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With the 2020-2021 NBA season officially wrapped up with the Milwaukee Bucks crowned as champions, the offseason is finally here. As we've known for quite some time now, the first major date of the new year will be on Thursday, July 29, as the NBA Draft is set to kick off.

Then, roughly a week later, the new year really begins as the Philadelphia 76ers, and the rest of the league will have the opportunity to begin negotiating deals with free agents through the open market.

Although the league hasn't made any team's schedule official just yet, the NBA did announce some of the major dates for next season on Tuesday, beginning with the free agency negotiating period. 

Dates to Keep an Eye on

  • August 2, 2021: Free Agency Negotiating Period Begins at 6 PM EST.
  • August 6, 2021: Free Agency Signing Period Begins at 12:01 PM EST.
  • August 8-17, 2021: NBA Summer League
  • September 28, 2021: Training Camp Begins
  • October 19, 2021: Regular Season Begins
  • April 10, 2022: Regular Season Concludes
  • April 12-15, 2022: NBA Play-In Tournament
  • April 16, 2022: NBA Playoffs Begin
  • June 2, 2022: NBA Finals Begin
  • June 19, 2022: Game 7 of NBA Finals (Final Game of Season, If Necessary) 
  • June 23, 2022: NBA Draft

With the 2020-2021 NBA season ending in mid-July, the NBA had intentions of getting next season back on track following two odd seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a late October start, it seems the league is finally getting things back to normal.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.