2023 NBA Free Agent Notes: Signings So Far

Here’s a bunch of 2023 NBA free agent notes I put together over this weekend.

 Major impact guys

• Dallas’ Kyrie Irving (three years, $126 million), Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis (extension for five years, $217 million), Charlotte’s LaMelo Ball (extension for five years, $260 million), Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton (extension for five years, $260 million), Boston’s Kristaps Porzingis (multi-year extension after being traded from Washington), Memphis’ Desmond Bane (extension for five years, $207 million), Portland’s Jerami Grant (five years, $160 million), Golden State’s Draymond Green (four years, $100 million), Washington’s Kyle Kuzma (four years, $102 million), Indiana’s Bruce Brown (two years, $45 million), Utah’s Jordan Clarkson (extension for three years, $55 million), Chicago’s Nikola Vucevic (extension for three years, $60 million), Toronto’s Jakob Poeltl (four years, $80 million) & Gary Trent Jr. (opted into player option), Houston’s Fred VanVleet (three years, $130 million) & Dillon Brooks (four years, $80 million), New York’s Donte DiVincenzo (four years, $50 million) & Josh Hart (opted into player option), the LA Lakers’ Austin Reaves (four years, $56 million), Rui Hachimura (three years, $51 million), and Gabe Vincent (3 years, $33 million), Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton (three years, $102 million) & Brook Lopez (two years, $48 million), Cleveland’s Max Strus (four years, $63 million) & Caris LeVert (two years, $32 million), New Orleans’ Herb Jones (four years, $54 million), Brooklyn’s Cam Johnson (four years, $108 million), and San Antonio’s Tre Jones (two years, $20 million) are names that I can see making a strong impact next season. 

Need to play well in 2023-24

• I believe that the LA Clippers’ Russell Westbrook (two years, $8 million), Toronto’s Jalen McDaniels (two years, $9.3 million) & Otto Porter Jr. (opted into player option), the LA Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell (two years, $37 million), Cam Reddish (two year deal), Jaxson Hayes (two year deal), and Taurean Prince (one year, $4.5 million), Utah’s Talen Horton-Tucker (opted into player option), Detroit’s Alec Burks (team option exercised) & Isaiah Livers (team option exercised), Chicago’s Andre Drummond (opted into player option), New Orleans’ Naji Marshall (team option exercised), Oklahoma City’s Victor Oladipo (opted into player option before trade from Miami), Memphis’ Xavier Tillman (team option exercised), Orlando’s Goga Bitadze (team option exercised), Philadelphia’s Danuel House Jr. (opted into player option), New York’s Miles McBride (team option exercised), San Antonio’s Lamar Stevens (team optioned exercised by Cleveland before trade), Dallas’ Dante Exum (one year deal), Boston’s Oshae Brissett (two year deal), Phoenix’s Josh Okogie (two year deal) & Ish Wainright (team option exercised), Cleveland’s Damian Jones (opted into player option before trade from Utah), and Sacramento’s Kessler Edwards (team option exercised) are talented players whose future depends on playing well going forward. 

Role players

• Toronto’s Dennis Schroder (two years, $26 million), Chicago’s Jevon Carter (three years, $20 million) & Coby White (three years, $40 million), Dallas’ Seth Curry (two year deal), Orlando’s Moe Wagner (two years, $16 million), Minnesota’s Naz Reid (extension for three years), Shake Milton (two years, $10 million), Nickeil Alexander-Walker (two years, $9 million), and Troy Brown (two years, $8 million), Brooklyn’s Dennis Smith Jr. (one year deal), Houston’s Jock Landale (four years, $32 million), Cleveland’s Georges Niang (three years, $26 million) & Ty Jerome (two years, $5 million), Phoenix’s Drew Eubanks (two year deal), Yuta Watanabe (unspecified deal), Damion Lee (two year deal), Keita Bates-Diop (two years, $5 million), and Chimezie Metu (one year deal), Miami’s Kevin Love (two year deal), Josh Richardson (two years, $6 million), Thomas Bryant (two years, $5.4 million), and Orlando Robinson (promoted to standard contract), San Antonio’s Julian Champagnie (four years, $12 million) & Sandro Mamukelashvili (one year, $2 million), Milwaukee’s Jae Crowder (one year deal), and Oklahoma City’s Jack White (two year deal) all made the most of their minutes last year, which resulted in contracts. 

Veteran leaders

• Hopefully Derrick Rose (two years, $6.5 million) can become that veteran presence the Memphis Grizzlies have been missing/also get more playing time. 
• Despite losing Jeff Green (one year, $6 million) to the Houston Rockets, the Denver Nuggets re-signed true pros DeAndre Jordan (one year deal) & Reggie Jackson (two years, $10.25 million)
• Patrick Beverley’s (one year deal) non-stop competitiveness should fit in nicely with the Philadelphia 76ers.
• Joe Ingles (2 years, $22 million) has been a great teammate everywhere he’s gone (also had a very successful overseas career), and now looks to bring that positivity to the Orlando Magic.
• I’m excited to see the experience and talent that EuroLeague star Vasilije Micic (three years, $23.5 million) can incorporate into the Oklahoma City Thunder’s rising young squad. EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov will also be in the NBA next year, recently signing with the Sacramento Kings (three years, $20 million).
• Dwight Powell (three years, $12 million) returning to the Dallas Mavericks should help rookie Dereck Lively adjust to the league.
• The Sacramento Kings bringing back Harrison Barnes (extension for three years, $54 million) Trey Lyles (two years, $16 million) and Alex Len (one year, $3.2 million) is huge for their chemistry/locker room.