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NBA Minimum Salaries For 2023/24

An NBA team that has spent all its cap space and doesn’t have any of its mid-level or bi-annual exception available still always has the ability to sign a player to a minimum-salary contract, unless that club is right up against its hard cap.

Teams with cap room or with access to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception will have a little more flexibility to sign players to longer-term minimum-salary contracts. However, teams without cap room and without any other exceptions on hand can still use the minimum salary exception to add as many players as roster limits and the hard cap allow, for contracts of up to two years. Unlike other exceptions, such as the mid-level or the bi-annual, the minimum salary exception can be used multiple times.

[RELATED: Values of 2023/24 mid-level, bi-annual exceptions]

Undrafted free agents and second-round picks are often recipients of minimum-salary contracts, but there are plenty of veterans who end up settling for the minimum too. Because a player’s minimum salary is determined by how much NBA experience he has, many veterans will earn more than twice as much money as a rookie will in 2023/24 on a minimum-salary contract.

Listed below are 2023/24’s minimum salary figures, sorted by years of NBA experience. If a player spent any time on an NBA club’s active regular season roster in a given season, he earned one year of experience. So any player with zero years of experience has not yet made his NBA debut.

These figures represent a 10% increase on last season’s figures, since that’s the amount of the NBA’s salary cap increase for 2023/24.

Here’s the full breakdown:

Years of Experience Salary
0 $1,119,563
1 $1,801,769
2 $2,019,706
3 $2,092,354
4 $2,165,000
5 $2,346,614
6 $2,528,233
7 $2,709,849
8 $2,891,467
9 $2,905,861
10+ $3,196,448

Because the NBA doesn’t want teams to avoid signing veteran players in favor of cheaper, younger players, the league reimburses clubs who sign veterans with three or more years of experience to one-year, minimum-salary contracts. Those deals will only count against the cap – and against a team’s bank balance – for $2,019,706, the minimum salary for a player with two years of experience.

For instance, Patrick Beverley, who has 11 seasons of NBA experience, will reportedly sign a one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Sixers, who will only be charged $2,019,706 for Beverley’s contract. He’ll earn $3,196,448, but the NBA will make up the difference. This only applies to one-year contracts, not to multiyear deals.

If a player signs a minimum-salary contract after the regular season begins, he’ll earn a prorated portion of the amount listed above.

Those figures listed above also only apply to players who are signing new contracts in 2023/24. Players who are in the second, third, or fourth year of a minimum-salary deal will be earning a slightly different predetermined amount.

For example, Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy – who signed a minimum-salary contract last offseason and now has one year of NBA experience – will earn a $1,719,864 salary in the second year of his contract, shy of the $1,801,769 he would receive if he were signing a new minimum deal this fall. That’s because his second-year salary is based on a 5% raise over last season’s minimum salary for a player with one year of experience, whereas the cap rose by 10%.

Here’s what multiyear minimum-salary contracts signed in 2023/24 will look like:

Experience
2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27
0 $1,119,563 $1,891,857 $2,221,677 $2,406,205
1 $1,801,769 $2,120,693 $2,301,587 $2,489,752
2 $2,019,706 $2,196,970 $2,381,501 $2,698,607
3 $2,092,354 $2,273,252 $2,581,276 $2,907,465
4 $2,165,000 $2,463,946 $2,781,053 $3,116,326
5 $2,346,614 $2,654,644 $2,980,834 $3,325,190
6 $2,528,233  $2,845,342 $3,180,615 $3,341,740
7 $2,709,849 $3,036,040 $3,196,447 $3,675,917
8 $2,891,467 $3,051,153 $3,516,095 $3,675,917
9 $2,905,861 $3,356,271 $3,516,095 $3,675,917
10+ $3,196,448 $3,356,271 $3,516,095 $3,675,917

Technically, a minimum-salary contract could cover five years for a player with full Bird rights, but in actuality, that never happens.

While some second-round picks and undrafted free agents will sign three- or four-year minimum-salary contracts, a minimum deal exceeding two years is rare for a player with more than a year or two of NBA experience under his belt.


