2023 NBA Free Agency: Grades for Every Signing from Day 1
The NBA's 2023 free-agency window is officially open, and Bleacher Report is here to help you sort through and react to all the moves.
As Day 1 of free agency unfolds, we'll provide live grades to every signing below, with the most notable moves up top.
To see how your favorite teams or free agents are faring, scroll below.
*Check back throughout the night as we grade every deal from Day 1.
Kyrie Irving Stays with the Mavericks
1 of 35
The Deal: $126 million, 3 years
Any level of commitment beyond a season to Kyrie Irving carries a bit of risk with it. Availability certainly hasn't been his calling card. And $40-plus million per season is a huge price if he continues to play 50-60 games a year.
But the Dallas Mavericks couldn't possibly let a point guard walk for nothing for the second summer in a row, and Kyrie actually showed decent on-the-fly chemistry with Luka Dončić in 2022-23.
With a full offseason to integrate an offensive talent of Kyrie's caliber, it's hard to imagine Dallas missing the playoffs again.
Grade: B
Draymond Green Stays with the Warriors
2 of 35
The Deal: $100 million, 4 years
We probably should've seen this coming all along. How could Draymond Green (or the Golden State Warriors) break up the most successful trio of the last decade?
Green playing in a different jersey and alongside anyone other than Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson would've given huge "Patrick Ewing in an Orlando Magic jersey" vibes, and those three proved able to win it all as recently as 2022.
They deserve one last run together.
The only possible drawback, and the one that takes this grade down just a notch, is the potential for a dropoff by the end of the deal, when Draymond will be 36 years old.
Grade: B+
Fred VanVleet to the Rockets
3 of 35
The Deal: $130 million, 3 Years
Raise your hand if 12 months ago, you had Fred VanVleet as the first max salary of 2023 free agency. Now put it down, liar.
There's no question VanVleet is good. He's averaged 19.8 points and 6.8 assists over the last three years. But whew, that's a lot of money for a 6'1" point guard who hasn't had an above-average effective field-goal percentage or true shooting percentage since 2017-18.
Sure, much of the Houston Rockets rotation will be on rookie contracts during the duration of this VanVleet deal. The team has to spend that money somewhere, and VanVleet's experience and leadership should help the young core.
But there's also a chance VanVleet won't look as good without the Toronto Raptors defense around him. And his presence could take a few developmental reps away from the youngsters.
This is a good deal, just maybe not a surefire hit.
Grade: B
Khris Middleton Stays with the Bucks
4 of 35
The Deal: $102 million, 3 Years (Player Option in Year 3)
Like Draymond with the Warriors (though not to the same degree), it was difficult to imagine Khris Middleton ever leaving the Milwaukee Bucks.
He was an integral part of their title run in 2021, has averaged 19.5 points, 4.7 assists and 2.2 threes, while shooting 38.1 percent from deep over the last six seasons and has a very real impact on face-of-the-franchise Giannis Antetokounmpo.
During their decade together, Milwaukee's net rating is 2.5 points better when Giannis and Middleton are together than it is when Giannis plays without him.
Grade: B+
Kyle Kuzma Stays with the Wizards
5 of 35
The Deal: $102 million, 4 years
The Washington Wizards seemingly cleared their books in anticipation of a rebuild when they traded Kristaps Porziņģis and Bradley Beal, but re-signing soon-to-be-28-year-old Kyle Kuzma suggests they may be looking at something of a two-track overhaul.
Straddling that line can make it difficult to truly be competitive (or bad enough to chase top picks in the draft), but Washington will at least remain interesting in the short term.
With Monte Morris, Tyus Jones, Jordan Poole, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert and Kuzma around, the Wizards won't be a nightly easy out.
Grade: B
Bruce Brown to the Pacers
6 of 35
The Deal: $45 million, 2 years (Team Option in Year 2)
Cap restrictions limited the Denver Nuggets to a starting salary of $7.8 million for Bruce Brown, if he'd chosen to return. So, when you see that the Indiana Pacers offered an average salary over $20 million, it's not hard to understand Brown's decision to leave the champs.
