When can we make an offer. How long does Indiana have to match. When do we have to make a decision on Batum. When are the contracts signed. Etc etc. Thank you.
Teams can talk to players and even reach an agreement in principle, but deals can't be signed until July 11th. That's when the July moratorium - the time period that the league figures out how much Basketball Related income they made last year and computes the new salary cap - is lifted. At that point, the Blazers can submit a formal offer for Hibbert and other teams can submit a formal offer for Batum. Once a restricted free agent signs an offer sheet, his previous team has 3 days to decide to match the contract or let the player walk.
Officially we can make an offer on the 11th. Once the offer sheet is signed by the player, the team he currently plays for has 3 days to match the offer sheet. During that time the money we offered is tied up
