May 30th is the first date of the NBA offseason we've circled on the calendar, with the 2012 draft lottery set to take place tomorrow night in New York. Many crucial dates will follow, however, so let's examine what the offseason schedule looks like for the Association, as teams prepare for the 2012/13 campaign:
May
- 30: NBA draft lottery.
June
- 18: Withdrawal deadline for draft early entrants (4:00pm CT).
- 28: NBA draft.
- 29: Last day to exercise team, player, and early termination options.
- 30: 2011/12 salary cap year ends. Last day to sign a player to an extension, and last day to extend a qualifying offer to a potential restricted free agent.
July
- 1: 2012/13 salary cap year and July moratorium begin. Free agents become free.
- 11: July moratorium ends and new salary cap figures take effect. Teams can sign free agents, make trades, and extend contracts. Seven-day amnesty period begins.
- 16: First-round draft picks become free agents if not offered a contract.
- 23: Last day to withdraw a qualifying offer to a restricted free agent without the player's approval.
- 27: 2012 Summer Olympics begin.
August
- 12: Olympics end.
- 15: Released players begin staying on waivers for only 48 hours rather than a full week.
September
- 6: Second-round draft picks become free agents if not offered a contract.
October
- 1: Last day for a restricted free agent to accept a qualifying offer.
- 29: Last day of offseason. Roster size reduced to 15-player maximum. Last day to make sign-and-trade transactions, and last day to waive non-guaranteed summer contracts.
- 31: Last day rookie scale contracts can be extended, and last day option years on rookie contracts for the 2013/14 season can be exercised.
Larry Coon's Salary Cap FAQ was used in the creation of this post.