Deadlines and Commitments - No. 118

Pay attention! Do NOT turn your phones off. It’s the beginning of free agency and Woj, Shams, Steiny, etc, will get no sleep. Nor will we. Options must be decided. Offers must be accepted or rejected. Trades must be agreed to or fall apart. Press conferences must be scheduled or not.

Here ya go, go, go...

June 28-July 2 - Neither Rodions Kurucs (Latvia) nor Dzanan Musa (Bosnia) will play in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers Europe? Both told their national teams they will be focusing on their NBA careers. FIBA said the two-game affairs for the week after the Draft and the week before the NBA summer league.

Aleksandar Vezenkov, the Nets 6’9” stash from the 2017 Draft, will play for Bulgaria in final round of qualifiers for World Cup 2019. Bulgaria must beat Iceland (June 29) and Czech Republic (July 2) to make the field for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.

June 29 - Nets can tender Nik Stauskas a $5.1 million qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. According to some reports, with the Howard trade, the Nets signaled they won’t be tendering an offer. They’ll need the cap space. Otherwise, he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The Nets can re-sign him if they wish.

June 29 - Deadline for the Nets to decide if they want to field a team for the NBA 2K franchises for the 2019 season. Of the NBA’s 30 teams, 17 have signed up for the NBA’s esports league. The first 17 teams paid $750,000 and committed to three years. Look for the Nets to take the plunge.

June 30 - Nets can exercise their team option on Isaiah Whitehead ’s $1.5 million non-guaranteed salary for 2018-19. Because of a quirk in the CBA, the Nets would only save $700,000 in cap space if they don’t exercise their option. So expect Whitehead back. IF, on the other hand, the Nets waive him, it would suggest the Nets are clearing as much cap space as they can for a big free agency move.

Same day, the NBA will officially set its salary cap and luxury tax threshold. The NBA’s current salary cap projection for the coming year is $101 million with luxury tax threshold of $123 million.

Also this is the final day for the Nets to spend their $5.1 million in cash considerations.

July 1 - Jahlil Okafor, Dante Cunningham, Quincy Acy, Joe Harris and (presumably) Nik Stauskas become unrestricted free agents. Free Agency opens around the league with a five-day moratorium that permits negotiations but no signings.

Also, the Nets must decide what to do with their two two-way contracts, Milton Doyle and James Webb III. They can retain them by simply offering them another two-way deal for this season, retaining their rights. Two-way deals operate on a restricted free agent basis

July 2/3 - Expect Nets to disclose their summer league roster.

July 2 - F.C. Barcelona must decide on their team option for Aleksandar Vezenko. It is expected that Barca will let him go, permitting the 6’9” stretch 4 to sign with another European club and hopefully get more development time. He’s not expected to play for the Nets this season.

July 6 - Free Agency Moratorium ends. Players can now put pen to paper. This is also the first day the Howard trade and buyout can be finalized. Expect a press availability for any other free agents signed by the Nets in the following days.

July 6-17 - 2018 NBA Summer League (Las Vegas) All 30 teams in one league for the first time. Expect a number of the young Nets to play. Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert and Juan Pablo Vaulet have all told reporters they anticipate playing (although JPV was feeling ankle pain last week).

It’s still uncertain if Musa or Kurucs will play. Other players expected on the Nets roster: Ding Yanyuhang, the Chinese League MVP, Theo Pinson, signed to a two-way deal after going undrafted out of UNC as well as Tyler Davis of Texas A&M, Yuta Watanabe of GW, Shawn Dawson of Israel, etc. Expect a contingent of Nets players in the stands cheering on the kids.

July 13 - Should the Nets tender Stauskas a qualifying offer, they can withdraw it at any time up to this date.

July 28 - August 6 - Jeremy Lin’s second “sharing tour” to Asia will take him —as well as Spencer Dinwiddie — to China, specifically Guangzhou in southern China. Lin normally has one long tour of Asia, but his trainers advised him to do two tours to save wear-and-tear on his body.

August 31 — Last day teams may waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2018/19 salaries.

September 7 - Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Enshrinement Ceremony. Jason Kidd and Rod Thorn will be in Springfield, Mass, at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.