DYNE Rules: Team Management

Version 2026.09

GENERAL

  • Roster: The official NBA 2K rosters are used in the DYNE. Rosters are not updated during the season.
  • Number of Players: Each team must have 14 or 15 players under contract by the start of the season.
    • Offseason: During the offseason, more (maximum 16) or fewer players are allowed.
    • Season: Season: During the season, a team may temporarily have one player too many or one player too few under contract, e.g. due to trades or waives. However, it then has a maximum of 72 hours to get back to a regular number of players, otherwise it will be penalized by the Exe (= DYNE Executive).
  • Available Players: As long as a player is available in the NBA 2K roster, he may be signed and played with. If a player is no longer in the 2K roster, he can and may no longer be used in the game. However, he still counts against the cap for the remaining length of his contract. In certain exceptional cases, the DYNE Executive may terminate a contract if it was absolutely unforeseeable that an event would occur leading to the end of the player's career.

CAPSPACE AND SPECIAL CONTRACTS

  • Salary Cap: Each team has only a certain amount of money available to sign players. The Salary Cap in the DYNE has three limits:
    • The Soft Cap (SC) is 180 million. This is the regular salary cap for players.
    • The Hard Cap (HC) is 200 million. The 20 million between the Soft and Hard Cap limits is called the Hard Cap Difference.
    • The Luxury Tax (LT) extends the Hard Cap by 20 million to 220 million. This upper limit can never be exceeded.
  • Bird Rights: If a player has played for the same team for at least three full, consecutive seasons, the team receives the Bird Rights (BR) to this player. Bird Rights allow a team to go over the Soft Cap for this player — the Hard Cap (or, if applicable, the Luxury Tax) may, however, never be exceeded. If a free agent with Bird Rights is extended by his old team, he is charged against the Hard Cap Difference first, until the end of the Last Bid Round, until it is fully used up. In addition, players with Bird Rights only require a maximum of 50 million from their old team to extend their contract. Bird Rights must always be indicated when making an offer.
  • Hardcap Exception: If a team is above the Soft Cap, it can no longer make normal contract offers to free agents to whom it does not hold Bird Rights. In this situation, only the Hardcap Exceptions (HE) of 2 million each are available. Each team has a total of four such Hardcap Exceptions. These can also be combined freely for an offer to a player. The length of the contract may only ever be one season, and HE contracts cannot be altered by bonuses or team options.
    The HE can only be used if a team is already over the Soft Cap or exceeds the Soft Cap with the HE contract. It cannot be used to exceed the Hard Cap (or the Luxury Tax). During an auction offer, a team must indicate with the addition "HE" that the offer is a Hardcap Exception.
  • Team Option: A team option allows you to extend an expiring contract for one season at the same salary. This must happen before the start of First-Signing-Week (FSW). Exercising a team option is possible even if it puts you over the soft cap, but you cannot exceed the hard cap (or the luxury tax, if applicable).
  • Cap Hold: If a contract is extended using a Cap Hold, it initially counts against the cap in this order: the Luxury Tax (if applicable), then the Hard Cap, and only then the Soft Cap. This keeps the Soft Cap available for other signings. Once the Cap Hold is resolved, the order reverses: the contract then counts first against the Soft Cap, then the Hard Cap, and finally the Luxury Tax (if applicable).
  • Salary Cap Impact: New contracts without a cap hold always impact the cap in the following order:
    • Without Bird Rights: Soft Cap -> Hard Cap -> Luxury Tax
    • With Bird Rights: Hard Cap -> Soft Cap -> Luxury Tax
  • Rebuild Clause: If a team is taken over by a new GM, he may use two special rights under certain conditions — provided the Team Value is below 50 and the GM has not managed the team in the last 4 seasons. First, he may grant Bird Rights to a player from the roster. Second, he may shorten any contract, though not to less than one season.

ROOKIES

  • Draft: The draft always takes place with the release of a new NBA 2K roster that includes the NBA rookies. All players who are registered for the draft in the respective year may be drafted, even if they are not yet included in the roster.

