Deadlines and Commitments - Looking forward edition

The Nets may be in decision mode this week. Wednesday is the buyout deadline. Players waived by Wednesday can be signed at any time up to April 10 and still play in the post-season. Jacque Vaughn said last week that adding a player is not a priority, but Brooklyn will monitor things. The Nets don’t want to bring someone in “who is going to detract from the culture,” he told beat reporters. And considering how short the rotation has become, it’s not unthinkable they will stay at 14 roster players.

There will be a lot of other decisions of course between now and training camp in October. Here’s the calendar

—March 1 - Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline, aka the buyout deadline. Players waived or bought out after this date cannot play in post-season with a different team. A number of possible big man candidates have already been waived, like Tony Bradley and Moses Brown. The Taxpayers MLE could come in handy here even if diminished. The TMLE drops by $37,236 every day after January 10. By March 1, it will be worth $4.62 million, still substantially above the vets minimum.

—March 19 - Bruce Brown returns to Brooklyn with Denver Nuggets.

—March 25 - Long Island Nets conclude G League season at Rio Grande Valley.

—March 28 - G League playoffs begin.

—April 4 - Michael Grady returns to Brooklyn with Minnesota Timberwolves. At least there’s some comfort on this calendar!

—April 9 - Regular season ends with 76ers facing Nets at Barclays Center. Luxury taxes are calculated based on roster at the end of the regular season.

—April 10 - Rosters set for NBA Playoffs 2023 (3:00 p.m. ET). Players who are waived by another team before March 1 can sign as late as this date and play in the post-season.

—April 10 - WNBA Draft. Liberty had the No. 6 pick but traded it in the Jonquel Jones deal. They currently have the 30th pick.

—April 11-14 - NBA Play-In Tournament. Will it be an issue? The Nets are 34-26 at the moment, the fifth seed.

—April 15 - Start of NBA Playoffs. Assuming they don’t have to play in the play-in tournament, the Nets should have a week to rest up between end of the season and first game of the playoffs.

—May 1-2 - NBA Conference Semifinals begin (possible move-up to April 29-30)

—May 16 - The Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes, aka the Draft Lottery. It’s hard to imagine the Nets will have any dog in this fight, but ya never know. Still, expect the affair to be the most watched NBA Lottery ever.

—May 16-17: NBA Conference Finals begin (possible move-up to May 14-15)

—May 19 - New York Liberty open their 2023 season vs. Washington Mystics in the District.

—May 21 - New York Liberty open at home, vs. Indiana Fever.

—June 1 - NBA Finals 2023 Game 1

—June 18: NBA Finals 2023 Game 7 (if necessary). No parades this time.

—June 22 - NBA Draft. Nets currently have the 21st, 23rd and 53th picks. That will change depending on the Nets and Suns record at the end of the regular season.

—June 29 - Qualifying offer deadline for two-ways David Duke Jr. and Dru Smith.

—June 30 - Free agency begins with teams permitted to talk with free agents. Seth Curry, Yuta Watanabe and Cameron Johnson become free agents, the first two unrestricted, Johnson is restricted, meaning the Nets can match any offers he may receive. He reportedly turned down a four-year, $72 million extension from the Suns last summer.

—July 6 - Nets must decide on team option for Edmond Sumner at vets minimum.

—July 7 - NBA owners must pay luxury tax to the league. Before the trade deadline, the Nets tax bill looked like it would be $108.2 million. After the moves leading up the deadline, it’s now roughly $6.9 million. If the Nets stay above the tax threshold, they will be in the dreaded repeater tax next season.

Hang in there, sports fans.