Information from RealGM was used in the creation of this post.

Rookie Scale Salaries For 2023 NBA First-Round Picks

With the NBA’s salary cap set at $136,021,000 for the 2023/24 league year, the rookie scale has been set as well. The rookie scale locks in the value of contracts for first-round picks.

In every NBA league year, rookie scale amounts are assigned to each first-round slot, from No. 1 through No. 30. Teams can sign their first-rounders to as little as 80% of that rookie scale amount, or up to 120% of that figure.

While that rule theoretically affords teams some flexibility, first-round picks virtually always sign contracts worth 120% of their rookie scale amount, and unsigned first-rounders have a cap hold worth 120% of their rookie scale amount.

Listed below are the salary figures that represent 120% of the rookie scale amounts for 2023’s first-round picks. If a first-round pick signs a rookie scale contract in 2023/24, it will be for the amount below unless he accepts a deal worth less than the maximum allowable 120%. If that happens, we’ll adjust their amounts below.

These salary figures will only apply if the player signs in 2023/24. If a player doesn’t sign an NBA contract this year, his rookie contract will look a little different in future seasons.

Rookie scale contracts are guaranteed for the first two years, with team options on the third and fourth years.

Here’s the 2023 breakdown, with the help of data from RealGM:

Player 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 2026/27 Total
Victor Wembanyama $12,160,680 $12,768,960 $13,376,880 $16,868,246 $55,174,766
Brandon Miller $10,880,400 $11,424,600 $11,968,800 $15,104,626 $49,378,426
Scoot Henderson $9,770,880 $10,259,160 $10,748,040 $13,585,523 $44,363,603
Amen Thompson $8,809,320 $9,249,960 $9,690,600 $12,258,609 $40,008,489
Ausar Thompson $7,977,480 $8,376,000 $8,775,000 $11,117,925 $36,246,405
Anthony Black $7,245,480 $7,607,760 $7,970,280 $10,106,315 $32,929,835
Bilal Coulibaly $6,614,280 $6,945,240 $7,275,600 $9,240,012 $30,075,132
Jarace Walker $6,059,520 $6,362,520 $6,665,520 $8,478,541 $27,566,101
Taylor Hendricks $5,569,920 $5,848,680 $6,127,080 $7,805,900 $25,351,580
Cason Wallace $5,291,400 $5,555,880 $5,820,240 $7,420,806 $24,088,326
Jett Howard $5,026,800 $5,278,320 $5,529,720 $7,337,938 $23,172,778
Dereck Lively $4,775,640 $5,014,560 $5,253,360 $7,239,130 $22,282,690
Gradey Dick $4,536,720 $4,763,760 $4,990,560 $7,131,510 $21,422,550
Jordan Hawkins $4,310,160 $4,525,680 $4,741,320 $7,021,895 $20,599,055
Kobe Bufkin $4,094,280 $4,299,000 $4,503,720 $6,904,203 $19,801,203
Keyonte George $3,889,800 $4,084,200 $4,278,960 $6,563,925 $18,816,885
Jalen Hood-Schifino $3,695,040 $3,879,840 $4,064,640 $6,243,287 $17,882,807
Jaime Jaquez $3,510,600 $3,685,800 $3,861,600 $5,939,141 $16,997,141
Brandin Podziemski $3,352,440 $3,519,960 $3,687,960 $5,679,458 $16,239,818
Cam Whitmore $3,218,160 $3,379,080 $3,539,760 $5,458,310 $15,595,310
Noah Clowney $3,089,520 $3,244,080 $3,398,640 $5,414,034 $15,146,274
Dariq Whitehead $2,966,040 $3,114,240 $3,262,560 $5,366,911 $14,709,751
Kris Murray $2,847,480 $2,990,040 $3,132,000 $5,315,004 $14,284,524
Olivier-Maxence Prosper $2,733,720 $2,870,400 $3,007,080 $5,259,383 $13,870,583
Marcus Sasser $2,624,040 $2,755,080 $2,886,720 $5,198,983 $13,464,823
Ben Sheppard $2,537,160 $2,663,880 $2,790,720 $5,031,668 $13,023,428
Nick Smith $2,463,960 $2,587,200 $2,710,680 $4,890,067 $12,651,907
Brice Sensabaugh $2,448,600 $2,571,480 $2,693,760 $4,862,237 $12,576,077
Julian Strawther $2,431,080 $2,552,520 $2,674,200 $4,826,931 $12,484,731
Kobe Brown $2,413,320 $2,533,920 $2,654,880 $4,792,058 $12,394,178

