Deadlines and Commitments - Special Edition!

The calendar is getting way crowded, with the Olympics, the Draft, Free Agency and the prospect of trades. So, we decided to offer up a special edition of our occasional feature, a timeline for what can be predicted, what’s been set up so far.

—July 23-August 8 - Tokyo Olympics.. Kevin Durant is playing for Team USA, Timothe’ Luwawu-Cabarrot for France and Nets long-time stash Juan Pablo Vaulet for Argentina. Adam Caporn, the new head coach for the Long Island Nets, is an assistant for Australia. Dr. Riley J. Williams III, the Nets medical director, is the team doctor for Team USA.

—July 27 - Team USA faces off against Iran in Tokyo. Game will start at 12:40 a.m. and be carried on NBC’s Peacock streaming service.

—July 29 - NBA Draft, 8 p.m. ET, back at Barclays Center. 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. Expect trades, maybe a stash or two. The Draft is the busiest trade time of the year.

The Draft returns to Barclays Center, its home from 2013 through 2019 after going virtual in 2020. Other than last year, the Nets have hosted the NBA Draft since 2011, first at Prudential Center, then Barclays.

—July 31 - Team USA faces the Czech Republic at 8 a.m. ET in Tokyo.

—July 31 - Qualifying offer deadlines for Reggie Perry and Bruce Brown Jr. Expect speculation about a Dinwiddie sign-and-trade to be underway if it hasn’t happened already..

-—August 2 - Teams can begin negotiating with free agents 6 p.m. ET. News begins to break throughout the league and signings and trades. 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 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 around $6 million a year.

—August 2-6 - Men’s basketball medal round in Tokyo. No schedule yet. Team USA will have had to beat Iran and the Czech Republic to advance.

—August 6 - NBA free agency. Teams can begin signing free agents at 12:01 p.m. ET. Often times, the official date of trades negotiated on Draft Night. The process of filling the roster usually takes about two weeks. Expect two-ways to be the last signings.

—August 6 - Olympic Men’s Basketball Gold Medal game in Tokyo. Bronze Medal game is the next day.

—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? Reggie Perry, Alize Johnson and Nic Claxton for starters. While few players entering their third season play in SL, Jarrett Allen did when he was in his third year and with Claxton having missed a lot of time to injury and illness, he’ll there, too. Paul Eboua, the 6’8” power forward who was in Nets training camp last October then played for the Long Island Nets, is also a possibility. He recently got approval from his Italian team to participate. Isaia Cordinier has said he’s interested, too.

—September 4 - First $100,000 of Alize Johnson’s non-guaranteed deal is guaranteed.

—September 27 - NBA Media Day for 2021-22 season at HSS Training Center, pandemic permitting.

—September 28 - Training camp opens in San Diego. No specifics on where in the San Diego area the camp will be located but the UCSD campus is probably a good bet. The Tsais, who live in LaJolla, a San Diego suburb, have multiple ties to the school.

—October 3 - Preseason opens with Nets traveling to L.A. for afternoon game vs. Lakers. 3:30 p.m. ET. No word on where or if it will be televised.

—October 18 - Deadline for extensions to be signed. Applies to Landry Shamet. Another $200,000 of Alize Johnson’s contract is guaranteed.

—October 19 - Regular season starts. New hope begins.

—December 11 - Regular season opener for Long Island Nets, back at the Nassau Coliseum.

—January 5 - Alize Johnson contract for 2021-22 fully guaranteed.