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The draft --and free agency-- are fast approaching. Players will make decisions on contract options. Summer league and FIBA games will be played. The big question: Will the Nets wind up remaking the team as they have the last two summers, adding 16 new players to the roster, 10 in 2012, six in 2013? There's a lot of permutations and little flexibility, but we have been surprised before.
Here, again, the key dates:
June 26 -- NBA draft, Barclays Center. The Nets currently have no picks in either the first or second round, but intend to come away from the draft with a pick or two: either trading their way into the first round or buying a pick in the second with about $2 million in cash they have left from their annual $3 million limit. The Nets expect 10,000 fans to show up at Barclays, which would be the most to attend in recent years, if not ever.
June 29 -- Decision day for Andray Blatche, Andrei Kirilenko and Alan Anderson, all of whom have player options for 2014-15. Blatche has already said he will opt out. Kirilenko has said he will consider it. No word from Anderson.
July 1 -- First day Nets can officially talk to free agents, including their own. That means Paul Pierce, Shaun Livingston and Jason Collins ... if he hasn't announced his retirement. Although July 1 begins a nine-day signing moratorium, rumored deals get leaked starting that morning. Players can also be amnestied the first seven days of July, with whoever let going first going through waivers. Then, if they are unclaimed, they become free agents. The biggest prize likely to be amnestied: Carlos Boozer.
July 1 - Target date for Brook Lopez to start working out. He will fly with the summer league team to Orlando after the team holds a few practices in East Rutherford.
July 5 - 11 -- Orlando Summer League. Who will play for the Nets? Gutierrez, Marquis Teague and Mason Plumlee are probable and three players, Adonis Thomas, Nick Minnerath and Michael Jenkins, all shooters, have accepted invitations. The Nets can invite 12 players total. First game is 9 a.m. July 5 vs. Indiana. It will all be televised on NBA TV.
July 10 -- First day free agents can sign contracts. By this date, most of the big free agents and big trades will have been announced if not consummated.
July 11 - 19 -- FIBA Asia Cup, Wuhan, China. Blatche is expected to play for the Philippines.
July 12 - 13 -- Mirza Teletovic's Team Bosnia will play Israel and Slovakia in a "friendly" or exhibition tournament in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo.
July 19 - 20 -- Team Bosnia will play Italy and Montenegro in a friendly tournament in Sarajevo.
July 26 - 27 -- Team Bosnia will play Sweden, also in a friendly, first in Sarajevo, then in Zenica
August 3 - 5 -- Team Bosnia will play in an another friendly tournament along with the host, Italy, Serbia and Canada.
August - Date TBA - Deron Williams slated to begin light court activities, then progress to full basketball activities in September.
August 4 -- NBA schedules are traditionally released around this date.
August 1 - 7 -- FIBA Americas CentroBasket. National teams from Central America and Caribbean compete at a tournament in Mexico. Gutierrez plays for Mexico.
August 8 - 10 -- Tres Naciones tournament in Technopolis, Argentina. Host nation will take on Brazil and Mexico.
August 10 - 27 -- FIBA Europe Qualifications. Bosnia opens vs. Great Britain, whose coach is Kidd assistant Joe Prunty. Teams will compete for places in the FIBA European Championships in 2015. Bosnia will play games vs. Great Britain and Iceland in home and away sets.
August 30 – September 14 -- FIBA World Championship in Spain. Gutierrez will play for Mexico, Andray Blatche will play for the Philippines and the Nets two Euro-Stash will play for the national teams: Bojan Bogdanovic for Croatia, Ilkan Karaman for Turkey. The opening game in Sevilla will feature Philippines vs. Croatia, meaning Blatche vs. Bogdanovic. Later that same day in Gran Canaria, it will be Mexico vs. Lithuania, Gutierrez vs. Mantas Kalnietis.
September 19 - October 4, 2014 -- Asia Games, Incheon, South Korea. Blatche may play in the games, but they conflict with the opening of NBA training camp. Whether that camp is in East Rutherford or elsewhere remains uncertain.
October 1 -- NBA training camps open. This may very well be the last Nets camp to be held at the PNY Center in East Rutherford. It's hoped the Nets new facility in Industry City, yet to be officially announced, will be ready for the camp in 2015.
October 7 -- Preseason: Nets vs Maccabi Tel Aviv, Barclays Center
October 12 -- Preseason: Nets vs Kings at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai
October 15 -- Preseason: Nets vs Kings at the MasterCard Center in Beijing
In addition to all that, there will be "friendly" games involving the national teams with Nets players. We intend to cover it all.