  • Draft Lottery: A Draft Lottery is held based on the total number of losses over the past two seasons. The positions for the 16 teams with the most losses are determined by lottery, while the order of the remaining teams is fixed according to their number of losses.
    The draft order for the lottery teams is reversed in the second round, i.e. the team that drafts 16th in the first round gets to draft first in the second round, and vice versa. If several teams have the same number of losses, the following additional tiebreakers apply:

    1st: Higher total number of games played.
    2nd: Lower Team Value.
    3rd: Loser of the head-to-head matchup.
    4th: A random draw decides.

  • Balance Rule: The Balance Rule applies in the DYNE, which is intended to prevent teams that are too strong from ending up at the top of the lottery. A Team Value is determined for each team. Depending on this value, a team's pick cannot reach certain positions in the draft, so it is moved down after the lottery. If a team trades its own first-round pick, the Team Value at the time of the trade applies to this pick until the draft, i.e. the value is frozen and no longer changes. In the offseason, a team's own free agents are added to its Team Value.
    • If the Team Value is 150 or higher, a team may not draft within the top 4 places.
    • If the Team Value is 180 or higher, a team may not draft within the top 8 places.
  • Forfeit Pick: It is possible to forfeit a draft pick at any time.
  • Salary: A rookie's salary is based on the Rookie Salary Table. A team can only sign as many rookies as it has roster spots and Soft Cap available.
  • 1st Round Exception: Any team can sign a rookie with a first-round pick even if this would exceed the Soft Cap. The Hard Cap (or the Luxury Tax) may not be exceeded, however. If a team holds multiple first-round picks, this rule only applies to the rookie drafted at the highest position.
  • 2nd Round Exception: If a team is already over the Soft Cap (or would go over it with the rookie signing), it can sign a 2nd round pick if it gives up one of its Hardcap Exceptions for the coming season. The contract then only runs for one season instead of the usual three, but the team still receives the Rookie Scale as usual.
  • Rookie Signing: Rookies are automatically signed at the start of the offseason, provided the team has enough cap space. If a team does not have enough Soft Cap, the highest of its own drafted players is signed via the 1st Round Exception, provided the team has enough Hard Cap (or Luxury Tax). All players who cannot be signed because the team does not have enough cap (regular or via exception) become free agents.
  • Draft Rights: If a team picks a player in the draft who is not on the 2K roster, it holds the Draft Rights to that player. These may be traded on, and it is also possible to waive the rights. The rights to the player do not count against the cap, but can be included freely in a trade, as long as all trade rules are followed.
    As soon as a player with draft rights is available on the 2K roster at the start of the offseason, he is treated as a regular rookie and signed automatically. His salary is based on his draft position. After 10 seasons, all draft rights to a player expire.
  • Rookie Scale: All rookies have a special team option written into their contract, the so-called Rookie Scale. When a rookie contract expires, the GM always has the option to extend the player for the appropriate minimum salary for another three seasons. The salary may not be lower than in the rookie contract, however. It is also possible to exceed the Soft Cap with this contract, but not the Hard Cap (or the luxury tax, if applicable).
    If a player is traded during his rookie contract, the new team receives the Rookie Scale for this player and, with it, the right to exercise this special team option. If the Rookie Scale is not used, the player becomes a regular free agent.

SALARIES AND CONTRACTS

  • Free Agents: Free Agents (FA) are players without a contract who can be signed by any team in the DYNE, provided that team still has open roster spots and enough room under the Salary Cap (Soft Cap).
  • Superstar Extension: Voluntary contract extensions with a max contract (55 million over 5 seasons, or 50 million over 5 seasons with Bird Rights) can be carried out at any time during the draft trade window or during the offseason up until the start of the auctions. Superstar Extensions with Bird Rights run through the Cap Hold. This is resolved after the first group in the auctions.
  • Signing Phases: There are four different phases in which free agents can be signed under contract. The first three phases take place in the offseason, the fourth during the season.

