Just about everything on the NBA calendar now looks different than normal, and free agency is no exception.
The league, just like the NHL, opens free agency on July 1, though teams generally do what technically is considered tampering in the lead up to that circled date on the calendar.
But seeing as the NBA won’t resume playing games until late July due to COVID-19, free agency underwent a date change.
On the same day info about the 2020 NBA Draft was shared, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also provided some updates on the beginning of free agency.
Free agency negotiations will start at 6 PM on October 18, per sources. (Not a minute sooner, or that would be tampering, of course) https://t.co/gFsfDA0BGf
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2020
Somewhat similarly, there will be a free agent window before the current campaign resumes. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, there will be a transaction period where teams can round out their rosters later this month.
“There will be a one-week transaction window — starting at 12 p.m. ET on June 23 and ending at 11:59 p.m. ET on June 30 — in which all 30 teams can waive and sign players,” Marks wrote.
Marks also notes that players who did not play in the NBA this season but weren’t based internationally, like J.R. Smith, will be eligible to sign with a team during this period.
Of course, all this is hinging on the NBA season actually restarting. The plan is locked in to get things going at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla., but the state has seen a dramatic spike in cases of the coronavirus lately.
