The 2016/17 NBA regular season is now a week old, which means our calendar of key 2016 offseason dates can be retired in favor of a schedule of important in-season dates for the ’16/17 campaign. While we’ve passed a few of these deadlines within the last couple week or two, there are still plenty of key dates to watch in the coming weeks and months. Here’s a breakdown of the deadlines and events that will influence player movement for the next several months across the NBA:
October 22 — Last day to waive summer contracts without having them count toward team salary.
October 24 — Roster limit declines from 20 to 15. Last day for sign-and-trades.
October 25 — NBA regular season begins.
October 31 — Deadline to complete rookie scale extensions. Deadline to exercise rookie scale team options for 2017/18.
December 1 — Waiver order becomes based on 2016/17 record, rather than 2015/16 record.
December 15 — Most offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades.
January 5 — First day teams can sign players to 10-day contracts.
January 7 — Last day to waive non-guaranteed contracts before they become guaranteed for the rest of the season. Salaries officially guarantee on January 10 if players haven’t cleared waivers before that date.
January 15 — Most other offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades. Last day to apply for a disabled player exception.
February 1 — Former first-round picks playing overseas may sign NBA contracts for the 2017/18 season.
February 19 — All-Star Game in New Orleans.
February 23 — Trade deadline (2:00pm CT).
February 28 — Last day for contract renegotiations.
March 1 — Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team.
March 10 — Last day to use a disabled player exception.
April 12 — Last day of the regular season. Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day.
April 14 — Playoff rosters set (2:00pm CT).
April 15 — Playoffs begin.
Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post. Chuck Myron contributed to this post.