The NBA free agency period is expected to begin near the end of November, anywhere from two to four days after the 2020 draft, according to multiple reports.
The draft is scheduled for Nov. 18. Along with the free agency, the league’s moratorium on trades and signings is expected to be lifted prior to the draft.
With late December being the target tipoff for the 2020-21 season, several teams are preparing as if free agency will begin Nov. 20 or 21, per Marc Stein of the New York Times. “Further clarity is expected by week’s end,” Stein added.
All of this, of course, remains a big unknown, as the players’ union has yet to sign off on the idea of a late December start (as opposed to early or mid-January) — and it’s not even been determined if the league has submitted such a proposal.
But that is the news that’s making the rounds, and if the next season does start somewhere in the Dec. 22-25 range, it will want to get through free agency as soon as possible.
That said, even in the event the tipoff to next season starts in January, you can still expect the free agency period to begin by the first week of December at the latest.
