Deadlines and Commitments - Schedule’s out edition

Opening night for the Brooklyn Nets is now 67 days away, but the first preseason game is in only 52! Media Day and the opening of training camp will be here even sooner, 45 and 46 days!

In the meantime, Brooklyn fans can focus on Team USA and the FIBA World Cup as well as the Liberty’s run at a WNBA title. And coming up Sunday is the Nets/Ticketmaster Party at the Plaza on the Barclays Center plaza. It’s free and open to the public and runs from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Free food and beverages too. Nets rookies scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Enjoy!

—August 18-20 - USA Basketball Showcase Abu Dhabi, UAE. The U.S., Greece and Germany will face off in the Persian Gulf country as Mikal Bridges, Cam Johnson et al make their way from the U.S. to their first World Cup game in Manila.

—August 20 - Nets and Ticketmaster throw a Party in the Plaza at Barclays Center. The Nets three rookies as well as former Nets greats Buck Williams and Albert King will be on hand. Admission is free and open to the public. Food and beverages will be free.

—August 25 - September 10 - FIBA World Cup opens in Southeast Asia. Egypt will get an early start, playing Lithuania at 8:30 a.m. ET on the 25th. Team USA plays its first game vs. New Zealand the next day, starting at 8:40 a.m. ET. The two teams will play their group games on alternating dates that week with Egypt playing Montenegro on August 27, the USA playing Greece on August 28, Egypt playing Mexico on August 29 and finally USA taking on Jordan August 30. All of the two teams’ games will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, making it convenient for Sean Marks & company to scout them all. Depending on how teams do in group play, they’ll move on to the second round. Per the Sporting News, the tournament will feature a total of 92 games, all of which will be broadcast on ESPN2 or ESPN+ in the United States. FIBA’s official streaming service, Courtside 1891, and Sling TV also offer a streaming option.

Nets stash Nikola Milutinov will start at center for Serbia with Nikola Jokic deciding to opt out of Cup play after winning the NBA championship. Adam Caporn, the Nets assistant and director of player development, is an assistant with Australia.

—August 28 - WNBA Player Playoff eligibility determined.

—August 31 - Last day for NBA teams to waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2023-24 salaries.

—September 1 - Original date Sean Marks set for Ben Simmons to be ready to go. “The timeline for this is that he’ll be back 100% probably by September 1,” said Marks on April 23. “That would be the goal and he’s a full-go in training camp and ready to go.” Everything indicates he is on schedule.

—September 4 - Labor Day. Players begin arriving at HSS Training Center for workouts but the World Cup players will still be in Asia ... unless their teams have been eliminated.

—September 5 - Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned second-round picks, aka stashes; those players become free agents on September 6 if not tendered.

—September 10 - FIBA World Cup champion is crowned in Manila. Any team making the Final Four in Manila will have played nine games in a little more than two weeks, not counting the “friendlies.”

—September 10 - WNBA Regular Season ends.

—September 10 - Long Island Nets hold two open workouts at the Fieldhouse Sports Complex in Massapequa, N.Y. A $250 entry fee gets you in the door. After that, it’s up to you.

—September 13 - WNBA Playoffs begin. The Liberty currently are the No. 1 seed in the East.

—October 2 - Nets Media Day. Don’t expect as many national media as have attended since 2019 following the Clean Sweep. It will be mostly a local affair.

—October 3 - Opening of Nets training camp at HSS Training Center in Brooklyn. Probably around October 6, the Nets will head out to Las Vegas ... again ... for their first preseason game.

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

—October 12 - Nets host an international matchup against Maccabi Ra’anana at Barclays Center, the second preseason game.

—October 14 - Tentative date for Practice in the Park, the Nets annual open practice at Brooklyn Bridge Park.

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

—October 18 - Nets play Miami in final preseason contest vs. the Heat.

—October 20 - Last possible WNBA Finals date. Finally a parade??

—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.

—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.

— 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 vs. Cleveland Cavaliers. 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.

—November 3 - 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 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.

—First week of November - Long Island Nets opening night.

—December 9 - NBA Cup finals in Las Vegas.

—December 13 - Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson return to Phoenix for the first time.

—December 15 - Darius Bazley and Trendon Watford contracts are guaranteed up to $700,000.

—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 10, 2024 - 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, 2004 - NBA Paris Game. Nets vs. Cavs at Accor Arena in the City of Lights. Coverage still TBA other than NBA TV.

—January 25, 2004 - Australia Day, Australia’s national day. Might as well be company holiday for Nets. So many Aussies.

—January 31, 2004 - Kevin Durant returns to Barclays Center with the Suns in a game scheduled for ESPN.

—February 5, 2004 - Steph Curry and the Warriors come to Barclays Center.

—February 6, 2004 - 20th anniversary of NetsDaily. Hooray for us. Also, Kyrie Irving returns to Barclays Center in a game scheduled for TNT.

—February 10, 2004 - Victor Wembanyama and Spurs make their debut at Barclays Center.

—March 22-24, 2004 - Barclays Center hosts first round, NCAA Tournament

—March 23, 2024 - 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 31, 2004 - LeBron James and Lakers come to Brooklyn.

—April 14, 2024 - Last game of the season vs. the Sixers at Wells Fargo Center in Philly.