Go easy - I don't understand how this works and want to know. Is there a deadline for FA signs and trades?
Free agents don't technically have to sign with anyone, ever. There is a cut off in March where playoff rosters must be set and teams cannot add players. Trades can be made up until the February trade deadline. So for all intents and purposes, there are no deadlines for LeBron, Wade, Bosh, et al. to pick a team. They can pretty much take as long as they want...not that they will.
Thanks. What do the FA do in the meantime? Are they still considered to be on their team and practice as such - for that matter do they play when the season starts? ( Obviously if they have not signed with another team). I know these are dumb questions, but I really don't understand.
Free agents do whatever they want to do. They technically do not have a team until they sign a new contract, but often times they will still use their previous team's facilities to work out and stay in shape if there is a chance they re-sign. I'm not entirely sure, but as far as I know this is just a mutual agreement between the player and the team...nothing official about it really.
Free agents don't belong to any team. They are team-less. If they don't have a contract with a team when the season starts, they don't play. They work out by themselves and hope that some team will sign them. It's kind of like if you got fired from your job. Your contract is terminated. You don't show up to work (there or at any other job) the next Monday. You have to find someone else to hire you before you can work again.
The only deadline that matters right now is July 8th that is the day that all FAs have to wait until to commit to their new(or old) teams. The other end of the spectrum is like what was said above.
