The Boston Celtics are just two wins away from ending the 2023-24 season. And since the NBA is now known as a year-round sport, that means we need to immediately shift our focus to the offseason.
This offseason promises to be a busy one for the Sacramento Kings. They have two draft picks (13th and 45th) in the 2024 NBA Draft, which is a two-day excursion taking place from June 26-27.
After that, the team will turn to free agency mode. This offseason, their main concern revolves around resigning Sixth Man of the Year (6MOY) runner-up Malik Monk (one of the best combo guards in the association).
If they can't do that, the Kings will have the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level (NTML), the Bi-Annual Exception (BAE), and veteran minimums to try and replace him. If they can retain Monk, they won't have their NTML anymore, but they will still have their BAE and veteran minimums.
Here at A Royal Pain, we have an ongoing series where we look at potential players the Kings could sign with those cap options and how much those players may be worth. So far, we've done De'Anthony Melton and Miles Bridges. But before we get into all that, when does the 2024 Free Agency period even begin?
When Does Free Agency Begin?
According to NBA.com, teams may begin negotiating with all free agents on June 30, 2024, at 6:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST). So, three days after the end of the draft.
However, the Kings don't have to wait that long to try and work out a new deal with Monk (or other soon-to-be free agents like Alex Len and JaVale McGee). NBA teams can begin working out new deals with upcoming free agents who ended the season on their roster the day after the last NBA Finals game. So, technically, the Kings can start trying to negotiate with Monk as soon as June 15 (if the Celtics end up sweeping the Dallas Mavericks).
Even though teams can start negotiating deals before July, no contracts can officially be inked until July 6, 2024, at 12:01 EST.