NBA:Off-Season
| Reference | Contracts · Rosters · Salary Cap · League Spreadsheet |
| Transactions | Waivers · Trades · Options · Re-Signing · Draft · Free Agency · G League · Injured Reserve |
| Timeline | Off-Season · In-Season |
| Governance | League Structure · GM Responsibilities · Rule Changes |
| Tools | Re-Sign Calculator · Free Agency Bid Calculator |
The off-season begins as soon as the Finals conclude and ends on day 1 of the next season.
It runs in a fixed order. Each phase opens on a date announced by the commissioner, but the order never changes, and a decision made in an earlier phase cannot be revisited in a later one.
The order
| Phase | You must | If you don't | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check-In | Confirm you are running your team for the coming season | You are replaced |
| 2 | Options | Exercise or decline every option year | Treated as a decline — the player goes to free agency |
| 3 | Re-Signing | Post any re-signs you want, with the math | Nothing — re-signing is optional |
| 4 | Draft | Make every selection you hold, both rounds | Not specified — ask TAB |
| 5 | Free Agency | Bid on whoever you want | Nothing — bidding is optional |
Trades reopen at check-in and run through the rest of the off-season. Draft picks become tradeable at the same moment.
This year's dates
Announced each off-season in NBA Off-Season Schedule. The 2026 off-season ran:
| Phase | Window |
|---|---|
| Check-In | July 1 – July 15 |
| Trades reopen | Early July, once check-in starts |
| Options | July 16 – July 30, 11:59 PM CST |
| Re-Signing | July 24, 5 AM CST – August 7, 11:59 PM CST |
| Draft | August 9, 8 AM CST |
| Free Agency | August 27, 8 AM CST |
Roster and cap through the off-season
The salary cap binds the whole way through. Every option you exercise, re-sign you make, pick you draft, and bid you win counts against $60,000,000 the moment it happens.
Roster size does not. You may sit above or below 12–15 active players for the entire off-season.
By opening day
Three things must be true:
- 12–15 active players
- Under the salary cap
- An accurate posted roster, with your Fantrax roster matching it
This is not just an opening-day requirement — a current roster gates re-signing and free agency during the off-season too. See GM Responsibilities.
See also
- Option Years — the first phase, and the one with a default penalty
- Re-Signing — the 3 tags and the formula
- Draft — order, lottery, and rookie contracts
- Free Agency — the points bidding system
- In-Season — what changes once the season starts