Deadlines and Commitments: The Off-Season moves into high gear edition
Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The Finals are upon us and the draft, free agency and the Summer Olympics are mere weeks away. It’s June, when the NBA’s two top teams vie in the The Finals, when draft prospects learn their fate and free agents get signed ... or not. This year, it’s also the Summer Olympics in Paris. And it’s all coming up fast. For example, if the Boston Celtics sweep the Dallas Mavericks, the very next day — a week from tomorrow — the Nets can start negotiating with Nic Claxton. The draft is three weeks away and Olympic training camps open three days after that. Not to mention the Liberty’s pursuit of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup.
So let’s ride.
—June 6: NBA Finals begin. We wish everyone well.
—June 1-13: WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Tournament is underway.
—June 15 through June 24: Brooklyn has an exclusive negotiating window with Nic Claxton that starts the day after the NBA Finals ends. Under new CBA, each NBA team can begin negotiating with pending free agents who finished the season on its roster. If the Finals go the full seven games, they end June 23 meaning the Nets can start talking to Clax on June 24. But if Boston sweeps, the Finals would end June 14 and talks with the 25-year-old could begin the next day. That’s a week from Saturday, The new rule apparently applies to Lonnie Walker IV, and Dennis Smith Jr. as well. Players can’t be officially signed till July 6, however.
—June 25: WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship game. Liberty so far are undefeated in Cup play.
—June 25: Nothing actually on the schedule but Sean Marks has made big moves within 48 hours of the NBA Draft in six of the eight years he’s been GM. Could Dorian Finney-Smith be on the move for picks?
—June 27-28: NBA Draft 2024. Nets have no picks “yet” as Sean Marks emphasized in talking with BK Block fans and beat writers back in April but that doesn’t mean they won’t on June 27. Houston controls the Nets first rounder and the Grizzlies their second rounder. You would think it’s more likely that the Nets will make a move to get into the second round rather than the first. First rounders get guaranteed contracts and the Nets are looking to preserve cap space. Second round picks are not guaranteed and Nets have a history of looking for diamonds in the rough, signing them to two-way deals, then converting them later in the season.
The first round will take place at Barclays Center, starting at 7:00 p.m. ET, the second the next afternoon at Pier 17, where ESPN has its studios. The second round starts at 4:00 p.m. ET so as not to compete with the first presidential debate at 7:00 p.m. ESPN will cover both nights.
—June 29: Deadline for the Nets to decide whether to make Trendon Watford a restricted free agent. Similarly, they have to decide whether to do the same with Keon Johnson’s and Jacob Gilyard’s two-way deals. Keita Bates-Diop will have to inform the Nets if he is exercising his player option for $2.6 million next season.
—June 30: The official start of free agency. Teams can begin negotiating with free agents (beginning at 6 p.m. ET) other than their own. Expect big free agency deals to be announced that night, even if unofficially. They will also have the $12.9 million MLE and the $4.7 million BAE, the biannual exception, as well as four trade exceptions of $20.4 million (Dinwiddie); $11.9 million (Harris); $9.5 million (O’Neale); and $6.8 million (Mills).
—June 30: Team Canada with Jordi Fernandez as head coach open training camp in Las Vegas after arriving from Toronto. The Canadians who won the bronze at the FIBA World Cup are among the favorites to medal in Paris. From this point forward, Fernandez will be focused on the Olympics.
—July 1: Minimum contracts (two years or less) can be signed. Same with two-way contracts. Third-year and fourth-year rookie options can be exercised as well. Under terms of the contract Ben Simmons signed while with Philly, he receives 25% of his 2024-25 salary on July 1, about $10 million before taxes.
—July 6: NBA Teams may begin signing free agents to contracts (12:01 p.m. ET). The remainder of the Joe Harris trade exception — $11.9 million — and the Patty Mills exception — $6.8 million — expire. Ben Simmons is eligible for an extension. No, that’s not going to happen. Could be the high point of trade talks with two big TPEs expiring.
—July 10: Team Canada plays Team USA in a “friendly” — exhibition — game in Las Vegas. It will be the first time Nets fans will be able to watch the team’s new head coach since he was hired.
—July 12-22: Las Vegas Summer League. Noah Clowney is confirmed. Jalen Wilson is a lock too, we have to assume. The Nets said Dariq Whitehead should be a “full participant in the Nets off-season development program,” which suggests he’ll be there as well. Jaylen Martin, the 6’6” wing the Nets signed to a two-way deal at the end of last season, is under contract. Keon Johnson? Jacob Gilyard? Draft pick(s)? Free agent signings? With Jordi Fernandez coaching Team Canada, Steve Hetzel and Juwan Howard will likely handle the chores in Vegas.
—July 20: WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix. Will Sabrina Ionescu defend her record-breaking win in the 3-point shootout? Will Caitlin Clark be the big challenger?
—July 21 - August 14: WNBA Olympic Break. Two Liberty players, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have been selected for the Team USA. It will be Stewart’s third Olympic bid, Ionescu’s first. Marine Johaness will compete for France, Han Xu for China and Nyara Sabally for Germany. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello will coach the Opals, Australia’s women’s team.
—July 26-August 11: Paris Olympics. Jordi Fernandez comes back to coach Team Canada, but otherwise, the Nets will have limited representation in the City of Light, compared to four years ago, when they had Kevin Durant, the Olympics MVP. Dennis Schroder will be Germany’s captain. Two draft stashes, Nikola Milutinov and Vanja Marinkovic, will play for Serbia and the Nets current director of development, Adam Caporn, is an assistant coach for Australia. But no Mikal Bridges for Team USA nor Ben Simmons for Australia’s Boomers. There’s good news and bad news in that sentence. Both could use the rest.
—Early August: NBA schedule is released. The Nets opening night opponents will be revealed as will the format for this year’s in-season tournament, etc, etc.
—August 20: WNBA Trade Deadline.
—September 19: WNBA Regular Season ends.
—September 22: WNBA Playoffs begin.
—October 1: Training camp opens. No word yet as to where. Could be in Brooklyn or someplace else. Three years ago, it was in San Diego.
Mikal Bridges is eligible to sign a three-year, $112.9 million extension starting in 2026-27. He’s making a very reasonable $23.3 million and $24.9 million in the next two years. It’s highly likely he’ll pass, bet on himself and negotiate closer to 2026.
—October 19: Last day to waive a player on a non-guaranteed contract and not incur a salary cap charge.
—October 20: Last Possible WNBA Finals Date. Will it be Liberty vs. Aces again? Will we finally get a parade?!?
—October 21: Deadline for Nets to extend Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe beyond their rookie contracts. Otherwise, the Nets can wait a year and the two will be restricted free agents, meaning the Nets can match any offer get in July 2025. That scenario is the more likely one, according to pundits.
—October 22: Opening Night for 2024-25 season.
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