Some of the players to watch in NBA free agency, which begins Friday night
Kyrie Irving, Dallas
This will be interesting. Irving is one of the best players in the NBA. It also tends to be challenging, and he evidently became disgruntled with the weather at his previous stops: Cleveland, Boston and Brooklyn.
It seems unlikely that Irving would want a contract any time soon, but there aren’t many teams that can afford one either.
Fred Van Vleet, Toronto
If Houston doesn’t get James Harden, who opted out of his $35.6 million contract with Philadelphia on Thursday as a likely prelude to a trade, so maybe the Rockets will hit VanVleet and give him a ton of money.
The Raptors need to decide on a direction; the next few days will show if the plan is to win right now or take some time to reset. What VanVleet offer will probably tell the story. He may be moving on.
Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
Talk about a success story. Reaves went undrafted, averaged 7.3 points per game as a rookie, averaged 13 points per game last season and he became the third best player on the Lakers behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Teams can offer him four years for nearly $99 million, and that’s probably what the Lakers need to keep him.
Draymond Green, Golden State
No team spends more than the Warriors. And Green might not be the easiest personality to deal with on a daily basis. But he was a huge part of Golden State’s four recent championships.
It’s hard to imagine anywhere else although the new CBA rules raise the possibility of it happening.
Chris Middleton, Milwaukee
This one should be easy. Middleton, in some ways, seems to be sorely underrated.
Olympic gold medalist and NBA champion is the perfect running mate for the Bucks star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, simply because he doesn’t seem to care if he gets five shots or 25 shots. Hope the Bucks write the check and keep it.
Bruce Brown, Denver
The Nuggets want to get back to running with as many players who were part of this year’s title race as possible.
Brown will have to turn down $5 million or more next season for that to happen, as the Nuggets can’t offer him more than $7.8 million for next season. Denver expects Brown to bet on himself here.
Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, Miami
The Heat would not have reached the NBA Finals last season without these two players, who went undrafted and became huge hits as part of Miami’s development program.
They’re in line for big paydays; probably $10 million or more awaits each starting next season. Miami could have a tough decision to make.
Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Clippers
Everyone knows the common complaint about Westbrook: He’s not a great 3-point shooter. But he never has been, but 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 assisting champion.
There is one thing missing from your resume and it will bring value to a contender.
Brook Lopez, Milwaukee and Jakob Poeltl, Toronto
If teams want centers, the list starts with these guys. López is 35 years old but had his best scoring season in six years, and that should make the Bucks want to keep him.
Poeltl is intriguing, a good finisher, has been a good rim protector most of the time and could be entering his prime years.
Kyle Kuzma, Washington
He averaged 21.2 points last season, so it’s no secret why he declined his $13 million option for 2023-24. He deserves more and he’ll get it, and we’ll soon find out if he wants to be a part of the rebuilding in Washington.