With the NBA Finals starting, there are few more landmarks left in the summer before the 2023-’24 NBA season begins. Several of which will feature the Washington Wizards as one of the most interesting teams in the league.
The Draft Lottery may have already past, but there are still plenty of events for the Wiz to be excited for. the actual NBA Draft still lies ahead with the free agency period following shortly after.
There will be plenty of questions asked and answered for the franchise this summer. Will they keep the core together? Who should they draft with the eighth pick? Is Kyle Kuzma the greatest fashion icon in NBA history? We will have to wait and see.
Now, let’s get into the actual days the Wizards have to look forward to.
Next up: the NBA Draft, where the Washington Wizards hold the eighth pick
Less than a month away, the NBA Draft lands on Thursday, June 22 at 8:00 Eastern Time. A date that will likely take up a majority of online discourse once the Finals are over.
The Wizards hold the eighth pick in the draft and will likely face a few question regarding their selection.
They could choose to go all in with the current roster based on fit with Anthony Black. They could decide to fully reconstruct the roster built around Cam Whitmore. They could even surprise the world and take Cason Wallace as an all-around threat.
The deadline for player and team options
June 29th is the due date for teams and players to opt in or out of their option years in their contract.
Players such as Deni Avdija and Corey Kispert currently have team options for next season while Kyle Kuzma and Kristaps Porzingis both have player options. Kuzma is expected to opt out of his deal in search of more money and it is unknown what Porzingis intends to choose.
Next up is the Free Agency Moratorium period
The Moratorium period takes up the first week or so of free agency. It will begin on June 30th at 6:00PM Eastern Time.
This is a period of time where teams may negotiate with players and even agree on a deal, however, no contracts can be signed during this time. This has led to great moments in past years like the Deandre Jordan incident back in 2016.
After that is the NBA Free Agency period
The official start of free agency when teams may begin signing players to contracts is on July sixth. This is one of the most chaotic points in the NBA offseason.
Once again, the Wizards will run into plenty of questions. Do they pay Kyle Kuzma the money he wants? Who do they add to boost the roster? What players need to come back and who needs to go? This is the time where they will be answered.
2023 NBA Summer League
While the Washington Wizards don’t have a long list of players to watch in the Summer League like the San Antonio Spurs, it will be interesting to see any way. The Las Vegas Summer League will last from July 7-July 17.
Finally, the start of the next NBA season
While the full schedule has yet to be announced, we do know that the 2023-’24 NBA season will tip off on October 24th. The Wizards will have answered most of their questions by this point, although the verdict is still out on Kyle Kuzma’s fashion sense.
This give the Washington Wizards some days to look forward to led by their new front office featuring Michael Winger.