Some of the players to watch in the NBA’s free agency, which begins Friday night:
James Harden, Philadelphia
The 76ers can’t let him go, and Harden knows that. Other teams will want him, and that’ll make the 76ers dig deep. It might be a short deal, maybe two years with the second option, but if Philly is going to fight for a title this coming season, MVP has to corner Joel Embiid with elite talent.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas
This would be fun. Irving is one of the best players in the NBA. He also tends to be a challenge, clearly becoming unhappy with the passage of time at his previous stops – Cleveland, Boston and Brooklyn. It seems unlikely that Irving would want a short-term deal, but not many teams could afford him either.
Fred Van Fleet, Toronto
If Houston doesn’t land Harden, the Rockets might take a swing at Vanfleet and throw a lot of money his way. Raptors need to decide on a direction; The next few days will show if the plan wins now, or takes a while to reset a bit. What they offer VanVleet will likely tell the tale. He may be on his way to moving forward.
Austin Reeves, Los Angeles Lakers
Talk about a success story. Reeves was flaky, averaged 7.3 points per game as a junior, averaged 13 points per game last season, and became the Lakers’ third-best player behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Teams can offer him four years for close to $99 million, and that’s likely what the Lakers need to keep him.
Draymond Green, Golden State
No team spends more than the Warriors. And Green may not be the easiest character to deal with on a daily basis. But he’s been a pretty big part in all of Golden State’s last four championship runs. It’s hard to imagine it elsewhere, though the new CBA rules make that more likely.
Chris Middleton, Milwaukee
This should be easy. It seems Middleton is, in a way, still underrated. Olympic gold medalist and NBA champion is the perfect running mate for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, simply because he doesn’t seem to care if he gets five shots or 25 shots. Expect usd to write the check and keep it.
Bruce Brown, Denver
The Nuggets want to restart it with as many players as possible for this year’s title. The Browns will have to turn down $5 million or more next season to make that happen, since the Nuggets can’t offer him anything over $7.8 million for next season. Denver is hoping the Browns can bet themselves here.
Max Strauss and Gabe Vincent, Miami
The Heat wouldn’t have reached the NBA Finals last season without these two players, both of whom were incredible hits as part of Miami’s development program. They’re in line for the big paydays; Perhaps $10 million or more awaits each starting next season. Miami may have to make a tough choice.
Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Clippers
Everyone knows the common complaint about Westbrook: He’s not a 3-point shooter. But he was never, and yet he’s still part of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, he’s great with young players, he’s a nine-time All-Star, two-time scoring champion and three-time assistant champion. There is one thing missing from his CV and that would bring value to the competitor.
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee and Jacob Boltel, Toronto
If teams want centers, the list starts with these guys. Lopez is 35, but he had his best season in six years, and that should make the Bucks want to keep him around. Poeltl is intriguing, a good finisher, has been a good edge protector more often than not, and is probably entering his best years.
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