Checking In On NBA’s Top Remaining Free Agents

Technically, most of this year’s top free agents remain unsigned. Until the moratorium in place at the start of the 2023/24 league year lifts at 11:01 am Central time on July 6, most of them are ineligible to sign their new contracts.

However, within the last 40-ish hours, 36 of the players from our list of 2023’s top 50 free agents have taken themselves off the market by reaching contract agreements with teams around the league.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

While those are just tentative agreements and could still fall apart, that usually doesn’t happen more than once or twice in a given offseason, so it’s safe to pencil those deals in for the time being and assume those free agents are off the board.

So who does that leave? As of early Sunday morning, here are the top free agents from our top-50 list who have yet to agree to new deals:

  1. Miles Bridges, F, Hornets (RFA)
  2. P.J. Washington, F, Hornets (RFA)
  3. Grant Williams, F, Celtics (RFA)
  4. Christian Wood, F/C
  5. Kelly Oubre, F
  6. Eric Gordon, G
  7. Malik Beasley, G/F
  8. Matisse Thybulle, F, Trail Blazers (RFA)
  9. Lonnie Walker, G/F
  10. Mason Plumlee, C
  11. Ayo Dosunmu, G, Bulls (RFA)
  12. Torrey Craig, F
  13. Hamidou Diallo, G
  14. Paul Reed, F/C, Sixers (RFA)

The Hornets are very much in the mix for all three of the remaining free agents in our top 20. As long as their qualifying offers to Washington and Bridges remain on the table, they control those players’ free agencies, with the ability to match any offer sheet they sign.

A report on Saturday indicated Charlotte is also mulling the possibility of an offer sheet for Williams. If the Hornets went ahead with a pursuit of the Celtics forward, it would presumably mean moving on from at least one of Bridges or Washington. According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Washington has received interest from a few other teams and may be looking at a deal in the range of the one Rui Hachimura got from the Lakers (three years, $51MM).

Since being restricted can slow down the free agency process for players who don’t quickly negotiate a deal with their own teams, it’s possible there won’t be resolution right away for Thybulle, Dosunmu, and Reed. However, the rest of the players in this group are unrestricted and could move faster.

Scotto also has an update on Beasley, reporting today that the veteran shooter has drawn interest from the Sixers, Suns, Raptors, Mavericks, Bucks, and Warriors since reaching free agency. Some of those teams are limited to a minimum-salary offer.

The Kings and Pistons are among the teams that have displayed interest in Craig, according to Scotto, who notes that Detroit’s new head coach Monty Williams was a fan of the wing in Phoenix.

The following free agents were noted in the honorable mention section of our top-50 list and aren’t yet spoken for:

Here are our full lists of free agents by position/type and by team.

2023 NBA Free Agency: Day 2 Recap

The NBA’s free agent market remained active on Saturday after a busy Friday, but the most significant headlines of the day involved players who were already under contract.

Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard made the day’s biggest news by submitting a long-awaited trade request to the team. Lillard is reportedly focused on landing with the Heat, but Portland will survey the market, and there are questions about whether Miami will the assets to get a deal done without involving a third team.

Meanwhile, Saturday’s two most lucrative contract agreements were extensions rather than free agents deals. The Hornets and guard LaMelo Ball reached an agreement on a five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension, while Kings center Domantas Sabonis agreed to a renegotiation and extension that will add four years and $195MM in new money to his deal.

Listed below are the rest of the highlights from around the NBA on Saturday.


