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NBA free agent rankings: Top-75 available players regardless of position – SB Nation
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Let’s rank the top free agents in the NBA.
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Young NBA superstars don’t hit free agency like they used to, but championships can still be won or lost with signings in the offseason. This summer’s free agent crop is headlined by several big-name veterans expected to hit the open market, and includes plenty intriguing talents available at a variety of price points.
When we did this list a year ago, Jalen Brunson was ranked No. 7, Nicolas Claxton was No. 21, Kevon Looney was No. 30, Malik Monk was No. 32, and Caleb Martin was ranked No. 37. Each player ended up having a big impact for teams that made the NBA Playoffs.
Before the offseason gets in full swing, we decide to rank the top-75 NBA free agents for the summer of 2023. We’ll have more information on next season’s salary cap numbers, the teams expected to have cap space, and the players who could be the next year’s breakout signings after the table.
Let’s break down some of the most important questions and biggest storylines in free agency this year.
The salary cap is projected to be $134 million, and the luxury tax is projected to be $162 million for the 2023-24 season, per The Athletic.
Salary cap space can be fluid in the NBA because of decisions on team/player options and non-guaranteed contracts. For now, only eight teams in the league are projected to have cap space this summer. Remember: a team can go over the cap to re-sign its own free agents, but needs to use cap space or exceptions to sign free agents from other teams. Here are the teams that can open up cap space without a trade this summer, via numbers from Hoops Hype and The Athletic.
James Harden is our No. 1 free agent on the market entering the summer with the veteran guard expected to turn down his player option for next season. There has been smoke all year that Harden could return to the Houston Rockets this summer, but some are now speculating it’s a leverage play to get more money out of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harden turns 34 years old this summer. He’s no longer one of the best players in the NBA as he was at his peak, but he’s still capable of All-Star level play. The Sixers can talk themselves into being a contender in the Eastern Conference if they bring back Harden. Without him, it’s hard to see how they can maintain their status as one of the best teams in the league.
The big question heading into the summer is how real Houston’s interest in Harden really is. The Rockets have enough cap space to give Harden a max contract this offseason, but does that really make sense for them? The Rockets finished 22-60 last season, and have one of the youngest teams in the NBA. Houston showed it’s serious about improving when it fired head coach Stephen Silas for Ime Udoka earlier this offseason, but Harden’s age still doesn’t match with the timeline on the rest of the roster.
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The Rockets’ young core is led by Jalen Green (21 years old), Jabari Smith Jr. (20), Alperen Sengun (20), and Tari Eason (22). The Rockets also own the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, with Overtime Elite point guard Amen Thompson being talked about as the most likely pick. The Rockets certainly need a point guard this summer. Do they really need a veteran like Harden though?
The Rockets can offer Harden a four-year max deal worth $201.7 million. The 76ers can offer him a four-year max of $210 million. Philadelphia hasn’t appeared willing to offer Harden the max to this point. Will they do it, or risk losing him to Houston? Is Houston’s interest even real?
Harden can still dial it up for a great performance as he proved with two 40+ point gems in the Sixers’ second round series against the Boston Celtics. Of course, he ended that series with two duds that were ‘classic playoff Harden’ in how underwhelming he was. Even if Harden is no longer close to an MVP candidate, his free agency decision will still leave ripple effects around the league.
The Washington Wizards are starting a new era. The franchise named former Clippers executive Michael Winger as their new president, and he’s hired former Hawks GM Travis Schlenk and the Thunder’s Will Dawkins to beef up the front office.
Everything we thought we knew about the Wizards’ near-term and long-term plans is now irrelevant. That makes the impending free agency of Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma even more fascinating. Washington’s old brass repeatedly said it wanted to keep its core together despite a 35-47 finish. What will do the new braintrust want to do with the roster?
Both Porzingis and Kuzma are 27 years old. The 7’3 Porzingis is coming off one of his best NBA seasons, where he averaged 23.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 38.5 percent from three on 5.5 attempts per game. Kuzma averaged a career-best 21.2 points per game this offseason, and offers rare shot-creation ability for a 6’9 forward.
While it’s hard to know anything about the Wizards’ intentions right now, it would make sense to retain Porzingis and Kuzma this offseason just to “protect the asset” whether or not each is in the team’s long-term plans. We have the pair of Wizards rated as the two best free agents on this list who are still in their 20s. The Wizards are going to have to pay up to keep them.
Nothing helps a boost free agent’s value like a strong run in the NBA Playoffs. This is especially the case for players who showing out on the biggest stage in basketball, the NBA Finals. While Heat wing Caleb Martin will have to wait until next season to cash in on his playoff breakout, three other players in the Finals are set for a payday this summer:
Green has a player option for $27.5 million next season. While he’s unlikely to approach that annual salary if he signs with another team, it’s possible the 33-year-old could opt out of his deal with the Warriors and seek a long-term deal elsewhere.
The Warriors likely have to cut money elsewhere if they’re going to bring back Green long-term. Jordan Poole regressed after signing a big contract extension that kicks in next season, but at this point it’s hard to find the team that would take him. The beef between Green and Poole started with the preseason punch heard around the world. The exit of GM Bob Myers and the Warriors’ early exit in the second round of the playoffs probably didn’t help matters.
The guess here is that Green returns with the Warriors one way or another. The clock on the Warriors dynasty is ticking, but the foundation of the team deserves at least one more run together.
It’s a good time to be a volume three-point shooter in the NBA. In today’s era, it’s not enough to shoot a high percentage on threes — a team has to take a ton of them for that to even matter. How much has the game changed over the last 10 years? In 2014, the Rockets led the league by taking 26.6 three-point attempts per game. This season, that number would have finished dead last.
No one needs to hear about James Harden and Kyrie Irving’s shooting ability. Instead, here are some under-the-radar shooters who could help a new team’s stars pop by spacing the floor and hitting shots.
Free agents can’t officially sign contracts until July 6, but negotiations (and leaks) still start happening on June 30.
Let us know in the comments below.
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