When it comes to this stage of the NBA calendar, several dates come with particularly significant meaning for the Miami Heat.
While the draft board has been rolled away from the practice court at FTX Arena, merely a temporary fixture, the league’s personnel board in Pat Riley’s office suite, with all of its movable nameplates, is a staple.
Those names, including many on Riley’s roster, are about to come into play.
Tuesday: This is when the Heat are scheduled to begin heading to the West Coast to set up a summer camp in advance of their summer leagues.
The Heat typically hold a rookie/free agent camp ahead of their summer-league opener, which this year is Saturday at the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center.
Mychal Mulder, Javonte Smart, Haywood Highsmith and Omer Yurtseven are among those from this past season’s roster expected to participate in summer league for the Heat.
Wednesday: The Heat face four deadlines on this date, the deadlines to guarantee the $1.8 million 2022-23 salaries for Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Yurtseven, as well as the deadline for P.J. Tucker to formally opt into free agency.
This also would have been the deadline for the Heat to extend a qualifying offer to Caleb Martin to make him a restricted free agent, which the team already has done.
Thursday: Teams can begin negotiations with free agents at 6 p.m. Eastern.
The timing element is significant, with the Heat docked a second-round pick in last week’s draft for what the NBA perceived as jumping the gun in last year’s free-agency negotiations with Kyle Lowry. As a recidivist the penalty likely would be more severe.
Friday: The first $50,000 of Highsmith’s $1.8 million 2022-23 salary becomes guaranteed if the Heat developmental forward is not waived by this date.
This also is the first day that offer sheets can be extended to restricted free agents, such as the Heat’s Martin, as well as the first day that 2022 draft picks can be signed.
It also is the first day teams can sign players to two-way contracts, with such deals for 2022-23 currently held with the Heat by Smart and Mulder. Teams are limited to two such contracts, which can be swapped out at any time.
Saturday: The Heat play their first game of summer league, at 5 p.m. Eastern against a similar team of draft picks, rookies, free agents and younger players from the Los Angeles Lakers at the Chase Center in San Francisco, in the opener of the California Classic.
July 3: The Heat play their second game of summer league, at 5 p.m. Eastern against the Sacramento Kings.
July 5: The Heat play a closed scrimmage against the summer roster of the Warriors at 3 p.m. Eastern to close out their time at the California Classic.
The Heat later in the day move their summer-league base to Las Vegas.
July 6: The free-agency signing moratorium ends at noon Eastern, at which time contracts can be signed and previously agreed-upon trades based on the 2022-23 salary cap can be consummated.
This also starts the two-day clock for matching any offer sheets extended to restricted free agents during the July 1-6 signing moratorium.
July 9: The Heat play their Las Vegas Summer League opener against the Boston Celtics, at 5:30 p.m. Eastern.
July 12: Las Vegas Summer League game vs. Atlanta Hawks, at 7 p.m. Eastern.
July 13: Las Vegas Summer League game vs. Philadelphia 76ers, at 9 p.m. Eastern.
This is also the deadline for teams to unilaterally withdraw qualifying offers to restricted free agents, as the Heat did a year ago with Kendrick Nunn.
July 15: Las Vegas Summer League game vs. Toronto Raptors, at 10 p.m. Eastern.
July 16 or July 17: Heat final game at Las Vegas Summer League, with opponent and time to be determined.
August 31: The deadline for teams to waive and stretch the contracts for players for 2022-23, with the Heat this past season having carried such a $5.2 million cap hit for Ryan Anderson.
Day before start of 2022-23 regular season: This will be the deadline for the Heat to agree to an extension for Tyler Herro from his rookie-scale contract. Otherwise, Herro would become a restricted free agent in the 2023 offseason.
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