NBA free-agent sweepstakes

EXPECT a lot of money to be thrown away – good or bad – after the National Basketball Association (NBA) opened its door to free agency on Monday July 1 (6 a.m.), Manila time.
When everything is said and done, the money spent during the NBA free-agent sweepstakes could well surpass the $4.1 billion shelled out for player salaries during the summer of 2016.
It came about due to the enormous jump (from $70 million to $94.143 million) in the NBA team salary cap following the activation of the NBA’s nine-year, $24-billion television deal with ESPN and Turner Sports worth $2.6 billion annually.
The huge upgrade in the team salary cap at the time worked in favor of Golden State, allowing the then-dethroned Warriors to steal Kevin Durant from the Oklahoma City Thunder through free agency.
With the 2019-20 team salary cap pegged at $109.14 million – up from $101.9 million last season – 13 teams have enough cap room to corral any of the 170 players (out of around 450) available in the open market. Last campaign, many players signed one-year pacts or two-year deals with a player option on the second year.
The prominent players available on the open market include unrestricted free agents Kawhi Leonard and three-point hotshot Danny Green from the newly-minted NBA champion Toronto Raptors and Durant (despite the possibility he could miss the entire 2019-20 wars due to a ruptured right Achilles tendon), Klay Thompson (who also could miss the bulk of next season due to a torn ACL in his left knee), DeMarcus Cousins and Kevon Looney from the 2017 and 2018 league kingpin Golden State Warriors.
Other top free agents up for grabs are Kyrie Irving, Al Horford and Terry Rozier (restricted free agent) from the Boston Celtics, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick from the Philadelphia 76ers, and Kemba Walker from the Charlotte Hornets.
Also on the list are Harrison Barnes from Sacramento; Kristaps Porzingis (restricted) from Dallas, De’Angelo Russell (restricted) from Brooklyn, Khris Middleton, Malcolm Brogdon (restricted) and Brook Lopez from Milwaukee, Nikola Vucevic from Orlando, Jonas Valanciunas from Memphis, Jabari Parker from Washington, Patrick Beverley from the LA Clippers, Ricky Rubio from Utah, the Morris twins Marcus and Markieff from Boston and Oklahoma City, respectively, De’Andre Jordan from New York, Isaiah Thomas from Denver, Carmelo Anthony from Houston, Julius Randle from New Orleans, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Lance Stephenson from the LA Lakers; and many other second-tier free agents.
As many as nine teams own a salary cap space of $20 million or more. The sad-sack New York Knicks have the largest cap room with more than $70 million.
From July 1, 6 a.m. to July 6 Manila time – or during the so-called labor moratorium (when league accountants do some math gymnastics, like profits and losses, and determine the actual salary cap figures such as for the luxury tax bill and others), teams are allowed to pursue trade agreements and negotiate with free agents for a transfer or retention. However, no contracts with free agents can be signed and trade agreements cannot be completed during the five-day moratorium. Free-agent signings and trades can only be finalized starting July 7 Manila time.
An unrestricted free agent can sign anywhere without compensation to his previous team. A restricted free agent can sign an offer sheet with another club but his most recent employer can match the offer sheet within two days and retain his services.
A free agent who re-signs with his old team can secure a maximum five-year deal while a free agent who seeks to change addresses can get no more than a four-year deal.
Will Leonard make a homecoming in Los Angeles with the Lakers or Clippers or simply stay put with the Raptors in their NBA title-retention bid?
Will Golden State re-sign Durant and Thompson, both to be sidelined for most – if not all – of the 2019-20 season due to serious Finals injuries, to full five-year maximum contracts worth $221 million and $190 million, respectively, to become the team with the highest player payroll in NBA history (even as do-it-all Draymond Green and 2015 Finals Most Valuable Player Andre Iguodala are set to join free agency in the summer of 2020)?
Will Irving latch on with the Brooklyn Nets? Will Boston break the bank to sign Kemba to a four-year, $141 million deal starting at $32 million annually with the renouncement of the rights to its RFA Rozier (as oppose to the Hornets’ ability to give the 6-foot-1, 29-year-old point guard an astounding $221 million over five years after he made the All-NBA Third Team last campaign)?
Is Derrick Rose, the youngest NBA MVP ever (with Chicago in 2011 at age 22), headed to Motor City (Detroit) from the Twin Cities? Are top-flight centers Vucevic and Valanciunas jumping ship?
Will Russell, having been extended a qualifying offer by the Nets to maintain his RFA status, want to return to the LA Lakers with his tormentor Magic Johnson out as the club’s top executive? We’ll soon find out. Just don’t hold your breath.
LATE WORD: Durant, Irving and Jordan have agreed to join forces with the Brooklyn Nets. Former Philadelphia 76ers guard J.J. Redick has latched on with the New Orleans Pelicans on a two-year, $26.5-million agreement. Harrison Barnes will be back with the Sacramento Kings and so will Brook Lopez and Khris Middleton with the Milwaukee Bucks.