3pm on Thursday. Ideally, the Sixers should have something in place earlier than that if they’re planning on making a move, just so they can be certain the paperwork doesn’t get turned down. Last year, that was a problem the Sixers faced.

The Sixers were involved in a deadline move that was centered around Donatas Motiejunas. They were taking on a salary that they would soon dump, but a failed physical nullified the trade, and since the deadline has passed, a subsequent later trade did not occur. This resulted in the Sixers waiving JaKarr Sampson, and another team picking him up before the Sixers could re-sign him in what was supposed to be a temporary waive.

Next: How Serious Were Blazers and Sizers About a Trade

Be sure to refresh Twitter like a madman on Thursday. We will be covering as many angles as possible here at The Sixer Sense, with both trades that directly involve the Sixers, and trades that have results that may impact the Sixers.