  • Contract Duration and Salary Range: In order to sign an FA, a GM must make the player a valid offer. Minimum/maximum salary and minimum/maximum term are set out in the following table:

    1 Season: 2,000,000 (Minimum) ------ 10,000,000 (Maximum)
    2 Seasons: 4,000,000 (Minimum) ---- 20,000,000 (Maximum)
    3 Seasons: 8,000,000 (Minimum) ---- 30,000,000 (Maximum)
    4 Seasons: 16,000,000 (Minimum) ---- 40,000,000 (Maximum)
    5 Seasons: 25,000,000 (Minimum) --- 55,000,000 (Maximum)

    The table shows that contract terms can only range between 1 and 5 seasons.

  • Appropriate Salaries: Free agents demand an appropriate minimum salary depending on their overall rating. For older players (aged 34 and over), one point is deducted from the overall rating for this assessment:

    From an OVR of 95 --- 50,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 94 --- 45,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 93 --- 40,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 92 --- 36,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 91 --- 34,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 90 --- 32,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 89 --- 30,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 88 --- 28,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 87 --- 26,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 86 --- 24,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 85 --- 22,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 84 --- 20,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 83 --- 18,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 82 --- 16,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 81 --- 14,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 80 --- 12,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 79 --- 10,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 78 --- 8,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 77 --- 6,000,000 per season
    From an OVR of 76 --- 4,000,000 per season
    OVR 75 or less -------- 2,000,000 per season

  • Obligation to Increase: In order to make a new offer, a team must outbid the current offer. The minimum increase for an offer is 0.1 million. You can only match an offer if one of the following exceptions applies:
    • Hard Cap Exceptions
    • Maximum contracts
    • 14-million offers in the FSW if you hold Bird Rights
  • Decision Criteria: Free agents always accept the offer with the highest salary. If several teams offer the same salary, free agents decide in the following order:
    • A free agent with Bird Rights and a maximum offer extends with his old team for 50 million.
    • A player without Bird Rights who receives a maximum offer from his last team (and has no No Max entry in his contract) extends with his old team for 55 million.

    • In all other cases, a free agent chooses the team that ranks higher in the FA Standings. The FA Standings are calculated based on the number of wins over the last two seasons. If several teams have the same number of wins, the following tiebreakers apply:

      1st: Higher total number of games played.
      2nd: Higher Team Value.
      3rd: Winner of the head-to-head matchup.
      4th: A random draw decides.

    • The reigning Cup Winner can choose, once per free agency, to be treated as the team with the most wins.
    • A team can use the option to outbid and sign a player via the FA Standings or the Cup victory only once per offseason. Once a player has been signed this way, this option is no longer available for the rest of the offseason.

OFFSEASON:

  • Start: The Offseason begins according to the schedule set by the Exe.
  • Offseason Actions: In the first week of the Offseason, Rookies get signed, Team Options can be exercised, and Bird Rights can be transferred. Once this phase is over, these actions can no longer be performed.
  • Rookie Signings: All Rookies sign automatically at the start of the Offseason. Should a team not have enough Softcap to sign a Rookie, the following happens:
    • 1st Rounder: The Rookie drafted at the highest position signs automatically using the 1st Round Exception. All other 1st Round Picks are voided and those players become Free Agents.
    • 2nd Rounder: The team has time until the end of the Offseason Actions Phase to sign 2nd Round Picks using the 2nd Round Exception. This must be actively done by the GM. If a team does not make use of an Exception, the player becomes a Free Agent.
  • Free Agents: Free Agents are negotiated through the phases described further below.
  • Auction Day: No transactions (e.g. Trades or Waives) take place on Auction Day.
  • End: The Offseason ends on the last Friday before the Regular Season, which begins on the following Saturday. By this day, all bonuses (AMT, Extension Bonus, Auction-Time Option, etc.) must be allocated, or they expire. The Offseason Trade Ban also ends on this day.

