Deadlines and Commitments - (Pre)season is upon us edition

The long NBA season dawns Monday at 11:00 a.m. ET when the Nets hold their annual Media Day, then follow it up Tuesday with their first practice. By the weekend, they’ll be in Las Vegas preparing for their first exhibition game vs. the Lakers a week from Monday. (The Liberty will already be there, getting ready for the WNBA Finals which begin a week from Sunday.)

The Nets dive into 2023-24 a new team, with only five players left on the roster from when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played their final game together on January 15. Life will come at them fast. In the first two weeks of the season, they’ll play the new-look Celtics and the new-look Bucks, plus the Heat, Mavericks and Clippers.

—October 2 - Nets Media Day. Don’t expect as many national media as have showed since 2019 following the Clean Sweep. It will be mostly a local affair. We’ll be there as will YES which will broadcast live from HSS starting at 11:00 a.m. ET

—October 3 - Opening of Nets training camp at HSS Training Center in Brooklyn. The Nets will leave Brooklyn later in the week, headed out to Las Vegas ... UNLV specifically ... for the final two games of camp and the first preseason game.

—October 8 - The New York Liberty beat the Connecticut Sun Sunday afternoon. So, they will play the first game of the WNBA Finals in, where else, Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Aces got to the Finals days ago. They hold homecourt advantage.

—October 9 - Nets play their first preseason game vs. Lakers in Las Vegas. YES will cover. Vegas has already been home to Summer League, the WNBA All-Star Game, Team USA training camp and WNBA Commissioner’s Cup by then. The first NBA Cup will take place there in December.

—October 12 - Nets host an international matchup against Maccabi Ra’anana at Barclays Center, the second preseason game. No YES Network for this one BUT there maybe a streaming option. Details TBA.

—October 14 - Tentative date for Practice in the Park, the Nets annual open practice at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Not yet official.

—October 15 - If the Liberty make it to the WNBA Finals, this will be the hot ticket at Barclays Center: Game Three of the WNBA Finals and the first pro basketball finals in the city since the 2002 WNBA Finals.

—October 16 - Nets host preseason matchup with the 76ers at Barclays. Will James Harden be there? YES will cover.

—October 18 - Nets play Miami in final preseason contest vs. the Heat. NBA TV will cover.

—October 20 - Last possible WNBA Finals date. Finally a parade?? The finals are a best-of-five affair.

—October 21 - Last day for players on fully non-guaranteed contracts to be waived and not count at all against a team’s 2023/24 cap. They must clear waivers before the first day of the regular season. For the Nets, that affects Darius Bazley and Trendon Watford.

—October 23 - Roster limits decrease from 21 players to 18 (5:00 pm ET). Teams will be limited to carrying 15 players on standard contracts and three on two-way deals as of this deadline. Also...

— Last day for teams to sign a player to a rookie scale extension (6:00 pm ET).

— Last day for teams to sign an extension-eligible veteran player with multiple seasons left on his contract (such as Ben Simmons) to an extension. An extension-eligible veteran player on an expiring deal (like Spencer Dinwiddie) can still be extended after October 23.

— Last day for teams to complete sign-and-trade deals.

— Last day for teams to convert an Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way contract.

—October 24 - Opening Night for NBA with two West Coast games.

—October 25 - Opening Night vs. Cleveland Cavaliers at Barclays Center. Darius Bazley’s and Trendon Watford contracts become partially guaranteed at $200,000 if they makes the Opening Night roster.

—October 27 - Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith return to Dallas to face Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks, the first “revenge game” of the new season. No national coverage.

—October 28 - G League Draft

—October 31 - Long Island Nets training camp opens.

—November 3 - The Nets play the Bulls in the first “Tournament Night” in the new NBA Cup competition. Group play will begin on November 3 and last through November 28. Every Tuesday and Friday (other than Election Day on November 7), teams will play a game vs. each of the other teams in their group, with two of the games at home, two on the road. The Nets group includes the Celtics, Bulls, Magic and Raptors.