For Indiana, the infusion of Brown's defense, competitiveness, off-ball movement and ability to create a little in a pinch should push the Pacers closer to a playoff spot.
And though they have Bennedict Mathurin, there's a good chance Brown could start in the backcourt alongside Tyrese Haliburton, a role he wouldn't have had in Denver.
Grade: B+
Jerami Grant Stays with the Trail Blazers
7 of 35
The Deal: $160 million, 5 years
This deal will almost certainly look more palatable after the NBA negotiates a new TV rights deal ahead of the 2025-26 season, but making Jerami Grant your second highest-paid player feels dicey.
He's proved himself a solid scorer over the last three seasons, with 20.7 points, 2.1 threes and a 37.2 three-point percentage in that stretch, but Grant adds little else to the box score.
And with Damian Lillard reportedly waiting to see what the Portland Trail Blazers do in free agency before making a decision on his future, doubling down on last season's disappointing squad may not inspire a ton of confidence (even if the salary cap made letting Grant walk unfeasible).
Grade: C+
Cameron Johnson Stays with the Nets
8 of 35
The Deal: $108 million, 4 Years
The Brooklyn Nets made this deal more tenable when they traded Joe Harris into the Detroit Pistons' cap space earlier in the day. And this average salary for Cameron Johnson figures to age well (especially since it'll run into the new TV deal).
The 6'8" Cameron Johnson fits well into a wing-heavy and highly switchable philosophy that Brooklyn embraced in 2022-23, and his shooting would fit anywhere.
Over the last two seasons, he's hit 41.6 percent of his triples.
Grade: A-
Jakob Poeltl Stays with the Raptors
9 of 35
The Deal: $80 million, 4 Years (Player Option in Year 4)
After stabilizing the Toronto Raptors following a midseason trade in 2022-23, Jakob Poeltl basically got Nikola Vučević money, plus one extra year. And he's worth it.
Over the last three years, he's averaged 11.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 blocks, while providing legitimate anchor-level defense.
And his unique ability to create shots is under-appreciated. Joakim Noah is the only player in NBA history to match or exceed both of Poeltl's career per-possession averages for offensive rebounds and assists.
Grade: B+
Rui Hachimura Stays with the Lakers
10 of 35
The Deal: $51 million, 3 Years
This feels like a lot of money for a player with an almost nonexistent assist rate, a career average of 12.5 points and below-average marks in both three-point percentage and effective field-goal percentage.
But 25-year-old Rui Hachimura is still young enough to improve on his weaknesses. And he's a huge (6'8" and 230 pounds) and pretty switchable defender.
If he can shoot like he did in 2021-22 (when he had a 44.7 three-point percentage in 42 games) or the 2023 playoffs (48.7 percent), he may prove worthy of this deal.
Grade: B
Gabe Vincent to the Lakers
11 of 35
The Deal: $33 million, 3 Years
This is a pretty big bet on a single playoff run.
Over four regular seasons, Gabe Vincent has averaged 7.7 points and hit just 33.9 percent of his three-point attempts. And prior to 2023, his playoff numbers were 6.8 points with a 31.3 three-point percentage.
But Vincent was a crucial component of the Miami Heat's push to the Finals this season. He started all 22 games, averaged 12.7 points and 3.5 assists and shot 37.8 percent from deep.
If the Los Angeles Lakers get that version of him, this deal is a no-brainer. And playing alongside LeBron James, who'll create plenty of wide-open looks, increases the likelihood of that player showing up more consistently.
Grade: B+
Seth Curry to the Mavericks
12 of 35
The Deal: TBD
Surrounding Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić with as much shooting as possible should be the Dallas Mavericks' priority, and Seth Curry is one of the best three-point shooters of all time.
