Key Offseason Dates for the Lakers, Mavs, and Luka
Free agency, player options, team options, extensions, and other key upcoming milestones
Tonight is the decisive Game 7, the final chapter of the 2024–25 NBA season. You can expect my last Game Observation of the season tomorrow.
But the league is already neck-deep in a wild, reshuffling summer that will shape the 2025–26 season and beyond. We've seen one massive domino fall with Desmond Bane sent to Orlando for a mountain of picks, and the Buss family selling their majority stake in the Lakers to Mark Walter. That off-court move instantly raised expectations for how L.A. will build around Luka Dončić. It's a big week for the Mavericks too. Wednesday marks Day 1 of the NBA Draft and the official start of the Cooper Flagg era in Dallas. The draft is also another day when we can expect a wave of league-shaking moves to hit.
To help us all navigate the offseason ahead, I’ve put together an overview of the key dates and milestones to watch—especially if you’re following the Mavericks, the Lakers, or the next chapter in Luka Dončić’s career. It will also be interesting to see if the two franchises, so closely linked by the trade, could strike another deal. After all the backlash Nico Harrison has faced since the trade, it’s kind of hard to imagine, but their roster strengths and weaknesses (ballhandling and size for the Lakers, and the opposite for the Mavericks) make them almost natural trade partners.
2025–26 Lakers offseason key dates
Wednesday, June 25: NBA Draft Day 1
The Lakers don’t currently hold a first-round pick, but this is a date when plenty of movement and transactions are expected across the league.
Thursday, June 26: NBA Draft Day 2 - The Lakers currently hold the 55th pick in the second round. I’ve written about the potential second-round gems they could find [here].
Sunday, June 29 – LeBron James player option deadline
The first—and potentially most important—domino of the Lakers’ offseason. LeBron must decide on his $52.6 million player option for next season. There’s plenty of speculation (and skepticism) about whether he might opt out and re-sign on terms more favorable to the team, potentially unlocking access to the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception—an asset that would significantly expand the Lakers’ flexibility and options in free agency.Sunday, June 29 – Dorian Finney-Smith player option deadline
Another key Lakers rotation player, Finney-Smith holds a $15.4 million player option for the 2025–26 season. He must decide by June 29. Whether he picks it up, extends, or negotiates a new deal will be another important milestone in shaping the Lakers’ offseason.Sunday, June 29 – Team option deadline for Jordan Goodwin
The Lakers must decide whether to pick up Goodwin’s $2.35 million team option for the 2025–26 season. The deal includes a small partial guarantee and becomes fully guaranteed on January 10, 2026.
June 30 – NBA free agency negotiation period begins
Each NBA team may begin negotiating with all other upcoming free agents (beginning at 6 p.m. ET)
July 6 – Free agent signings can become official
Beginning at 12:01 p.m. ET, teams can officially sign free agents to contracts following the end of the league’s moratorium period.July 6 – Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent become extension-eligible
Reaves’ future—whether as part of the Lakers' long-term core or as a key trade chip—is one of the most intriguing big-picture questions facing the team. He’s widely expected to decline an extension this summer, opt out in 2026, and pursue a more lucrative deal in free agency. Hachimura, like Reaves, remains one of the Lakers’ most mentioned assets in trade rumors and roster upgrade scenarios.July 20 – Shake Milton contract guarantee date
Milton’s $3 million contract for the 2025–26 season is fully non-guaranteed until this date. The Lakers must decide whether to keep him on the roster or waive him before the guarantee kicks in.August 2 – Luka Dončić becomes extension-eligible
Dončić holds a $48.9 million player option for the 2026–27 season and becomes extension-eligible on this date. The expectation is that he will commit to the Lakers in some form, especially after hinting at a positive outlook following Mark Walter’s takeover of the team. Whether he and his representatives pursue a three-year, four-year, or go for another option remains to be seen—but having the option to put the final stamp on the Lakers’ offseason after seeing how the front office reshapes the roster adds one more layer to an already pivotal summer.
2025–26 Mavericks offseason key dates
Tuesday, June 24 – Kyrie Irving player option deadline
A key milestone for the Mavericks. Kyrie holds a $44 million player option for next season that he must either pick up or decline by this date. He becomes extension-eligible on July 7. While there’s a general expectation that he’ll remain in Dallas, his decison and structure of a potential new contract or extension—years, value, and incentives—makes this situation one of the more intriguing ones to monitor early in the offseason.
Tuesday, June 24 – Dwight Powell picks up player option
Like Irving, Powell had a June 24 deadline to decide on his $4 million player option for next season. The veteran big man and respected locker room leader chose to opt in, securing his return to Dallas for 2025–26.
Wednesday, June 25: NBA Draft Day 1
The Cooper Flagg era in Dallas is officially expected to begin. For those who missed it, here’s a deep dive on Flagg and his potential historical comparisons.
Thursday, June 26: NBA Draft Day 2
The Mavericks currently don’t hold a second-round pick. But they could still add a selection later in the draft via trade. I’ve written about some of the potential late-draft gems [here].
June 30 – NBA free agency negotiation period begins
Each NBA team may begin negotiating with all other upcoming free agents (beginning at 6 p.m. ET)
July 6 – Free agent signings can become official
Beginning at 12:01 p.m. ET, teams can officially sign free agents to contracts following the end of the league’s moratorium period.July 7 – Kyrie Iriving becomes extension-eligible
August 29 - P.J. Washington becomes extension-eligible
Alongside Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford, Washington is one of the Mavericks entering next season on an expiring deal—making him a frequent name in trade speculation. He becomes extension-eligible on August 29. For a detailed breakdown of his extension options, check out this great post by my friend MavsNewCBA on Twitter.
Gafford is also entering the final year of his contract and, EDIT: after double-checking with MavsNewCBA, is already extension-eligible this offseason.
According to Tim MacMahon, Gafford is seeking “starting center money,” which makes the Mavericks’ decision on how to allocate resources among their frontcourt—anchored by Anthony Davis and Dereck Lively II (who becomes extension-eligible after next season)—a very intriguing one.