Explaining why NBA free agency can start early for some players

On June 30, free agency will begin in the NBA. This is the period in the offseason where players can negotiate new contracts with teams. The signing period officially begins on July 6 at 12:01 p.m. Eastern Time.

However, there is a bit of a catch to free agency. Some players can actually sign contracts before others. June 30 is when the moratorium period begins, and contracts can be agreed upon, but not officially signed until July 6. But in some cases, players can sign even before the moratorium period.

Here is how it works and why certain players are able to sign sooner than others on occasion.

Why some NBA free agents can sign sooner than others

The catch in this case is that free agency technically begins the day after the NBA Finals come to a conclusion. So, if the Boston Celtics close out the Dallas Mavericks tonight, free agency can begin tomorrow.

But free agency is somewhat limited until the moratorium period gets underway. At first, players can only sign with their most recent team. Teams can negotiate with only their free agents until June 30. This is why we occasionally see players signing deals before the moratorium gets underway and the music starts.

This is the only scenario, however, where free agents can sign at such an early stage. The only free agents that can sign during the moratorium period are players on rookie scale contracts, draft picks players signing league minimum deals, and restricted free agents accepting qualifying offers and other deals.

But teams cannot sign free agents other than their own until the moratorium period starts. For example, if LeBron James were to re-sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, he could technically do so as soon as tomorrow if the Celtics clinch the finals tonight.