When does NBA Free Agency end? Figuring out when the chaos is finally over
By Curt Bishop
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The NBA is currently in the middle of its offseason, with free agency taking place. This is the period when players whose contracts have expired can negotiate and sign with new teams or re-sign with their old team. The madness began on June 30 with the moratorium. Deals finally started to become official on July 6.
But when does everything finally stop? Is there an end date for free agency, or can it go on for a while? Here is everything you need to know about NBA free agency and when the signing period will officially come to a close.
When does NBA Free Agency end?
After a while, the music will settle down and all the big free agents will have signed. A few of the big ones have already signed such as Paul George, Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, and LeBron James. George signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, while LeBron returned to the Los Angeles Lakers. Thompson joined forces with the Dallas Mavericks while DeRozan joined the Sacramento Kings.
The official end date to free agency is October 21. This is the last day of the offseason leading up to the new season. Rosters for Opening Night must be set by 5 p.m. Eastern Time. The regular season begins the following night. October 21 is also the last day teams can sign a rookie scale or veteran contract extension, if more than one season is left on their deal.
So, there isn't exactly an end to free agency. Things will start to quiet down here shortly, as most of the big names will be off the market. But that doesn't necessarily signal the end of free agency. Teams can still negotiate with players up until the very last day of the offseason, which again is October 21. But all rosters must be set by the end of the day.
Once the season begins, teams are still allowed to sign players that were passed up in free agency, but it is not considered part of the free agency period in the offseason., and deals such as these are typically short-term, cheap investments.
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