FREE AGENCY

  • First-Signing-Week: All players who demand less than 14 million minimum salary can already receive offers as part of the First-Signing-Week (FSW). For these players it is not necessary to offer the appropriate minimum salary. From the Wednesday before the auctions, it is allowed to make an initial offer in the forum. This is possible until the end of the FSW.
    At exactly 10:00 PM on Friday, the deadline ends and no new offers or increases are possible anymore. The only exception are initial offers or offer increases in the last three minutes of the Friday deadline. If a player receives such an offer after 9:57 PM, his individual auction end is extended by exactly three more minutes each time, until no further increase occurs.
    The normal rules for contract duration and salary range apply, with one restriction: the maximum offer during the FSW is 14 million. If a player does not receive a maximum offer by the end of the FSW, he signs a contract right afterward. If a player receives a maximum offer of 14 million, he is auctioned on Sunday at the start of the auctions in Group 1. The order of the auctions matches the chronological order of the offers made in the FSW. Players who have not received an offer and are not auctioned go into the Last Bid Round.
    • FSW Filler: If a player receives an initial offer of a maximum of 4 million before Wednesday 10:00 pm and this is not outbid before Thursday 10:00 pm, the player signs already on Thursday at 10 pm. However, if the player is outbid at least once during this period, he remains open for further offers until Friday 10:00 pm as usual.
    • Auction Time Option: If a team holds the Bird Rights to a player, it may match another team's FSW maximum offer. In addition, a team with Bird Rights may decide, when making its own 14-million offer, whether the player is auctioned according to the normal FSW rules in Group 1, or instead in Group 3 of the auctions. If a team wishes to use this option, this must be explicitly stated with the offer. Without this expression of intent, a player is automatically auctioned in Group 1 of the auctions. Players auctioned off in the third group are run through the Cap Hold, which is resolved as soon as the player comes up for auction.
    • Auction Signing Bonus: If a team offers a player a salary of 14 million and thereby sends him to the auctions, it can give this player an Auction Signing Bonus (ASB) if it is able to sign him in the auctions. This reduces the salary by (a maximum of) 2 million, though it can never fall below 14 million. Each GM can hand out this bonus only once per free agency. The ASB is also only available to the team that offers the 14 million first. If another team matches using the Auction Time Option, it does not qualify for the ASB. This bonus cannot be combined with the Extension Bonus (DYNE+).
    • Cap Load FSW: Players who are offered 14 million before the auctions count against either the Soft or the Hard Cap, depending on rights. If the offer is from a new team or an old team without Bird Rights, the 14 million is blocked from the Soft Cap and is unavailable for the auctions until the player in question is negotiated.
      If the offer is from the old team with Bird Rights, the 14 million, if possible, is blocked from the Hard Cap Difference), and is likewise unavailable for the auctions until the player in question is negotiated. It's important to note that the offer must be valid and possible both in chronological order and at the time of the negotiation.
    • Hardcap Exceptions in the FSW: In FSW it is possible to use HEs even when there is still a Softcap available. Free agents in the FSW who accept an HE offer run through the Cap Hold. This is resolved on the Friday after the FSW ends.
  • FA Auctions: All free agents who demand 14 million or more are negotiated following the First-Signing-Week as part of the auction day, via the auction page. This is the second phase of Free Agency.
    • Date: The date is set and manually started by the Exe. It is usually the Sunday after the FSW.
    • Participation: Every GM can take part in as many auctions as they wish.
    • Auction Groups: The auctions take place in three groups, negotiated one after another:
      • Group 1: Players who received an offer of 14 million in the FSW.
        Order: by the chronological time of the first (valid) 14-million offer.
      • Group 2: Players who already demand at least 14 million based on their overall rating.
        Order: by the players' overall rating. The player with the highest rating is auctioned first, followed by the rest in descending order of overall. If ratings are tied, a draw determines who is auctioned first.
      • Group 3: Players who received an offer of 14 million in the FSW and were moved back via the Auction Time Option.
        Order: by the chronological time at which the Auction Time Option was applied.

  • Active participation: A GM can participate actively by making offers themselves on the auction page.

