NBA Free Agency 2025: Schedule & Rules

Every summer, NBA free agency captures the attention of the entire sports world.

In part due to the sheer drama of it all, in part due to the basic excitement of seeing old faces in new places, and in part due to the empty nature of the sports calendar in late June and early July, NBA free agency dominates sports television and discussion for days on end. It's an annual tradition.

This year's free agency should prove to be no different. Coming on the heels of a competitive NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, kicking off days after the most hyped prospect in years in Cooper Flagg is selected during June 25's NBA draft, free agency has a lot to live up to. But with an intruiging crop of talent available both in free agency and via trade (and the additional complications the CBA brings to contending teams that affect both pools of players) it will be worth keeping an eye on.

Here's the schedule, rules, and everything else you need to know about NBA free agency this summer.

NBA Free Agency Schedule

When does NBA free agency start?

NBA free agency kicks off on June 30. But there are multiple key start dates to take into account.

The day after the last game of the Finals, which can be any time in early June during the series, teams can begin to negotiate with upcoming free agents on their roster. The Pacers, for example, cannot negotiate with upcoming unrestricted free agent Myles Turner on a new deal until the day after the Finals—whenever that comes.

June 30 is the next key date. At 6 p.m. ET that day, free agency officially begins, but no contract can be officially signed. This is called the moratorium period, where teams are permitted to negotiate with free agents and agree to terms. But no ink can be spilled quite yet. This is when the big names come off the board, often within minutes of free agency kicking off.

On July 6, at 12:01 p.m. ET, free agents can sign contracts. Whatever agreements teams came to with prospective free agents during the moratorium period can be acted upon and signed on paper. The free agents who did not come to terms with any team during the moratorium can continue to negotiate.

When does NBA free agency end?

Once free agency opens in late June it remains open throughout the summer. The "end" of free agency comes in early October and serves as a final date for teams to sign-and-trade free agents and offer rookie-scale contract extensions. Once the season begins teams are still permitted to sign free agents, but the roster flexibility is significantly less than if they were signing those free agents during the summer.

NBA free agency key dates

After all that explanation, here's a collection of dates most important to remember for 2025 NBA free agency.

NBA free agency rules

The rules for NBA free agency are pretty simple.

Under no circumstances can teams negotiate with players until the start of free agency. Once the NBA Finals end, teams are permitted to negotiate with players on their own roster who will be free agents, but not players on other rosters. On June 30, the floodgates open completely and teams are allowed to negotiate with players from other teams who are free agents. Then, on July 6, contracts can be signed to make everything official.

Does that mean there are no teams who try to push the boundaries and negotiate before the allotted time, therefore giving themselves the upper hand? No. Teams have tried and will likely continue to try doing that without consequence. But the NBA has been willing to fine teams both monetarily and by docking draft picks when they are found to be in violation of free agency rules.