NBA Free Agents 2023: Top Rumors and Predictions Before NBA Draft
With the 2023 NBA draft set for Thursday, followed by the start of the free-agent negotiation period on June 30, rumors are running rampant regarding where some of the top available players may land.
Assuming he opts out of the final year of his contract as expected, 10-time All-Star guard James Harden will arguably be the crown jewel of free agency, but he will be far from alone.
Fred VanVleet, Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez and Kyle Kuzma are just a few of the other big names expected to be available.
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As free agency draws closer, here is a look at the latest rumors making the rounds, along with predictions for where some of the biggest free agents will land.
Growing Sense Harden Could Return to 76ers
It isn't often that a three-time scoring champion and former NBA MVP becomes available in free agency, but for the second straight offseason, Harden could hit the open market.
Harden took a discount by signing a two-year, $68.64 million contract to remain with the Sixers last offseason, with the main caveat being that the second year was a player option.
Even if Harden intends on re-signing with the 76ers, it would perhaps behoove him to opt out and test the market, although opting in remains a possibility.
Speaking Monday on the Lowe Post podcast (h/t ESPN), ESPN's Zach Lowe said, "I bet if you poll 50 front-office executives, the majority of them would guess he's going back to Philly."
ESPN NBA insider Brian Windhorst added to that idea, saying Tuesday on Get Up that there is increasing optimism the Sixers will be able to lock in Harden either by having him exercise his player option or by signing him to a new deal.
Rumors have run rampant regarding Harden potentially returning to the Houston Rockets after he was a nine-time All-Star, three-time scoring champ and one-time NBA MVP in nine seasons with the franchise.
In May, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Harden was expected to return to Houston in free agency.
However, more recently, the narrative has begun to shift. Last month, Windhorst (h/t Jedd Pagaduan of Clutch Points) said during an appearance on ESPN's Pardon The Interruption that the Rockets rumors were possibly a smokescreen and a way for Harden to leverage a better deal with the Sixers.
If Harden stays with the Sixers, he gets to continue playing alongside the reigning NBA MVP in center Joel Embiid and a budding star scorer in Tyrese Maxey, which is a formula that helped him lead the league in assists last season with 10.7 per game.
Philly also likely presents him with the best opportunity to win a championship, which may be high on his list of priorities at 33 years of age.
Prediction: Harden re-signs with 76ers
Kuzma Returning to Wizards a Possibility
After enjoying a career year last season, forward Kyle Kuzma could be in line to cash in on the free-agent market.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Tuesday that Kuzma declined his $13 million player option for 2023-24, which came as little surprise since he stands to make far more in free agency.
Wojnarowski added that it is still a "possibility" that Kuzma re-signs with the Wizards on a new deal.
Kuzma figures to have a fairly robust market after averaging a career-high 21.2 points, 3.7 assists and 2.5 three-pointers made per game last season, to go along with 7.2 rebounds.
Entering the offseason, there was a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Wizards' future, not only because of Kuzma's contract status, but also due to the fact that center Kristaps Porziņģis has a player option for next season, and because trade rumors surrounded guard Bradley Beal.
The jury is still out on what will happen with Porziņģis, but the Wizards are shipping their face of the franchise out of town, as they have been finalizing a deal to send Beal to the Phoenix Suns for guards Chris Paul and Landry Shamet, plus multiple second-round picks and pick swaps.
That leaves the Wizards with little to speak of in terms of proven NBA players, and it gives Kuzma a tough decision to make.
He isn't likely to win much in the next few years if he re-signs with Washington, but the 27-year-old would perhaps be the face of the team and have a chance to put up All-Star-caliber numbers.
Kuzma already won a championship with the Los Angeles Lakers, so it may behoove him to build up his credibility as the top dog in Washington before chasing another title further down the line.
Prediction: Kuzma re-signs with Wizards
Rockets Among Teams in on VanVleet
Given the fact that he has won an NBA championship, earned an All-Star selection and established himself as one of the NBA's grittiest players, VanVleet could potentially be the most highly sought after player in free agency this offseason.
The 29-year-old VanVleet has spent his entire seven-year NBA career with the Toronto Raptors, going from undrafted to a key cog in a championship team.
FVV is only two seasons removed from his first and only All-Star nod when he averaged a career-high 20.3 points per game, and he remained highly productive last season with averages of 19.3 points, 7.2 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers made and 1.8 steals.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype named the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns and Orlando Magic as teams with links to VanVleet, but one of those teams may be standing above the rest.
During an appearance on the HoopsHype podcast (h/t Scotto), Kelly Iko of The Athletic said that league sources believe the Rockets are targeting VanVleet due in part to the fact that new head coach Ime Udoka covets him.
The Rockets figure to have significant competition, but one thing working in their favor is that they are one of only a few teams with salary cap space.
Per Spotrac, the Rockets currently have over $47.9 million in cap space for next season. The next closest team is the Indiana Pacers at just $12.8 million.
If Udoka wants VanVleet badly, the Rockets have the money to outbid everyone unless the Raptors try to bring him back.
Houston presents an intriguing situation since it has a coach who reached the NBA Finals in his only season as an NBA head coach, plus some impressive young talent in Jalen Green, Jabari Smith and Kevin Porter Jr., among others.
Signing VanVleet would perhaps put them back in the playoff conversation, particularly if the Rockets' young players continue to develop.
Prediction: VanVleet signs with Rockets
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