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 2024/25, listed alphabetically, along with the details of those trade bonuses:

• Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (15%)
• OG Anunoby, Knicks (15%)
• Desmond Bane, Grizzlies (15%)
• Nicolas Batum, Clippers (15%)
• Jalen Brunson, Knicks (10%)
• Jimmy Butler, Heat (15%)
• Anthony Davis, Lakers (15%)
• Draymond Green, Warriors (15%)
• James Harden, Clippers (15%)
• Al Horford, Celtics (15% or $500K, whichever is lesser)
• Brandon Ingram, Pelicans (15%)
• Kyrie Irving, Mavericks (15%)
• LeBron James, Lakers (15%)
• Derrick Jones, Clippers (5%)
• Kyle Kuzma, Wizards (15%)
• Zach LaVine, Bulls (15%)
• Naji Marshall, Mavericks (5%)
• Caleb Martin, Sixers (15%)
• Kevin Porter Jr., Clippers (15%)
• Bobby Portis, Bucks (15%)
• Julius Randle, Knicks (15%)
• Austin Reaves, Lakers (15%)
• Jayson Tatum, Celtics (15%)
• Klay Thompson, Mavericks (15%)
• Matisse Thybulle, Trail Blazers (15%)
• Derrick White, Celtics (15%)

The following players have trade bonuses on their contracts, but those bonuses would be voided if they were to be traded during the 2024/25 league year, since they’re already earning this season’s maximum salary:

• LaMelo Ball, Hornets (15%)
• Devin Booker, Suns (10%)
• Jaylen Brown, Celtics (7% or $7MM, whichever is lesser)
• Stephen Curry, Warriors (15%)
• Luka Doncic, Mavericks (15%)
• Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves (15%)
• Darius Garland, Cavaliers (15%)
• Paul George, Sixers (15%)
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder (15%)
• Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers (15%)
• Nikola Jokic, Nuggets (15%)
• Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (15%)
• Ja Morant, Grizzlies (15%)
• Fred VanVleet, Rockets (15%)
• Trae Young, Hawks (15%)

The following players have signed contract extensions that will include trade kickers, but those extensions won’t go into effect until at least the 2025/26 season:

Information from ESPN’s Bobby Marks was used in the creation of this post.