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NBA officially shifts beginning of free agency moratorium period six hours earlier than previous start time

The NBA calendar is going to look a tad different in the near future.

The league announced that the start of the moratorium period will be moved up from midnight ET on July 1 to 6 p.m. ET on June 30. This would mean that teams can begin negotiating with free agents six hours earlier than in previous years.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) announced today an agreement to modify the time at which teams can begin negotiating with free agents.

Teams and players will now be permitted to begin free agent negotiations at 6 p.m. ET on June 30 — six hours earlier than the previous start time of 12:01 a.m. ET on July 1.

By league rules, teams also will be permitted to communicate with free agents or their representatives beginning at 6 p.m. ET on June 29 solely for the purpose of scheduling a meeting to take place at or after 6 p.m. ET on June 30.

The change allows teams to begin negotiating with players during normal business hours rather than the current system, where both sides have to wait until midnight before striking a deal. Deals can’t actually be officially signed until July.

In the past, it was often a mad dash to speak with prospective free agents at 12:01 a.m. ET and deals quickly begin to become reported. For example, players like Kevin Durant and Paul George struck deals to re-sign with the Golden State Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively, just as free agency began after midnight.

The move is expected to benefit both sides, so that teams can begin negotiating at a reasonable hour.

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