Deadlines and Commitments - No. 109

Is it too early to wish everyone a Happy New Year? Why, you ask? Because the first two weeks of January could be very active for the Nets.

With a series of deadlines approaching, the Nets will have to make some decisions on a number of contracts, some easy, some not so. What they do in January could easily affect what they do before the trade deadline which has been moved up to February 8 this year

Also in January —no date yet set— we expect to see both D’Angelo Russell and Jahlil Okafor on the court, based on what Sean Marks said on WFAN the other day.

Here’s the dates to watch.

January 5 - 10-day contracts may now be signed. Teams must have a roster opening before they sign a player to a 10-day.

January 10 - Spencer Dinwiddie’s $1,524,305 contract fully guarantees for 2017-18. His contract extends through 2018-19. All NBA contracts are guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Expect to see some players waived.

January 10-13 - G-League Showcase 2018 (Mississauga, ON). All 26 G-League teams gather for a showcase attended by NBA GM’s and scouts. Last gathering of NBA GM’s before trade deadline. Expect some trade activity after the Showcase ends.

January 15 - Last day the Nets can apply to NBA for a Disabled Player Exception on Jeremy Lin’s contract. Exceptions are usually granted within a week after an NBA physician reviews the player’s medical records. Sean Marks has said the Nets will probably apply for the DPE. Restrictions apply.

January 15 - Two-Way contracts guaranteed. For the Nets, that currently means Milton Doyle and Jacob Wiley. Two-way contract players can be waived up until this date. The Nets already waived Yakuba Ouattara in favor of Doyle.

January 31 - The Philadephia 76ers come to Barclays Center, the first chance for Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas to exact revenge on Philly for burying them on the bench early in the season.

February 2 - Brook Lopez returns to Barclays Center for the first time since the June trade.

February 8 - NBA trade deadline, 3:00 p.m. The deadline is two weeks earlier than it has been in recent years. It now comes before All Star weekend.

February 16-18 - NBA All-Star 2018 (Los Angeles, CA)

February 19-27 - FIBA Europe World Cup Qualifiers. Nets Stash Aleksandar Vezenkov may compete for Bulgaria. Because of a dispute between FIBA and the Euroleague, Vezenkov must get clearance from his European pro team, F.C. Barcelona, to play in the qualifiers.

February 22 - NBA G-League trade deadline, 3 p.m. ET

March 1 - NBA Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline. A player has to have been waived by this date to be eligible for playoff rosters. He can sign up with another team up to April 13, but he has to be a free agent by this date.

March 10 - Last day DPE’s can be exercised. As noted, restrictions apply.

March 16 - Nets play the 76ers at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Okafor and Stauskas’ first game back in Philly.

March 24 - G-League regular season ends

March 27 - G-League Postseason begins (earliest possible start date)

April 11 - NBA Regular Season ends.

April 12 - Normally, the day after the end of regular season is when ties for draft position are broken by lot.

April 13 - Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2018, 3 p.m. ET

April 14 - NBA Playoffs 2018 begin.

June 21 - NBA Draft. The Nets have the Raptors lottery-protected pick in the first round, the less favorable of the Lakers and Magic picks in the second round and if the Pacers fail to make the playoffs, their second round pick. That seems increasingly unlikely and the protections will roll over to the 2019 Draft. The Nets currently hold the 27th and 38th picks.

June 29 - Lin can exercise his player option and opt out of his $12.5 million salary for 2018-19. He has said he will be back in Brooklyn next year, as has Marks.

June 29 - Nets can offer Nik Stauskas a $5.1 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent.

June 30 - Nets can exercise their team option on Isaiah Whitehead ’s $1.5 million non-guaranteed salary for 2018-19. (Tyler Zeller also has no guarantee for 2018-19, but Nets don’t have a deadline to make a hard decision on his $1.9 million salary.)

July 1 - Jahlil Okafor, Nik Stauskas, Quincy Acy, and Joe Harris become free agents.