Feb. 1: Free agency signing period begins! Get those browser refresh fingers ready.
Jan. 15-Feb. 1: Players can begin talks with teams; teams can begin talks with players. Everyone can suss out the landscape and pitch to their hearts’ content, but no contracts can be signed.
Jan. 1-14: Teams must send qualifying offers to make players restricted or reserved. Players that are not restricted or reserved will become unrestricted free agents.
A note about coring: Players can be cored a maximum of three times and coring tags need to be applied during this two-week window. Per Her Hoops Stats, Candice Dupree and Tina Charles have been cored three times apiece and, therefore, cannot be cored again. Brittney Griner, for example, is cored by the Phoenix Mercury. Since each team is permitted to core only one player at a time, the Mercury cannot core another player unless they get rid of Griner first through trade or waiver, or in the event that she retires.