    Passive participation: In passive participation, it is possible to set up several Free Agent slots. For each slot, a maximum offer and a priority must be set for the chosen free agents. The maximum offer is not visible to other GMs, and the auction system automatically continues bidding on the player with the highest priority until the player is either signed or the maximum offer is exceeded. It then bids on the next player on the priority list, as long as there is still cap space available.

  • Auction Process: For an auction to start, the player being negotiated must receive an offer of an appropriate amount within 30 seconds. All GMs then have the chance to outbid in increments of at least 0.1 million within a period of 30 seconds. If passive offers are present, the auction system automatically bids along. If there is no further increase within 30 seconds, the player signs the new contract. If there is no offer at all, the player goes into the Last Bid Round.
  • Receiving a Team Option: Players who demand a minimum salary of at least $14M and receive a contract with a maximum length of three seasons will have a team option written into their contract if the following conditions are met:
    The offer made to the free agent was significantly better than those from other teams. This is the case when the offer is at least 10% higher than the second-best offer. If you are the only team to submit an offer, you must offer at least 10% above the appropriate minimum salary in order to acquire a team option.
  • No-Trade Clause: Players who receive a salary offer of at least 45 million have a No-Trade Clause written into their contract. This applies to the first season of the contract. This rule does not apply, however, if the contract is signed with the old team. A Sign & Trade is therefore possible. A max player (i.e. a player with a salary of 50 million with Bird Rights, or 55 million without Bird Rights) who moves to a new team via Sign & Trade may not be traded on by that new team during the first year of the contract.
  • Last Bid Round: All players who are still free agents after the FSW and the auctions can be negotiated as part of the Last Bid Round (LBR). The LBR follows directly after the auctions and lasts about four days. For negotiations, it is necessary for the player in question to receive an offer in the forum. In the LBR, every player is satisfied with even a minimum contract.
    The maximum offer in the LBR is 8 million. Players from Group 2 who demanded at least 14 million and were not signed in the auctions can only be signed for one season in the LBR.
    As soon as an initial offer is made, other teams have 12 more hours to outbid the offer. After these 12 hours, only teams that have already made an offer may continue bidding — after another 12 hours (i.e. a total of 24 hours after the initial offer), the player signs with the highest bidder. Offer increases in the last two minutes of the deadline extend the end of the auction by exactly two more minutes each time. An initial offer in the LBR is only possible until Wednesday 11:59 pm. All offers after that count as Regular Signing offers.
  • Regular Signing: The fourth and final phase of Free Agency takes place after the LBR and lasts until the Allstar Weekend. All free agents who still do not have a contract can receive an offer from any GM who still has enough cap or Hardcap Exceptions, via the Free Agent page. If no further offer arrives within 48 hours, the player signs this contract. If another team increases the offer within these 48 hours, the opportunity to sign the player is extended by another 24 hours. After a total of 72 hours, the player signs the highest valid offer.

