Deadlines and Commitments - Back to normal edition

It’s all about the present for the Nets right now, but yes, there is a future to contend with. No need to worry about bouncing ping-pong balls this year or who might control the Nets picks in the Draft.

That said, there are deadlines approaching, most of them to do with the Draft — where the Nets have a first and three seconds — and free agency — where the Nets have nine decisions to make.

Moreover, the NBA is getting back to normal with the Summer League schedule released earlier this week and training camp schedule released just today.

There will be a LOT of decisions for Joe Tsai, for Sean Marks and for most of the roster. It won’t be limited to player transactions either. The Tokyo Olympics will require multiple players to decide whether they want to continue playing after the post-season. In fact, the Olympics begin the day after the Finals end if they go seven games.

So here ya go. As you can, the future is once again jam-packed!

—June 10 - Game 3, Nets @ Bucks

—June 13 - Game 4, Nets @ Bucks

—June 15 - Game 5, Bucks @ Nets (if necessary)

—June 17 - Game 6, Nets @ Bucks (if necessary)

—June 19 - Game 7, Bucks @ Nets (if necessary)

—June 19-21 - G League Elite Camp. The top players from the camp earn invitations to the combine.

—June 21 - 27 - NBA Draft Combine scheduled for Chicago. Around 100 players will be invited to participate in one of the two camps.

—June 22 - NBA Draft Lottery 8:30 pm. ET. For the first time since 2013, neither New York team will be represented on the dias at NBA TV Studios.

—June 22 - Conference Finals begin.

—June 22 - Publication date for Matt Sullivan’s book, “Can’t Knock the Hustle: Inside the Season of Protest, Pandemic, and Progress with the Brooklyn Nets’ Superstars of Tomorrow.” Expect excerpts, expect news.

—July 8-22 - NBA Finals with latest date for conclusion July 22.

—July 15-August 11 - WNBA Olympic Break. Expect a number of Liberty players to play for their national teams.

—July 19: Deadline for an early entry player to withdraw from the NBA Draft. 5 p.m. ET

—July 23-August 8 - Tokyo Olympics open. Nets have SIX players in the Team USA pool, the “Big Three,” Blake Griffin, Joe Harris and DeAndre Jordan. Spencer Dinwiddie has committed to Team Nigeria. But they and other NBA players may be otherwise occupied.

Two Nets stashes, Isai Cordinier (France) and Juan Pablo Vaulet (Argentina) are alternates and are expected to travel to Tokyo.

—July 29 - NBA Draft, 8 p.m. ET. Nets currently hold the 27th, 44th, 49th and 59th picks. That’s the most the Nets have had to work with since Sean Marks took the GM job in 2016. What’s the likelihood that the Nets will be at those spots on Draft Night? Highly unlikely with the Nets having continuing championship ambitions. It’s unlikely that the Nets would carry multiple rookies. Expect trades, maybe a stash or two.

Will Draft return to Barclays Center, its home from 2013 through 2019 or continue to be virtual as it was in 2020? No word.

—July 31 - Deadline for Spencer Dinwiddie player option, Qualifying offer deadlines for Reggie Perry and Bruce Brown Jr. Expect speculation about a Dinwiddie sign-and-trade to be underway.

-—August 2 - Teams can begin negotiating with free agents 6 p.m. ET.

—August 6 - NBA free agency. Teams can begin signing free agents at 12:01 p.m. ET. Lots of decisions. Bruce Brown, Jeff Green, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Chris Chiozza, Tyler Johnson, Blake Griffin and Mike James will al1 be free agents. Brown, Chiozza and James will all be restricted.

The Nets can also open negotiations for four-year extensions for the “Big Three” of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden as well as Nic Claxton, all starting in 2022-23. The “Big Three” extensions could max out at $252.8 million (Harden); $234.5 million (Durant) and $217.0 million (Irving) while Claxton could get more than $50 million. They can also start talks with Landry Shamet on an extension beyond the end of his rookie deal which expires after next season. And the Nets will have the taxpayer MLE to work with. This year, it’ll likely be more than $6 million a year.

Don’t expect the Nets and the “Big Three” to begin talks immediately. One big question is whether the three will negotiate as individuals or a group. The latter would be best for the team since it could provide the Nets with some flexibility. That’s how the Nets were able to sign KD, Irving and DeAndre Jordan within the salary cap. And might Brooklyn consider buying out DJ who’s owed $20 million beyond this season?

—August 8-17 - NBA Summer League returns to the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. All 30 NBA teams playing five games apiece during the 10-day, 75-game event. After every team plays four games, the two teams with the best records from the first four games will meet in the Championship Game on August 17.

Who can we expect to don the black-and-white? Certainly Reggie Perry and Alize Johnson and it’s likely Nic Claxton will be there as well — just as Jarrett Allen was in his third year. Indeed, Claxton has missed a lot time to injury and illness. Paul Eboua, the 6’8” power forward who was in Nets training camp last October and played for the Long Island Nets this season, is also a possibility, according to reports out of Italy.

—September 17 - New York Liberty regular season ends.

—September 27 - NBA Media Day for 2021-22 season.

—September 28 - Training camp opens

—October 18 - Deadline for extensions to be signed.

—October 19 - Regular season starts

—April 16 - 2021 Playoffs begin

—June 2 - 2022 Finals begin