📅 NBA Offseason Guide

June (Draft): 58 picks over 2 rounds. The lottery determines the top 14 picks. Tanking teams pray for #1. Draft night trades are the most exciting 3 hours in basketball. Woj bombs every 5 minutes.

June 30 (Free Agency): At 6pm ET, the madness begins. Stars announce their decisions via Instagram, The Players' Tribune, or TV specials (LeBron's "The Decision" in 2010 was the most-watched ESPN event ever). Most deals are agreed within the first 2 hours.

July (Summer League): Las Vegas. Rookies and fringe players compete for roster spots. Overreactions are mandatory. "This rookie is the next MJ!" (He'll be in the G-League by December.)

September (Training Camp): Teams report. New players learn the system. Veterans complain about being out of shape. Media day produces memes for the entire season.

NBA trades can happen anytime except during the moratorium (July 1-6). The trade deadline in February is chaos. Stars demand trades via social media. GMs work the phones for weeks. Most "done deals" fall apart at the last minute.

The worst team gets a 14% chance at #1 (not guaranteed). The lottery was created to prevent tanking. It doesn't work — teams still tank. They just call it "development" now.