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Little known rule makes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander impossible to trade if they wanted to

It's a good thing the OKC Thunder are unquestionably committed to keeping Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the long haul because, if they weren't, they'd have a hard time getting rid of him.

In fact, thanks to a little-known league mandate, it would be virtually impossible for the organization to do so at this point.

Per NBA rules, any player who signs a super-max contract extension automatically becomes ineligible to be traded for one full year.

Considering he just put pen to paper on a new four-year, $285 million extension this past offseason, this would mean Gilgeous-Alexander is both emotionally and factually untouchable during the 2025-26 campaign.