I have always been confused by July 1st - 12 pm free agent signings, a flurry of signings shortly after the start. I thought teams were not allowed to contact/negotiate deals beforehand. A few days ago I read an article that teams could contact the player/agent 5 days before July 1st and discuss and negotiate a deal, but cannot finalize until the official start. I am somewhat confused because I thought teams with UFA expiring contracts had exclusive rights ?