In every season in which he's attempted at least 100 threes, he's had a 40-plus three-point percentage. And he ranks sixth all time in career three-point percentage.
And the interesting wrinkle here is that Curry and Luka have already been teammates. In 2019-20, when the two shared the floor, the Mavericks scored 119.5 points per 100 possessions (a mark that ranked in the 98th percentile).
Grade: A
Dennis Schröder to the Raptors
13 of 35
The Deal: $26 million, 2 Years
This is a Fred VanVleet replacement only in the sense that Dennis Schröder is a point guard. The similarities sort of begin and end there.
Schröder is more of a slasher and far less of a three-point shooter. And though he's bigger, he's probably not quite as disciplined a defender (he was still above average on that end, according to Dunks and Threes' estimated plus-minus).
Ultimately, this is a step back at the position for the Raptors, which was sort of out of their hands. Where they could've done better was at the February trade deadline, when they could've moved VanVleet for something of value.
The silver lining here may be that this series of transactions could lead to more Scottie Barnes functioning as the point.
Grade: B
Caris LeVert Stays with the Cavaliers
14 of 35
The Deal: $32 million, 2 years
The Cleveland Cavaliers had a need at the 3 all last season, despite the presence of Caris LeVert on the roster. He's probably not the long-term answer there, in part because he's more of a 2. And he's an inefficient one at that.
Bringing him back as an off-the-bench sparkplug is probably fine, though, even if the price seems a little high for a player suited to be a seventh or eighth man on a contender.
Grade: B-
Drew Eubanks to the Suns
15 of 35
The Deal: Veteran Minimum, 2 Years (Player Option in Year 2)
Having Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Bradley Beal all on the books with their massive contracts meant the rest of the roster had to be filled out on the (really) cheap.
And getting Drew Eubanks on the minimum is a solid deal under that circumstance. In 22 starts with the Blazers last season, he averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in just 29.5 minutes.
His offensive rebounding could be particularly dangerous on a jump-shooting team like the Suns.
Grade: B+
Coby White Stays with the Bulls
16 of 35
The Deal: $33 million, 3 years
Coby White hasn't really shown star upside in his first four seasons with the Chicago Bulls, but he's still only 23 years old, and he's hit 37.9 percent of his three-point attempts over the last two seasons.
This average salary works out to less than a mid-level exception, and that's fine value for a potential heat-check scorer off the bench.
Grade: B
Taurean Prince to the Lakers
17 of 35
The Deal: $4.5 million, 1 year
Taurean is exactly the kind of player the Los Angeles Lakers should've been targeting this summer. Getting him for the easily manageable bi-annual exception feels like a huge win.
All he has to do on this team is defend and hit threes, and the 29-year-old role player averaged 9.1 points and shot 38.1 percent from deep in 2022-23.
Grade: A
Keita Bates-Diop to the Suns
18 of 35
The Deal: $5 million, 2 years (Player Option in Year 2)
The Suns probably need to target three-point shooting to round out a roster packed with high-volume mid-range scorers. And if you just look at 2022-23, when he shot 39.4 percent from deep, Keita Bates-Diop fits that bill.
His 30.4 three-point percentage over his first four seasons inspires a little less confidence, but the Suns' top-heavy team-building approach has put them in a sort of "beggars can't be choosers" position.
Grade: B
Damion Lee Stays with the Suns
19 of 35
The Deal: 2 Years (Player Option in Year 2)
Damion Lee shot a blistering 44.5 percent from deep in 2022-23. And while that's certainly an outlier, his career mark of 37.9 shows he can be trusted to stay above average.
And while he doesn't produce much outside that three-point shooting, he won't need to on this team.
Grade: B
Troy Brown Jr. to the Timberwolves
20 of 35
The Deal: 2 Years (Team Option in Year 2)
Troy Brown Jr. turns 24 in July, and he showed some real upside as a three-point shooter alongside LeBron James in 2022-23.
