The 2023 NBA offseason is a pivotal one for the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets, who are likely to have a league-leading figure of approximately $60 million in salary cap space.
The Rockets (22-60) also have two first-round picks in the 2023 NBA draft, with their own coming in at No. 4 overall in the first round and another via the Los Angeles Clippers at No. 20 overall.
With future draft assets owed to Oklahoma City starting with the 2023-24 season, the Rockets also have an incentive to try and turn things around quickly as they enter what general manager Rafael Stone is calling “phase two” of their ongoing rebuilding process.
For Houston, could this next phase involve drafting a top prospect such as Scoot Henderson or Amen Thompson to pair with the existing young core of Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun? It might also feature the heavily rumored pursuit of a reunion with former franchise icon James Harden in free agency.
Here’s a look at key dates and deadlines for the upcoming 2023 offseason, which should be quite active in Houston.
2023 NBA draft combine
- May 15-21 in Chicago, Illinois (results)
2023 NBA draft lottery
- May 16, 7 p.m. CDT in Chicago, Illinois (results)
2023 NBA draft
- June 22, 7 p.m. CDT in Brooklyn, New York
May 31 is the deadline for early entrants to withdraw from the NBA draft and retain their NCAA eligibility. June 12 is the deadline for all early entrants (including international players) to withdraw.
2023 NBA free agency
- June 29: Last day for decisions on player, team and early termination options; last day for teams to make qualifying offers to players eligible for restricted free agency (RFA)
- June 30: Negotiations with free agents can begin (5 p.m. CDT)
- July 1: Moratorium period begins; RFAs can sign offer sheets; teams can sign players to rookie-scale contracts, minimum salary contracts, and two-way contracts; teams can exercise the third- or fourth-year team options (for 2023-24 season) on rookie-scale deals
- July 6: Moratorium period ends; teams can officially sign/extend players and finalize trades; two-day period begins for matching an RFA offer sheet agreed to during the moratorium
(Note: These dates are projections based on the 2022 offseason.)
2023 Las Vegas Summer League
- July 7-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada; schedule to be released later
Expected dates for start of 2023-24 NBA season
Late September: NBA training camps open
Early October: Preseason begins
Mid-to-late October: 2022-23 regular season begins
(Note: These date ranges are based on the 2022-23 league year. This post will be updated, once the dates are finalized by the NBA for 2022-23. Each team’s complete daily schedule for the preseason and 82-game regular season is typically released in August.)