{"id":47696,"date":"2022-06-23T09:00:20","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T13:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=47696"},"modified":"2022-06-23T10:40:35","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T14:40:35","slug":"a-quick-guide-to-nba-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2022\/06\/23\/a-quick-guide-to-nba-free-agency\/","title":{"rendered":"A Quick Guide to NBA Free Agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got ten minutes? Read our primer on the upcoming NBA free agency period starting June 30th at 6:00 PM Eastern. This list includes free-agent fits for teams destined for the lottery as well as the NBA Finals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Please note that not all of these players will become free agents this offseason. A \u201cTO\u201d by a player\u2019s name means there\u2019s a \u201cteam option\u201d on the player\u2019s contract for the 2022-2023 season, so the team can choose to keep the player for one more year. A \u201cPO\u201d by a player\u2019s name means there\u2019s a \u201cplayer option,\u201d so that player can decide to either return to his team for another season or become a free agent this offseason. <\/span>P.J. Tucker<\/b><\/a>, for example, has <\/span>already opted out<\/span><\/a> of his contract to become a free agent this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Quick Guide to NBA Free Agency<\/h2>\n

All contract information is taken from <\/span><\/i>Spotrac<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Superstars in Free Agency<\/b><\/h3>\n

The superstar-caliber players who could be free agents include <\/span>James Harden<\/b><\/a> (PO), <\/span>Bradley Beal<\/b><\/a> (PO), <\/span>Kyrie Irving<\/b><\/a> (PO), and <\/span>Zach LaVine<\/b><\/a>. All four are spectacular scoring guards with question marks. Harden scored just 21 points per game, his lowest average since coming off the bench in Oklahoma City. Beal just posted a career-low in three-point shooting. Irving has played in 45% of Brooklyn\u2019s regular-season games the past three seasons. LaVine re-injured his left knee late this season after tearing the ACL in that knee in 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, these All-Star caliber performers have proven enough that all should get deals at or near their maximum annual salary. It\u2019s <\/span>impossible to predict<\/span><\/a> what <\/span>Irving will want<\/span><\/a>, but expect the others to re-sign with their teams. If they\u2019re unhappy, they could look to follow the <\/span>Paul George<\/b><\/a> model. He re-signed with Oklahoma City in the summer of 2018, then requested (and received) a trade to the Clippers the very next year when <\/span>Kawhi Leonard<\/b><\/a> went to LA. That will be an option for these players, especially <\/span>Beal<\/span><\/a> (who has a limited injury history) and LaVine (who just turned 27 in March).<\/span><\/p>\n

Restricted Free Agents<\/b><\/h3>\n

Restricted free agents are young players whose rookie contracts are ending. These players\u2019 previous teams can keep them even if they sign an offer with a new team. The previous team just has to offer a contract with the same terms as the new team\u2019s offer. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Suns have had <\/span>well-documented frustrations<\/span><\/a> with <\/span>DeAndre Ayton<\/b><\/a> in the wake of their second-round playoff exit, and there are rumors that Charlotte is hesitant to give <\/span>Miles Bridges<\/b><\/a> a <\/span>max offer sheet<\/span><\/a>. Detroit, San Antonio and Indiana are teams with the money to offer large contracts and players at similar ages. Phoenix and Charlotte would push for a sign-and-trade to recoup assets; if they decide not to retain Ayton and Bridges, respectively. The new team would ensure their contract offer won\u2019t be matched by agreeing to a sign-and-trade.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trades sending Bridges to Atlanta (for <\/span>John Collins<\/b><\/a> and a young player), Memphis (for <\/span>Dillon Brooks<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Ziaire Williams<\/b><\/a>), Miami (for <\/span>Tyler Herro<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Duncan Robinson<\/b><\/a>), or Sacramento (for the fourth pick and <\/span>Harrison Barnes<\/b><\/a>) could make sense if Charlotte finds any of those returns appealing. Bridges fits any team as a young, 6\u20196\u201d shot creator who averaged an efficient 20 points per game last season. San Antonio and Indiana have starting-level centers to send in an Ayton deal, and <\/span>Myles Turner<\/b><\/a> should inspire intrigue in Phoenix.<\/span><\/p>\n

Collin Sexton<\/b><\/a> tore his MCL, and <\/span>Darius Garland<\/b><\/a>\u2019s emergence makes him seem more like a luxury than a necessity for Cleveland. There are rumors that the <\/span>Nets may not want to offer<\/span><\/a> Nic Claxton<\/b><\/a> a substantial contract. <\/span>Donte DiVincienzo<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Anfernee Simons<\/b><\/a> likely won\u2019t change teams, but twins <\/span>Cody Martin<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Caleb Martin<\/b><\/a> can play for any squad as young reserve wings who can shoot and defend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Available Veteran Defenders<\/b><\/h3>\n

There are a number of strong veteran defenders available in free agency this season. P.J. Tucker was mentioned above, and he\u2019s joined by new champion <\/span>Gary Payton II<\/b><\/a> on this list as players with title rings. Tucker is one of the best defenders of wing scorers in the league, and the Sixers are <\/span>already rumored to have an interest<\/span><\/a>. Payton can both create steals and lock down opposing scorers one-on-one, and did well against <\/span>Jaylen Brown<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Jayson Tatum<\/b><\/a> at moments in the Finals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Tucker and Payton, <\/span>Gary Harris<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Nicolas Batum<\/b><\/a> (a <\/span>confirmed free agent<\/span><\/a> who also excels as a help defender) have proven they can guard top perimeter players one-on-one in the playoffs. <\/span>Kyle Anderson<\/b><\/a> supplements tough defense with ball-handling and buckets against mismatches. Lower-level candidates include point guard defenders <\/span>Delon Wright<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Jevon Carter<\/b><\/a>, limited shooters like <\/span>Bruce Brown<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Derrick Jones Jr.<\/b><\/a>, and guys who rejoined the NBA last season in <\/span>Danuel House Jr.<\/b><\/a> and <\/span>Davon Reed<\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Philadelphia is a good team with limited defenders around <\/span>Joel Embiid<\/b><\/a>, especially after <\/span>Danny Green<\/b><\/a> tore his ACL. Expect them to sign one or two names from this list to chase after perimeter scorers. Portland could have room to sign one of these players after waiving <\/span>Eric Bledsoe<\/b><\/a>, and Sacramento could sign someone to aid their playoff push under Mike Brown.<\/span><\/p>\n

