Deadlines and Commitments - No. 73

Happy New Year! (We hope)

The Nets still have 50 games left.  Let's repeat that: The Nets still have 50 games left. A LOT can happen in that time, but we'll concentrate on what we know about the NBA schedule, the concrete deadlines and commitments of NBA life. The most interesting period for the Nets looks like the time between mid-January and mid-February.

January 1 -- Chris McCullough practiced with his teammates for the first time. Not yet cleared for games.

January 5 -- 10-day contracts can be signed. Nets currently have no roster openings.

January 10 -- All partially guaranteed contracts get fully guaranteed.  Donald Sloan is currently guaranteed only $200,000 on his $947,000 salary.  Everyone else is fully guaranteed.

January 15 -- Brook Lopez and his max deal can be traded. NOT likely

February 14 -- All-Star Game in Toronto. Lots of deals get discussed here.

Mid - February -- The HSS Training Center will open around now in Industry City, Brooklyn. The Nets will be at home for most of the month, an ideal time for the move. They and the staff won't have to get on a plane from February 1 through 21. Their only away game in that stretch is a bus trip to Philadelphia.

February  18 -- Trade deadline, 3 p.m. It is unlikely that any deal done now will 1) but them over the luxury tax threshold or 2) cut significantly into next season's cap space.

February 22 -- Euroleague playoff roster deadline. Players signed after this date cannot participate in the Euroleague playoffs. Would Sergey Karasev be tempted to head back to Europe?

February 23 -- The "Circus Trip," an eight-game, 22-day trip across America begins in Portland.. Will Rondae Hollis-Jefferson be active?

March 1 -- NBA's buyout deadline.  Players waived by this date, regardless of where they they sign before season's end, are playoff eligible. Could Joe Johnson be bought out?

April 13 =- Last game of the regular season. Luxury --and repeater-- tax calculations are based on the team's payroll on this date. Nets are currently about $1.4 million under the threshold. Don't expect them to be over.

April 15 -- NBA playoff roster deadline. Once waived, players have plenty of time to make a decision on where to go.

May 17 -- NBA Draft Lottery 2016.  Depending on where the Nets finish, and where the ping pong balls fall, this could be a  painful date in Nets history.

June 27 -- NBA Draft. No first rounder.  Also, the trade exception of $1,357,080 from the Mason Plumlee trade expires. Nets will have to swap second rounders with the Clippers unless LAC finishes with a top five record. As of now, the Nets will have to swap picks, with LAC getting No. 33 and the Nets No. 47. The Nets will also likely buy a pick or two, as they have every year but 2013 since Prokhorov bought the team.

June 30 -- Four Nets with player options must decide on whether to exercise them: Andrea Bargnani, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington and Thomas Robinson.

July 1 -- Free agency begins.  Teams can contact but not sign free agents. Nets can sign Juan Pablo Vaulet.

July 13 -- Trade exception of $2,170,465 from the Steve Blake trade expires.