"So much to do in so little time. In the next couple of days the NBA will do its due diligence, dotting the I's and crossing the T's on an agreement that they agreed to in principle in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

There will be no litigation. The NBPA will reassemble itself. A new Collective Bargaining Agreement will be ratified and a 66-game season will begin Christmas Day.

If all goes as planned, NBA training camps will open on Dec. 9, as will free agency. Here's a look at what the Sixers will face before the start of the season:

Free agency

Fortunately for the Sixers, scrambling to sign free agents won't be too big of a deal. They have nine core guys under contract: Andre Iguodala, Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday, Elton Brand, Jodie Meeks, Lou Williams, Craig Brackins, Marreese Speights and Andres Nocioni.

The key guys they must decide on are restricted free agents Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes. Under the new CBA the team will have three days to match any offer either receives. Of course they also could re-sign both, beginning Dec. 9.

Young has been a reserve for the Sixers, though there may be teams seeking to make him a starter given his statistics last season, when he averaged 12.7 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the floor. His defense was greatly improved and his ability to create matchup problems for the opponent was an advantage.

Hawes was the team's starting center, though he put up reserve numbers. He averaged just 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 21 minutes a game. Depending what the Sixers are able to do in free agency, Hawes could be back in the same role or become a backup to a veteran big man yet to be named."