DYNE+

  • DYNE+ Status: If a GM reliably and promptly fulfills all his duties, his team receives DYNE+ Status at the end of the season. This lets him use various additional bonuses in team management. To receive DYNE+, the minimum number of games must always be played at every schedule check, and complete stats must be entered for all registered games.
  • Loyalty Clause: If a GM's team has been awarded DYNE+ three seasons in a row, it also receives DYNE+ in the fourth season, provided the GM can sufficiently justify to the Exe why it was not possible for him to fulfill his DYNE+ duties on time that season.
  • Exceptions: For all exceptions — whether for game-count checks or the Loyalty Clause — the GM must report to the Exe in good time and proactively, to explain his reasons. For the Loyalty Clause, the Exe only accepts extraordinary private, health-related, or professional reasons that were not foreseeable. For schedule checks, individual targets are set, e.g. if a vacation has been announced in advance. In addition, the stats for all self-played games must always be kept complete and on time.
  • Bonuses: GMs with DYNE+ Status receive all bonuses from the following list. New GMs, or GMs without DYNE+ Status who reached the minimum number of games by the end of the season and entered all stats, may choose two bonuses. This cannot be the Signing Bonus, however — that is reserved exclusively for GMs with DYNE+ Status.
    • Luxury Tax: You may spend an additional 20 million in LT. This cap may only be spent once the Soft Cap and the regular Hard Cap have already been reached. The LT only extends the Hard Cap, i.e. you can only use it to sign the following: your own players with Bird Rights, Hardcap Exceptions, Team Options, or Rookie Exceptions. The LT does not count towards the Hard Cap Difference. If a team loses the ability to pay LT due to losing DYNE+ Status and its salaries then exceed the Hard Cap, the Exe will terminate one or more contracts to bring the team back under the Hard Cap.
    • Receive Bird Rights: Before the season, a team can take over Bird Rights for one player each, if that player was traded in the previous season and his previous team already held his Bird Rights.
    • Advanced Metrics Team Option: You may add one additional Team Option (AMT) into a new contract once per free agency, without it needing to be 10% above the second-highest offer. This only applies to players who sign a new contract in the FSW or in the auctions. Just like with regular Team Options, the contract may not run longer than 3 seasons, and it cannot be an HE.
    • Restricted Free Agents: You may extend an expiring Rookie Scale contract once per free agency for another three seasons at the appropriate minimum salary (RFA Team Option), if this player was not a lottery pick and does not enter the auctions. The salary cannot be lower than in the previous contract. It is also possible to exceed the Soft Cap with this contract, but not the Hard Cap (or the luxury tax, if applicable).

    • Extension Bonus: All DYNE+ teams get the opportunity to hand out one Extension Bonus per free agency. If a player finished the previous season with his own team, the newly extended contract may be reduced by 1 million (or 2 million, or 4 million). This only applies to free agents who are not extended via a Team Option. It is possible to apply the Extension Bonus right after signing, e.g. for a Sign & Trade. The Extension Bonus doubles with each additional, consecutive DYNE+ season a team has had (2 seasons in a row: 2 million; 3 seasons in a row: 4 million), but is capped at a maximum of 4 million. In addition, the Extension Bonus is limited depending on the salary:

      • Up to 10 million salary: reduction of a maximum of 1 million, but not below 2 million annual salary.
      • Up to 20 million salary: reduction of a maximum of 2 million, but not below 9 million annual salary.
      • Over 20 million salary: reduction of a maximum of 4 million, but not below 18 million annual salary.
      • From 50 million salary: no reduction possible.

      All additional options and bonuses must be set by the start of the season, otherwise they expire.

WAIVES

  • Release: If a GM wants to release a player, he must waive him. Every waive of a player is discussed by the Trade Advisory Board and can be rejected. Upon request, the reasons for the release must be disclosed.
  • Time Window: Players can generally only be waived during the offseason and during the Regular Season, as long as the trade window is open. This means that after the trade ban, this is no longer possible until the new offseason begins.
  • Minimum Salary: Players with a salary of 2 million or less can be waived without giving a reason and no longer count against the team's Salary Cap.
  • Maximum Salary: Players who earn 24 million or more per season and are available in the game cannot be waived.
  • Cap Load: Players who earn more than 2 million continue to fully count against the Salary Cap of the team they previously played for, unless they are claimed within 48 hours.
  • Roster Spot: Players who have been waived no longer count towards roster spots, i.e. also not for the calculation of the minimum or maximum number of players (14–15).
  • 48-Hour Signing: A waived player who still has a contract can be claimed by any team with the necessary salary space within 48 hours of his release. The new team takes over the entire contract (and thus the cap charge). If several teams claim a player, the team with the worst record gets him.
  • Regular Signing: If a waived player is not claimed within 48 hours, he becomes a regular free agent who can be signed in the usual way via free agency. However, he continues to fully count against the Salary Cap of his old team until the old contract expires.
  • Signing/Trade Ban: Players who have been waived may not be signed by their former team in the same season. They also cannot be traded back to their former team in that season.

