Key 2019 NBA Preseason Dates, Deadlines

The most notable dates of the 2019 NBA offseason are behind us now that we’re through the draft and the free agent period. However, there are still a number of dates and deadlines to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months before teams take the court again to kick off the 2019/20 regular season.

The list below doesn’t include every event or deadline that will take place prior to opening night on October 22, but these are several of the most important upcoming dates for teams and players.

Here’s the breakdown:

August 31:

  • Last day that teams can waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2019/20 salaries. After August 31, teams can still use the stretch provision on players who have multiple years left on their contracts, but their ’19/20 cap hits will remain unchanged.

August 31 – September 15:

  • The 2019 FIBA World Cup takes place in China. The first round will run through September 5, with the second round wrapping up on September 9. The quarterfinals will take place on September 10-11, followed by the semifinals on the 13th and the final on the 15th.

September 5:

September 28:

  • Training camps begin for teams participating in preseason games outside North America. This applies to the Pacers and Kings (India), Rockets and Raptors (Japan), and Nets and Lakers (China).

October 1:

  • Training camps begin for the rest of the NBA’s teams.

October 19:

  • Last day for players on fully non-guaranteed contracts to be waived and not count at all against a team’s 2019/20 cap. They must clear waivers before the first day of the regular season.

October 21:

  • Last day of the 2019 offseason.
  • Roster limits decrease from 20 players to 15 (4:00pm CT)
  • Last day for teams to sign a player to a rookie scale extension (5:00pm CT). [RELATED: Players eligible for rookie scale extensions]
  • Last day for teams to sign an extension-eligible veteran player with multiple seasons left on his contract (ie. Bradley Beal) to an extension. An extension-eligible veteran player on an expiring deal (ie. Kyle Lowry) can still be extended after October 21.
  • 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 22:

Larry Coon’s Salary Cap FAQ and NBA.com were used in the creation of this post.

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