Pa Luke Adams | on October 22, 2026 at 10:53 am
Happy NBA season 2026/27 calendar of important pre-season dates and deadlines for 2026 may be scrapped in favor of a list of key dates in the season for the ’26/27 campaign.
Here’s a breakdown of deadlines and events that will affect player movement over the next few months in the NBA:
October 24
October 26
- NBA G League training camps open.
October 30
- Emirates NBA Cup (mid-season tournament) begins.
November 2
November 6
- The NBA G League Tip-Off begins.
November 27
- The NBA Emirates Cup group stage is coming to an end.
December 1
- The order of priority for waiver claims is now based on the 2026/27 entry rather than the 2025/26 entry. Teams with the worst performance receive the highest priority.
December 4-5
- Quarterfinals of the Emirates NBA Cup.
December 8-9
- NBA Emirates Cup Semi-Finals.
December 11
December 15
December 19-22
- NBA G League Winter Showcase and Championship Tip-Off Tournament.
- The NBA G-League regular season begins.
January 5
January 7
- Last day of withdrawal non-guaranteed NBA contracts (including two-way contracts) before they become guaranteed for the remainder of the season. Salary is officially guaranteed on January 10th, unless players clear waivers by that date.
January 15
February 1
- Former first-round picks who have been stashed overseas can sign NBA rookie contracts for the 2027/28 season.
February 11
- Trade deadline (2 p.m. CT).
February 12
February 19-21
- All-Star Weekend in Phoenix (Mortgage Matchup Center).
February 28
March 1
- On the final day, one team can waive a player and remain eligible for the postseason for another team.
- Last day for restricted free agent to sign offer sheet.
March 4
March 10
March 27
- The NBA G-League regular season is coming to an end.
March 30
- The NBA G League playoffs begin.
April 9
- Last day to waive a player with an expiring contract or a player with an option for the 2027/28 season (16:00 Chinese time).
- Note: This deadline is April 9th instead of April 8th because none of Sunday’s games will take place before 4:00pm Chinese time.
April 11
- The last day of the NBA regular season.
- Final day players can sign contracts for 2026/27.
- Final day two-way contracts can be converted to standard NBA contracts.
- Luxury tax penalties are calculated based on that day’s wages.
April 12
- Playoff rosters set (2 p.m. CT).
April 13-16
April 17
Information from NBA.com was used in creating this post.