NBA CALENDAR 2025-2026
2025
January 7: Last day to waive non-guaranteed NBA contracts (including two-way contracts) before they become guaranteed for the rest of the season
- Salaries officially guarantee on January 10 if players haven’t cleared waivers before that date.
January 15: Most offseason signees become eligible for inclusion in trades
- Also the last day to apply for a disabled player exception.
February 1: Former 1st round picks who were stashed overseas may sign rookie scale NBA contracts for the 2025-26 season
February 6: NBA Trade Deadline (3pm ET)
February 7: The value of teams’ unused mid-level exceptions and bi-annual exceptions begins to prorate downward by 1/174th per day
February 14-16: NBA All-Star Weekend 2025 (San Francisco)
February 29: Last day for contract renegotiations
March 1:
- Last day a player can be waived by one team and remain eligible to appear in the postseason for another team
- Last day for a restricted free agent to sign an offer sheet
March 4: Last day for a team to sign a player to a two-way contract
March 10: Last day for a team to use a disabled player exception
March 29: NBA G League regular season ends
April 1: NBA G League playoffs begin
April 10: Last day to waive a player on an expiring contract or a player with an option for 2025-26 (5pm ET)
April 13:
- Last day of the NBA regular season
- Last day players can sign contracts for 2024-25
- Last day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts
- Luxury tax penalties calculated based on payroll as of this day
April 14: Playoff rosters set (3pm ET)
April 15-18: NBA Play-In Tournament
April 19: NBA Playoffs Begin
April 26: Deadline for early entrants to declare for the NBA draft (10:59 pm CT).
May 9-11: NBA G League combine
May 12: NBA draft lottery
May 11-18: NBA draft combine
May 28: Last day for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA draft and retain their NCAA eligibility (10:59 pm CT)
June 5: NBA Finals begin
June 15: Deadline for all early entrants (including international players) to withdraw from the NBA draft (4:00 pm CT)
June 22: Latest possible end date for NBA Finals
First day after NBA Finals: Teams can begin negotiating with their own free agents
June 25: Day one of NBA draft (first round)
June 26: Day two of NBA draft (second round)
June 29
- Last day for decisions on player, team, and early termination options
- Note: Certain contracts will require earlier decisions
- Last day for teams to make qualifying offers to players eligible for restricted free agency
June 30
- Last official day of the 2024/25 NBA league year
- Last day for players eligible for veteran extensions in 2024/25 to sign them
- Teams can begin negotiating with free agents from other clubs (5:00 pm CT)
July 1
- Official start of the 2025/26 NBA league year
- Moratorium period begins
- Restricted free agents can sign an offer sheet
- Teams can begin signing players to one- or two-year minimum-salary contracts
- Teams can begin signing players to two-way contracts
- Teams can begin signing first-round picks to rookie scale contracts
- Teams can begin signing second-round picks using the second-round pick exception
- Teams can begin exercising the third- or fourth-year team options for 2026/27 on rookie scale contracts
July 5-8: Salt Lake City Summer League
July 6
- Moratorium period ends (11:01 am CT)
- Teams can begin officially signing players, extending players, and completing trades (11:01 am CT)
- The 24-hour period for matching an RFA offer sheet signed during the moratorium begins (11:01 am CT)
July 6-9: California Classic Summer League
July 10-20: Las Vegas Summer League
July 13: Last day for teams to unilaterally withdraw qualifying offers to restricted free agents
July 31: Players signed using the second-round pick exception begin to count against a team’s cap.
August 5: Last day for teams to issue required tenders to unsigned second-round picks.
August 29: Last day for teams to waive players and apply the stretch provision to their 2025/26 salaries.
Legend:
Awards Miscellaneous NBA Draft Playoffs Preseason Rosters