NBA free agency to begin Aug. 2

The NBA calendar is slightly pushed back from its standard format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that will continue through the upcoming offseason. 

On Monday, the NBA confirmed that free agency will begin on Aug. 2 at 6 p.m. ET, when clubs can first start negotiating with out-of-contract players. Teams will be permitted to officially sign free agents on Aug. 6 at 12:01 p.m ET. 

According to Tim Bontemps of ESPN, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said over All-Star weekend last month he's hopeful the league will be able to begin the 2021-22 season in October, as normal. The upcoming NBA Finals will take place in July, with a potential game seven scheduled for July 22.

"I'm fairly optimistic, at this point, that we'll be able to start on time," Silver explained in March. 

Bontemps added that it remains unknown if the NBA will hold the annual Summer League after the Finals. The Association canceled the Summer League last year due to the pandemic and instead hosted the 2019-20 season restart at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. 

The NBA Draft will take place July 29.