How can a talented NBA player have “negative” trade value? Because the NBA has a salary cap and various rules making it impossible or financially punishing to add players beyond a certain threshold, the player’s on-court value does not match the value of his contract can lead to a player effectively having negative value, meaning that the team seeking to move the player would have to attach additional assets (often draft picks) or take back bad contracts in order to complete a trade. A December 3, 2025 report by Tim McMahon and Bobby Marks for ESPN suggests that star guards Trae Young, Ja Morant, and LaMelo Ball may be seen as having “negative value” around the NBA due to the perceived mismatch between the size of their contracts (or what it would cost to re-sign, in the case of Mr. Young) and their in-game contributions (granting additional off-court concerns about Mr. Morant). I am not following the NBA closely enough to have an informed opinion about the trade value of Messrs. Young, Morant, and Ball, but I share the link because it provides a good explainer of trade value in a salary cap/luxury tax-constrained environment.