As a Laker, he hit 38.1 percent of his triples. And he may still have some untapped potential as a perimeter defender.
For a team with Rudy Gobert, both of those things can be key.
Grade: B
Reggie Jackson Stays with the Nuggets
21 of 35
The Deal: $10.3 million, 2 Years (Player Option in Year 2)
This is one of the more puzzling decisions of Day 1.
Within a few games of the Denver Nuggets signing Reggie Jackson out of the buyout market in 2022-23, he completely fell out of the rotation. After what are looking more and more like some outlier shooting seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, he's been one of the worst shooters in basketball over the last two years.
The defending champs using their taxpayer mid-level exception to retain him is difficult to wrap your head around.
Grade: D-
Jevon Carter to the Bulls
22 of 35
The Deal: $20 million, 3 Years
I love this deal.
Getting a defense-first point guard in Patrick Beverley helped the Chicago Bulls finish strong and make the play-in tournament in 2022-23. And Jevon Carter is a younger, more athletic version of Pat Bev.
On a team with Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vučević, there isn't a ton of need for playmaking from the 1. The Bulls just need Carter to set the front line on defense and space the floor for those three stars.
For his career, Carter has a 39.7 three-point percentage. And in 2022-23, his defense ranked in the 88th percentile, according to Dunks and Threes' estimated plus-minus.
Grade: A
Chimezie Metu to the Suns
23 of 35
The Deal: Veteran Minimum, 1 Year
Chimezie Metu is just 79-of-265 (29.8 percent) from three over his five NBA seasons. And he only has four more assists (151) than turnovers (147).
But decent block and steal rates and the ability to finish above the rim could make him an interesting flier for small-ball lineups in Phoenix.
Grade: B-
Georges Niang to the Cavaliers
24 of 35
The Deal: $26 million, 3 Years
Georges Niang is far from the fleetest of foot on defense. And he doesn't fill up the box score with much beyond three-point shooting.
But shooting is the game's most important skill, and Niang is one of the game's best shooters.
There are only two players in NBA history (Stephen Curry and Steve Novak) who match or exceed both of Niang's career marks in three-point attempts per 100 possessions and three-point percentage.
Grade: B-
Tre Jones Stays on the Spurs
25 of 35
The Deal: $20 million, 2 Years
Tre Jones is exactly the kind of point guard the San Antonio Spurs should want alongside incoming rookie and potential sensation Victor Wembanyama.
He's an old-school, pass-first possession organizer who very rarely turns the ball over and will put Wembanyama's scoring opportunities above his own.
It'd be nice if he had a career three-point percentage better than the 27.1 he's posted so far, but there's time for the 23-year-old to improve there.
Grade: A-
Joe Ingles to the Magic
26 of 35
The Deal: $22 million, 2 Years
At a certain point, most youth-laden rosters in the NBA eventually look to add a veteran or two to bring some stability, know-how and general experience.
And that's surely what the Orlando Magic are thinking in signing Joe Ingles.
He shouldn't take many developmental minutes from the young core. On the contrary, Ingles' shooting (40.8 percent from three for his career) and playmaking (3.7 assists in just 25.5 minutes) will make life easier for the likes of Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner.
But he'll be 36 in October and has a torn ACL in his recent history, so it's not necessarily a total no-brainer.
Grade: B
Yuta Watanabe to the Suns
27 of 35
The Deal: Veteran Minimum, 1 Year
This is a home run for a team limited to veteran minimums at this point.
Yuta Watanabe is a 6'9" wing, so he can fit in lengthy, switch-heavy defensive schemes.
And more importantly, he's one of the best three-point shooters in the league right now. He hit 44.4 percent of his triples last season (including 51.4 percent from the corners) and is at 40.5 percent over the last three seasons.
Grade: A
Shake Milton to the Timberwolves
28 of 35
The Deal: $10 million, 2 Years
Mike Conley turns 36 in October, and Jordan McLaughlin really faltered down the stretch as the Minnesota Timberwolves' backup 1.