TRADES

  • Teams Involved: A maximum of five teams may be involved in a trade.
  • Number of Players: Each team can only give up up to five players at a time in a trade.
  • Salary: As long as a team does not go over the Soft Cap as a result of a trade, it can take on more salary than it gives up.
  • Salary Cap Rule: If one of the teams involved in the trade is above the Soft Cap, or exceeds the Soft Cap as a result of the trade, it may take on a maximum of 15% more salary than it gives up. However, the Hard Cap (or the Luxury Tax) can never be exceeded by a trade.
  • Trade Ban Offseason and Preseason: Throughout the entire offseason and preseason, every player may be traded exactly once and is then subject to a trade ban. This trade ban applies until the day before the start of the season. On the day before the start of the season itself, a player who has already been traded may be traded a second time.
  • Trade Ban Regular Season: Newly signed players — whether FAs or acquired through a trade — may only be traded again once they have played 3 season games with their team.
  • Summer Trade Window:
    • Draft Trades: The trade window begins one week before the draft (Monday) and ends one week after the draft (Sunday). An exception is the draft day itself: no trades are confirmed that day. After the draft, both rookie rights and picks in the upcoming draft may be traded.
    • Regular Trades: The trade window begins with the offseason and ends either with the 3rd deadline of the following season, or individually after 21 games played.
  • Winter Trade Window:
    • Regular Trades: The trade window begins after the Finals and ends either with the 3rd deadline of the following season, or individually after 21 games played.
  • Trade Account: Each team has 15 player movements per season. For each team, the number of players given up per trade counts towards this.
  • Fairness: Before each new season, the GMs elect two members of the Trade Advisory Board. Every active and experienced GM is eligible to vote. The remaining members of the Trade Advisory Board are appointed by the Exe. The Trade Advisory Board evaluates every trade for its validity and fairness. Each trade is considered individually, regardless of past or future arrangements.
    The Trade Advisory Board reserves the right to reject a trade that appears too unfair as posted, even if this trade is part of a previous or future trade. Trades by new GMs are reviewed especially critically.
  • Return to Former Team: A player who has left a team via trade may not be traded back to that team in the same season. He also cannot be signed as a free agent by that team in the following season.
  • No Max: If a player is traded two or more times in a season, he receives a No Max entry, and the right to a guaranteed extension with his old team lapses.
  • Trade Confirmation: All GMs involved in a trade must confirm the trade. Once the Trade Advisory Board confirms a trade, it is valid and must then be carried out online in NBA 2K by the teams involved.
  • Sign & Trade: If a GM signs an FA who was previously under contract with his team, he can immediately trade him in a so-called Sign & Trade deal. Sign & Trade deals, like any other trade, count against a GM's Trade Account.
  • Trading Draft Picks: Draft picks from the Rookie Draft can also be included in a trade. A GM has the right to trade his first- and second-round pick. A draft pick in a trade does not carry any salary, but can be included freely in a trade, as long as all trade rules are followed. Through a trade, all rights to the pick go to the GM who receives it. It is also possible to trade a pick for one or more (maximum five) players, as long as the salaries of the contracts being taken on keep the team under the Soft Cap.
  • Trading Draft Rights: Draft rights to players who are not yet on the 2K roster may be traded under the same rules as draft picks.
  • Cap Markers: All internal cap markers (such as Signed with Birds, Cap Hold, etc.) are deleted when a trade is executed.
  • Rule Violation: If a trade rule is violated, the trade is immediately invalid.

CONTRACTS AND VALIDITY

  • In the DYNE, contract security applies as a general principle: once a declaration of intent is made (i.e. an auction is carried out on the site) — for example regarding a Team Option, Rookie Scale, Superstar Extension, DYNE+ Bonus, Waive, Trade, or Free Agent Offer — this action can no longer be reversed. This means it cannot be undone, unless the Exe declares the action null and void (e.g. trades or waives that are rejected, obvious typos, or disproportionate free agent offers, etc.).

For further clarification, see Rule Updates.


Blue = Link
Green = New rule
Yellow = New wording
Red = Rule abolished