The NBA and the NBA Players Association finally decided there was no need for everyone to stay up until midnight on July 1 to see the first deals of free agency get done.
The NBA and the Player’s union released a joint statement on Friday morning, announcing that the start of the 2019 free agent period will move up six hours to 6 p.m. EST. So the Lakers could potentially have signed a new running mate for LeBron James before dinner on the West Coast.
While the star free agents typically have meetings with teams at the start of free agency, the time when they have been allowed to have them usually limits the first day to one meeting. Moving the start of free agency will definitely make the first day even more of an event than it has been in years past.
The move also speaks to the unsaid acknowledgement that players and teams have their plans set well before free agency, so there is no need for everyone to stay up late for no reason.