—November 4 - The first back-to-back of the season, the Nets play the new-look Celtics with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis at Barclays Center.

—November 5 - Team USA, with Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney play exhibition game vs. Tennessee in Knoxville.

—November 6 - The Nets play the new-look Bucks with Damian Lillard at Barclays Center.

—November 8 - As long as he’s healthy, Mikal Bridges will play his 400th consecutive game at Barclays Center vs. the Clippers. His current streak, at 392 games, is the longest in the NBA.

—November 10 - Long Island Nets opening night at Nassau Coliseum. They’ll play Raptors 905 at 7:00 p.m. ET. How many of the Nets draft class will don the red, white and blue?

—November 12 - Team USA, with Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney play exhibition game vs. Duke in Durham.

—December 2 - Noah Eagle, Ian’s son, calls his first Nets game on YES. The tradition continues.

—December 9 - NBA Cup finals in Las Vegas.

—December 13 - Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson return to Phoenix for the first time and yeah, Kevin Durant now plays for the Suns.

—December 15 - Darius Bazley and Trendon Watford contracts are guaranteed up to $700,000 if they’re still on the team.

—December 19-22 - NBA G League Winter Showcase and Showcase Cup Championship takes place in Orlando.

—December 20 - Nets - Knicks rivalry returns to Barclays Center, the first of the four interborough games. The two teams will also play January 23 in Brooklyn.

—December 22 - NBA champion Denver Nuggets make their lone appearance at Barclays Center. (Matt Brooks homecoming?)

—December 23 - Joe Harris returns to Barclays Center with the Pistons.

—January 5, 2024 - 10-day contracts may now be signed.

—January 10 - All non- and partially guaranteed contracts become fully guaranteed. If either Darius Bazley or Trendon Watford aren’t waived by January 7, they become fully guaranteed.

—January 11 - NBA Paris Game. Nets vs. Cavaliers at Accor Arena in the City of Lights. Coverage on YES and NBA TV. Game starts at 2:00 p.m. ET.

—January 23 - Nets host the Knicks at Barclays Center, part of NBA Rivals Week

—January 25 - Australia Day, Australia’s national day. Might as well be company holiday for Nets. So many Aussies, starting with Ben Simmons and including the new Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, Dave Regan, and the Nets long-time sports science director Dan Meehan and sports medicine director Les Gelis as well as player development director and assistant coach Adam Caporn.

—January 31 - Kevin Durant returns to Barclays Center with the Suns in a game scheduled for ESPN.

—February 5 - Steph Curry and the Warriors come to Barclays Center.

—February 6 - 20th anniversary of NetsDaily. Hooray for us. Also, Kyrie Irving — remember him? — returns to Barclays Center in a game scheduled for TNT.

—February 8 - NBA Trade Deadline (3:00 p.m. ET).

—February 10 - Victor Wembanyama and Spurs make their debut at Barclays Center.

—February 16-18 - NBA All-Star Weekend 2024 in Indianapolis. Will the Nets be represented?

—February 16-21 - NBA All-Star break.

—March 1 - Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline, aka the Buyout Deadline.

—March 22-24 - Barclays Center hosts first round, NCAA Tournament

—March 23 - The city rivalry switches to MSG for the first of two late season games. The second will take place April 12, the next to last game of the season.

—March 30 - G League Regular Season ends

—April 2 - G League Playoffs begin

—March 31 - LeBron James and Lakers come to Brooklyn for their lone appearance in 2023-24.

—April 14 - Last game of the season vs. the Sixers at Wells Fargo Center in Philly.

—April 15 - NBA Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2024 (3 p.m. ET)

—April 16-19 - NBA Play-In Tournament

—April 20 - NBA Playoffs 2024 begin

—June 27- NBA Draft 2024. Nets have no picks at this point in either the first or second round. Houston controls both.