Build 2-way or 3-way trades between real NBA teams. The machine checks every trade against 2025-26 CBA salary-matching rules and scores fairness using a 0–100 trade value system.
How to build a trade
1
Select a team
Pick the team from the dropdown on each side. The payroll field fills in automatically.
2
Add players
Search for any active NBA player and click to add them to that side. Each card shows salary, years remaining, and trade value.
3
Add draft picks (optional)
Click '+ Add Draft Pick' under a side to include 1st or 2nd round picks. Set the year, round, via-team, and protection level.
4
Evaluate
Hit Evaluate Trade. The machine checks CBA legality for both teams and scores fairness 0–100%.
Reading the result
Legal / Illegal
Whether the trade satisfies CBA salary matching for both teams.
Fairness %
How balanced the asset values are. 90%+ = fair. Below 70% = lopsided.
CBA Breakdown
Per-team salary details — outgoing, incoming, allowed, and violations.
Trade Suggestions appear automatically below the result when a trade is illegal or below 80% fair. Each suggestion shows a player who would improve the outcome — click Add to Team X to drop them in and re-evaluate.
Add up to 3 players to see them side-by-side — stats, salary, contract length, and trade value all in one view. The best value in each row is highlighted in the player's team color.
1
Search for players
Use the search bar at the top of the Compare page to find any active player. Add up to 3.
2
Read the stat rows
PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, BPG, FG%, 3P%, FT%. The winner in each row gets a colored highlight.
3
Check the contract table
Salary, years remaining, no-trade clause status, height, and years of experience.
4
Build a trade from here
Comparing exactly 2 players? The 'Build Trade With These Players' button pre-loads them into the Trade Machine.
Season stats (PPG, RPG, etc.) require the paid BDL API tier. When not yet available, the page shows a friendly placeholder instead of empty rows.
Every player has a dedicated profile with their trade value score, full contract breakdown, season stats, and quick links to compare or add them to a trade.
Trade Value
0–100 editorial score updated by the FCP team. Reflects a player's real-world NBA trade market value.
Contract
Current salary, years remaining, contract type (max, mid-level, vet min, etc.), and no-trade clause flag.
Season Stats
PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, BPG, and shooting splits from the current season (when available).
Team Context
See the player's team, cap situation, and click through to the team's full roster and payroll page.
Every player is scored 0–100 by the FCP editorial team, reflecting their real-world NBA trade market value. The score accounts for age, contract, production, and positional scarcity.
90 – 100
Franchise cornerstone
Giannis, Luka, SGA
75 – 89
All-Star starter
Jalen Brunson, Bam Adebayo
60 – 74
Quality starter
CJ McCollum, Jerami Grant
40 – 59
Solid rotation player
Veteran 6th man
20 – 39
Role / bench contributor
Minimum / two-way upside
0 – 19
Fringe / non-tradeable
Hard to move contracts
In the Trade Machine, point values are computed from TV scores on a 0–15,000 point scale (TV 100 = 15,000 pts). Draft picks are scored as: unprotected 1st = TV 33, top-protected 1st = TV 18, 2nd round = TV 5.
CBA Salary Rules (2025-26)
The Trade Machine enforces real 2025-26 NBA CBA salary-matching rules. A team's payroll relative to the three salary thresholds determines how much incoming salary they can absorb.
Under First Apron< $178.1M
Can receive up to 125% of outgoing salary + $250K. If sending ≤ $7.5M, can receive outgoing + $7.5M (whichever is larger).
Between Aprons$178.1M – $188.9M
Same 125% matching rule applies. No small-trade bonus. Future-pick restrictions begin.
Over Second Apron> $188.9M
Restricted to 110% + $250K. Cannot aggregate two players' salaries to absorb one larger contract.
Other rules enforced
No-Trade Clause
The machine flags any NTC player as a violation requiring player consent.
Aggregation ban
Second-apron teams cannot combine two smaller salaries to absorb one larger contract.
Apron warnings
Trades that push a team over the first or second apron are flagged with a warning.
Injury flag
Players on the injury report trigger a medical-clearance reminder.
Pro — $4.99/mo
Pro unlocks the full FCP toolkit — unlimited watchlist, advanced trade tools, multi-team comparisons, and no draft-pick restrictions in the trade machine.
Unlimited watchlist (players & teams)
Multi-way trades + draft picks in the trade machine