The Brooklyn Nets are headed into winter and a number of decisions between now and the NBA Draft loom large for the franchise. There’s the Draft Lottery and NBA Draft in May and June, specific dates to be announced. Meanwhile, the New York Liberty will face the WNBA expansion draft on December 5. They too will have a big May date: Opening Night at Barclays Center the first banner to raised in Brooklyn since 1955. The Long Island Nets will also make three trips to suburban Montreal in hopes of expanded the Nets brand to French-speaking Canada.
—November 19: Nets face the Hornets in the Emirates Cup at Barclays Center.
—November 22 – Possible G League debut for Cui Yongxi who began practicing with Long Island this week. Long Island plays the Raports 905 Friday in suburban Toronto.
—November 22: Nets travel to Philadelphia to face the 76ers in the Emirates Cup.
—December 6: WNBA expansion draft. Each WNBA team is allowed to protect six of their 12 roster players from the Golden State Valkyrie who become the league’s 13th team in 2025. Golden State will have the opportunity to acquire the player contract of, or the negotiating rights to, one available player from each of the current 12 teams,
—December 10: Emirates Cup knockout round opens.
—December 14: Emirates NBA Cup Semifinals (Las Vegas, NV)
—December 15: First day the 80 NBA players signed in the off-season can be traded and the unofficial start of trade season. The bigger the player pool, the more flexibility teams have in making deals, particularly complicated ones. Also, it marks the end of the first third of the season and GMs have a good idea of their needs.
—December 17: Emirates NBA Cup Championship (Las Vegas, NV)
—December 19-22: NBA G League Winter Showcase (Orlando, FL) where NBA GMs scout players from all 31 G League teams
—January 5: 10-day contracts may now be signed as long as teams have roster spot.
—January 10: Jalen Wilson and Keon Johnson’s partially guaranteed deals become fully guaranteed.
—January 24-27 – Long Island Nets —as “Les Nets” — travel to suburban Montreal for first two of six “home games” the organization is playing in Place Bell in Laval, Quebec. It’s a way for the Nets to open a new fan base in French-speaking Canada.
—January 25 – Brooklyn Nets retire Vince Carter’s No. 15 at Barclays Center vs. Miami Heat. Game time: 6:00 p.m. ET.
—February 5 – 6: “Les Nets” second visit to Montreal.
—February 6: NBA Trade Deadline (3:00 p.m. ET)
—February 14-19: All-Star Break.
—February 16: Game at Chase Center in San Francisco
—March 1: Playoff Eligibility Waiver Deadline. Players seeking eligibility for playoffs must be waived by this date. Big day for buyouts.
—March 13 – 14: Third visit of Long Island’s “Les Nets” to suburban Montreal.
—April 1: G League Playoffs begins
—April 13: NBA Regular Season ends. All 30 teams to play. Seven Eastern Conference games to tip-ff at 1 p.m. ET. The one cross-conference and seven Western Conference games to tip-off at 3:30 p.m. ET. Nets close out season vs. Knicks at Barclays Center.
—April 14 – WNBA Draft.
—April 15-18: NBA Play-In Tournament.
—April 19: NBA Playoffs begin
—April 29: WNBA Training Camp Begins
—May TBA: New York Liberty open defense of their WNBA title. Banner raising at Barclays Center
—May TBA: NBA Draft Lottery in Chicago. Where will the Nets pick?
—June 5: NBA Finals 2025 presented by YouTube TV begin. All games will be televised on ABC
—June TBA: NBA Draft. Who will the Nets pick?
—June 29: Jalen Wilson and Keon Johnson team option for 2025-26.
—June 30: Dorian Finney-Smith player option for 2025-26.
—June 30: Cam Thomas, Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams restricted free agency begins.
There are other decisions that have less firm dates, like whether Jordi Fernandez will continue to coach Team Canada, starting with this summer. Fernandez has said he’s unsure, but at some point, he will have to tell Canadian Basketball of his plans. One point in his decision-making process is whether he wants to devote his summer to FIBA. In addition to his role as head coach with Team Canada, Fernandez has been an assistant for the Spanish and Nigerian teams in international play.