Getting a solid, pre-prime combo guard like Shake Milton (who turns 27 in September) makes sense, especially if his 2022-23 three-point percentage (37.8) is more indicative of who he is than the mark he put up in 2021-22 (32.3).
Grade: B+
Herbert Jones Stays with the Pelicans
29 of 35
The Deal: $54 million, 4 Years
This is excellent value for a wing who profiles as a long-term starter and perennial All-Defense candidate.
Herbert Jones' length and awareness have already proven very real weapons on the defensive end of the floor. He ranked in the 98th and 92nd percentiles, respectively, in defensive estimated plus-minus for his first two seasons.
If he adds even an average three-point shot during the life of his contract (and he's not that far from that now), Jones has a chance to be one of the game's best three-and-D players.
Grade: A
Josh Richardson to the Heat
30 of 35
The Deal: 2 Years (Player Option in Year 2)
It's probably fair to assume this is a veteran minimum. And at that value, this deal is probably fine.
Josh Richardson has fit the profile of a journeyman since he left the Miami Heat in 2019, and now he'll go back there with a chance at a bigger role (he's been under 25 minutes per game in each of the last two seasons).
If he can be a more consistent outside shooter (he has two campaigns over 40 percent from deep and three others below average), he could slide into the spot occupied by Max Strus and Duncan Robinson in recent years.
Grade: B
Cam Reddish to the Lakers
31 of 35
The Deal: 2 Years
Cam Reddish is worth a flier, but he's probably older than you think (he turns 24 in September), and outside shooting was supposed to be one of his more marketable skills dating back to his days as a high school prospect.
Four years in, he's hit just 32.2 percent of his threes, and he has more turnovers than assists. Those are major red flags.
But on a team with LeBron James, when his offense could be generated entirely for him by LeBron James and others, maybe he'll finally live up to his pre-college hype.
Grade: C
Julian Champagnie Stays with the Spurs
32 of 35
The Deal: $12 million, 4 Years
This isn't a huge annual salary, especially when the cap will be at $136 million in 2022-23 (and will likely keep rising after this campaign).
But this still feels like a bit of a gamble on an undrafted rookie with a total of 17 NBA games under his belt.
If his three-point shooting is real (he went 33-of-82 in 2022-23), he's an intriguing 6'8" forward.
Grade: C
Trey Lyles Stays with the Kings
33 of 35
The Deal: TBD
Trey Lyles has bounced around the NBA a lot in his eight-year career, but he may have found a good long-term spot with the Sacramento Kings.
He was successful as a backup 4 and small-ball 5 with Sacramento in 2022-23, shooting 36.3 percent from three and posting a career-high 56.5 effective field-goal percentage.
Grade: B+
DeAndre Jordan Stays with the Nuggets
34 of 35
The Deal: TBD
Last summer, one of the biggest early surprises of free agency was the Denver Nuggets' signing of DeAndre Jordan.
Unsurprisingly, he was out of the team's rotation within a couple months, and he finished the campaign as his sixth straight with a negative net rating swing (meaning the team's point differential per 100 possessions was worse when he was on the floor).
And yet, the deal was probably a win for general manager Calvin Booth, thanks to Jordan's leadership and attitude as a player who totaled dozens of DNP-CDs ("did not play, coach's decision).
Bringing him back makes sense from a strictly vibes standpoint for the defending champs.
Grade: B
Derrick Rose to the Grizzlies
35 of 35
The Deal: $6.5 million, 2 Years
Derrick Rose turns 35 in October and only appeared in 27 games in 2022-23, but the Memphis Grizzlies "want Rose on the floor this season and as a leader in locker room," according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
That first part will be easier during Ja Morant's 25-game suspension, but you have to think minutes will be tough to come by when Ja's back and Marcus Smart is in the mix.
On what is an easily manageable salary, though, Memphis won't need Rose to play a huge role.
Grade: B
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