Point Guards in Free Agency<\/b><\/h3>\n

This is mostly an excuse to talk about <\/span>Jalen Brunson<\/b><\/a>. Brunson, who turns 26 on August 31, proved his bruising drives, patient postups, and high-arching floaters were efficient playoff offense. The <\/span>Knicks<\/span><\/a> have long been rumored as a destination for Brunson, and the Mavericks will surely want to keep him in Dallas long-term. Detroit and Brunson have been linked as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brunson\u2019s max contract <\/span>with Dallas or another team<\/span><\/a> starts in excess of $30 million in the first year; Brunson will surely be able to command at least $20 million in the first year of his next deal after leading Dallas to a 2-1 series lead against Utah without <\/span>Luka Don\u010di\u0107<\/b><\/a>. <\/span>Ricky Rubio<\/b><\/a> will attempt a comeback from a torn ACL, and <\/span>Tyus Jones<\/b><\/a> is a (very good) backup, but Brunson is the prize of this group.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bench Scorers in Free Agency<\/b><\/h3>\n

There are solid options for teams lacking scoring punch off the bench like Boston, Miami, Toronto, Cleveland, and Phoenix. If <\/span>T.J. Warren<\/b><\/a> had been healthy the past two seasons, he\u2019d be considered a starter; he\u2019s an interesting low-cost option, probably on a one-year deal as he looks to re-establish himself on the court. <\/span>Otto Porter Jr.<\/b><\/a> might be the best player on this list, as he can hit threes, defend both big positions, and is coming off an excellent rebounding season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Patty Mills<\/b><\/a> (PO), <\/span>Malik Monk<\/b><\/a>, and <\/span>Dennis Schr\u00f6der<\/b><\/a> offer different variations of the \u201csmall, scoring reserve guard\u201d archetype. <\/span>Montrezl Harrell<\/b><\/a> is a former Sixth Man of the Year award winner but a defensive liability. <\/span>Bryn Forbes<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Carmelo Anthony<\/b><\/a>, and <\/span>Jeremy Lamb<\/b><\/a> provide shooting at different positions. <\/span>Taurean Prince<\/b><\/a> intrigued by attacking closeouts during Minnesota\u2019s first-round loss to Memphis, and could fit well coming off a contender\u2019s bench.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Available Big Men<\/h3>\n

Charlotte, Sacramento, Brooklyn, Chicago, Toronto all could sign a center to help their defensive issues. Unfortunately, few centers profile as defensive difference makers. <\/span>Jusuf Nurki\u0107<\/b><\/a> is less mobile after suffering a broken leg in 2019, but can help protect the rim. <\/span>Kevon Looney<\/b><\/a> is a tremendous defender but is limited offensively; he would be an intriguing fit surrounded by scorers in Brooklyn or Chicago.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ivica Zubac<\/b><\/a> (TO) might be the best overall player here, which is why he will likely stay with the Clippers. His backup <\/span>Isaiah Hartenstein<\/b><\/a> proved to be rotation-caliber last season, and is due for a raise with another team. <\/span>Chris Boucher<\/b><\/a>\u2019s shot-blocking and shooting could intrigue some teams, but after him are all bigs who are either firmly backups (<\/span>Robin Lopez<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Bobby Portis<\/b><\/a> (PO)) or could be out of the league (<\/span>LaMarcus Aldridge<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Paul Millsap<\/b><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSecond Draft\u201d Candidates in Free Agency<\/b><\/h3>\n

\u201cSecond draft\u201d candidates are young players who were drafted high and likely won\u2019t re-sign with their current team. <\/span>Marvin Bagley III<\/b><\/a> was traded to Detroit last year and could re-sign there. Other players fitting this description could include <\/span>Mo Bamba<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Jalen Smith<\/b><\/a>, <\/span>Kevin Knox<\/b><\/a>, and <\/span>Lonnie Walker IV<\/b><\/a>. Smith is the only unrestricted free agent in the group. <\/span>Jarrett Culver<\/b><\/a>, another unrestricted free agent, spent the past season with Memphis\u2019 coaching staff after being traded from Minnesota. He couldn\u2019t crack the Grizzlies\u2019 deep rotation, but teams should find out if he has developed enough to play. This group should have interest from rebuilding teams like Houston, Oklahoma City, Detroit, and Orlando.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Got ten minutes? Read our primer on the upcoming NBA free agency period starting June 30th at 6:00 PM Eastern. This list includes free-agent fits for teams destined for the lottery as well as the NBA Finals. Please note that not all of these players will become free agents this offseason. A \u201cTO\u201d by a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4175,"featured_media":47707,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[4642,311,444,406,297,1167,4774,457],"class_list":["post-47696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","tag-2022-nba-free-agency","tag-bradley-beal","tag-james-harden","tag-kyrie-irving","tag-nba-free-agency","tag-nba-off-season","tag-rumors","tag-zach-lavine"],"modified_by":"Kunning Chen, Department Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4175"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47707"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}