With the 2017/18 NBA regular season in the books, nearly half of the league’s teams have shifted their focus to the offseason, and others will soon follow suit. With that in mind, it’s time to retire our list of the NBA’s key in-season dates and deadlines for the ’17/18 campaign in favor of an updated offseason calendar of the most important dates facing teams and players in the coming months.
Here’s a breakdown of many of the NBA’s important dates and deadlines for the next few months, right up until training camps open for the 2018/19 season:
April 22
- Deadline for early entrants to declare for the NBA draft (10:59pm CT).
May 15
- NBA draft lottery.
May 16-20
- NBA draft combine.
May 30
- Last day for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA draft and retain their NCAA eligibility.
June 11
- Deadline for all early entrants (including international players) to withdraw from the NBA draft (4:00pm CT).
June 17
- Latest possible end date for the NBA Finals.
June 21
- NBA draft day.
June 24
- Last day for potential restricted free agents to exercise player options.
June 25
- NBA awards show.
June 29
- Last day for decisions on player, team and early termination options, unless individual contracts specify otherwise.
June 30
- Last official day of the 2017/18 NBA league year.
- Last day for teams to make qualifying offers to players eligible for restricted free agency.
July 1
- Official start of the 2018/19 NBA league year.
- July moratorium begins.
- Free agents can begin reaching verbal agreements with teams.
- Restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet.
- Teams can begin signing players to rookie scale contracts, minimum salary contracts, and two-way contracts.
July 6
- July moratorium ends (11:00am CT)
- Teams can begin officially signing players, extending players, and completing trades.
- The two-day period for matching an RFA offer sheet signed during the moratorium begins.
July 13
- Last day for teams to unilaterally withdraw qualifying offers to restricted free agents.
July 15
- Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned first-round picks; those players become free agents on July 16 if not tendered.
August 31
- Last day for teams to waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2018/19 salaries.
September 5
- Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned second-round picks; those players become free agents on September 6 if not tendered.
Late September (specific dates TBA)
- Training camps open.
Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post.
Bold prediction: Cleveland moves Brooklyn pick for DeAndre Jordan and Lebron re-signs.
Deandre is a FA at the end of the season
He’s got a player option. He can opt out and the Cavs can trade for him and decide if they want to extend him next summer.
DJ to Dallas, Lebron to Lakers
What’s the final deadline teams can extend expiring contracts (i.e. Will Barton)?
June 30.
DJ to Dallas, Lebron to Lakers