When the NBA Free Agency opens Friday at 6 p.m. ET, a flurry of activity will follow.
But some trends have emerged that will define the informal moves. Some big moves have occurred before free agency begins, many players will end up on the same team and teams are intent on creating salary cap space next season.
Teams like Boston (Trading for Kristaps Porzingis), Phoenix (Trade for Bradley Bell) and memphis (The acquisition of Marcus Smart) didn’t wait for free agency and didn’t have the financial means to get those kind of players in free agency so they turned to deals.
He signed Nikola Vucevic from Chicago and Naz Reed from Minnesota by extensions to avoid free agency and Gary Trent Jr. exercised his $18.5 million option to stay with Toronto.
Here’s what you need to know to go to a free agency:
Which teams have a lot of salary room?
Houston Rockets
San Antonio Spurs
Orlando Magic
Oklahoma City Thunder
Detroit Pistons
When does free agency start?
The NBA Free Agency kicks off on Friday, June 30 at 6 p.m. EST. Teams can instantly negotiate and reach deals with players.
July 1-6 is a negotiation period called the free agency freeze. As a result, the contracts could not be formally signed until 12:01 AM EST on July 6th. Any deals prior to that day are considered agreements between the player and the team.
Who are the best free agents?
Kyrie Irving, James Harden and Draymond Green lead the list of free agents in the NBA for 2023. All three are expected to re-sign with their teams, but anything can happen in this era of the NBA.
Important names could be on the move from title contenders. Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez are free agents for the Milwaukee Bucks. The NBA champions Denver Nuggets will have to make a decision on free agent Bruce Brown, who played a key role in achieving the title. here All top free agents In this class.
What is an unrestricted free agent?
The most popular free agent is the unrestricted agent. Simply put, an unrestricted free agent can sign with any team he desires. Once this contract is officially signed, the player becomes part of the new team.
What is a restricted free agent?
This is where it gets a little complicated. A restricted free agent can sign an offer sheet with any team, but the player’s home team has a chance to keep the player by matching the offer.
For example, if restricted free agent Austin Reeves is offered a contract by the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Lakers have the right to match the offer and keep Reaves. The NBA says the original team has a “right of first refusal.”
Restricted free agents exist in these cases: after the fourth year of a rookie’s contract for a prior first-round pick; Veteran free agents with three or fewer seasons of experience; and a player released from a dual contract who spent at least 15 days on an NBA roster in the previous season. (A two-way contract allows a player to be matched with an NBA team or its G League affiliate.)
What we hear about free agency
Fred VanVleet will get paid. The Rockets are willing to offer a two-year deal in the $80 million range, and while the Raptors are interested in keeping the All-Star guard, the Raptors are closer to a deal in the three-year, $90 million range as they weigh other financial obligations, current and future. …
The Rockets are willing to spend money as they try to speed up rebuilding under first-year head coach Emi Odoka. They also have an interest in Brooke Lopez, but as veteran NBA reporter Mark Stein reports, it looks like Lopez will re-sign with Milwaukee, who want to bring back Khris Middleton. …
The Magic is an interesting team to watch. They have strong young players in 2022-23 Rookie of the Year Paolo Panchero and 2021-22 rookie senior artist Franz Wagner, and they had a solid draft pick in 2023, picking Anthony Black #6 and Jett Howard #11. They were in the chase until late in the season and were close 500 team in the second half of the season. Don’t be surprised if they spend some money on a short-term deal to keep salary cap space past 2023-24. …
Green plans to keep an open mind in free agency as Golden State wants him back. Determining the salary and the duration of the contract are the main issues. Three or four years for $25 million a season could do this deal between Green State and Golden State. Outside of the Warriors, interest is expected from Sacramento and Detroit. New Suns owner Matt Eshpia, who like Green played basketball at Michigan State, would like to add Green, but that would require a significant signing and trade. …
Watch for Phoenix center Deandre Ayton’s name to appear in trade scenarios as well. …
On the night Denver won the title, the Browns’ head backup said money wasn’t the only thing. However, he turned down the final season of his deal to become a free agent this summer, and he’ll have interest including some from the Lakers, who lost to the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. …
It does exist to an extent, but the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George pairing may come to an end as the Clippers explore trade possibilities. …
Dallas would like to add another All-Star player besides Luka Doncic and Irving, who is expected to re-sign with the Mavericks.
What are the biggest free agent contracts in NBA history?
There are two distinct categories when looking at the biggest contracts in NBA history: free agent deals and supermax extensions. Players are eligible for supermax extensions if they played seven years and were named to the All-NBA Team either the previous season or both prior to their seventh season.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic signed a five-year, $276 million SuperMax extension last season, the richest in NBA history. Jokic signed the deal with one year remaining on his previous five-year, $147 million contract, therefore, it is an extension and not a contract he signed as a free agent.
In a signing and trade with the Nets, Kevin Durant had to sign a four-year, $164 million contract extension with the Warriors to make the trade work. Durant made $41 million a year from that deal, the most annually under a contract signed by a free agent.
76ers forward Tobias Harris signed a five-year, $180 million contract extension in 2019, the largest annual deal as a free agent.
This article originally appeared in the USA TODAY: NBA Free Agency 2023: What do you know, when they start, the rumors, the deals