Free agent agreements

Most of these deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these agreements sometime after the moratorium ends on July 6.

[RELATED: 2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker]

Note: Some of these salary figures may include options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. Dillon Brooks, Rockets agree to four-year, $80MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  2. Max Strus, Cavaliers agree to four-year, $63MM contract (sign-and-trade).
  3. Austin Reaves, Lakers agree to four-year, $53.8MM contract.
  4. Donte DiVincenzo, Knicks agree to four-year, $50MM contract.
  5. Brook Lopez, Bucks agree to two-year, $48MM contract.
  6. D’Angelo Russell, Lakers agree to two-year, $37MM contract.
  7. Jock Landale, Rockets agree to four-year, $32MM contract.
  8. Moritz Wagner, Magic agree to two-year, $16MM contract.
  9. Dwight Powell, Mavericks agree to three-year, $12MM contract.
  10. Jalen McDaniels, Raptors agree to two-year, $9.3MM contract.
  11. Russell Westbrook, Clippers agree to two-year, $7.9MM contract.
  12. Jeff Green, Rockets agree to one-year, $6MM contract.
  13. Ty Jerome, Cavaliers agree to two-year, $5MM contract.
  14. Thomas Bryant, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  15. Jaxson Hayes, Lakers agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  16. Patrick Beverley, Sixers agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  17. Dante Exum, Mavericks agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  18. Alex Len, Kings agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  19. Sandro Mamukelashvili, Spurs agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  20. Jack White, Thunder agree to two-year contract.
  21. Jae Crowder, Bucks agree to one-year contract.
  22. Dennis Smith Jr., Nets agree to one-year contract.
  23. Heat sign Orlando Robinson to minimum-salary contract.

Trades

  1. Knicks agree to trade Obi Toppin to Pacers for two second-round picks.
  2. Rockets agree to trade Kenyon Martin Jr. to Clippers for two second-round picks.
  3. Rockets agree to trade Usman Garuba, TyTy Washington, two second-round picks, and cash to the Hawks for the draft rights to Alpha Kaba.
  4. Spurs to acquire Cedi Osman, Lamar Stevens, and a second-round pick; Heat to acquire a second-round pick in the Max Strus sign-and-trade agreement with the Cavaliers.
  5. Rockets to acquire Dillon Brooks in a sign-and-trade agreement that includes Josh Christopher going to the Grizzlies and Patty Mills going from the Nets to an unknown team. There will be more details to come on this one.
  6. Jazz agree to trade Damian Jones to Cavaliers.

Other notable deals

  1. Vasilije Micic, Thunder agree to three-year, $23.5MM contract.
  2. Sasha Vezenkov, Kings agree to three-year, $20MM contract.
  3. Several first-round picks signed their rookie scale contracts, including No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs.

Previously:

NBA Maximum Salaries For 2023/24

Now that the NBA has set its salary cap for the 2023/24 league year at $136,021,000, we have a clear idea of what maximum-salary contracts will look like for the coming season.

Listed below are the maximum-salary contracts for players signing contracts that start in 2023/24.

The first chart shows the maximum salaries for a player re-signing with his own team — a player’s previous team can offer five years instead of four, and 8% annual raises instead of 5% raises. The second chart shows the maximum salaries for a player signing with a new team.

These figures will apply to a number of players who signed maximum-salary contract extensions that will go into effect in 2023/24: Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, and Darius Garland. They’ll also apply to anyone who signs a maximum-salary contract with his own team as a free agent in ’23/24, though there likely won’t be anyone who fits that bill.

A player’s maximum salary is generally determined by his years of NBA experience, so there’s a wide gap between potential earnings for younger and older players.

In the charts below, the “6 years or less” column details the maximum contracts for players like Morant, Williamson, and Garland, as well as what a free agent like Miles Bridges is eligible for; the “7-9 years” column applies to free agents like Fred VanVleet and to players who qualified for a Rose Rule rookie scale extension, though no one did this year; and the “10+ years” column applies to the league’s most experienced vets, like James, or those who qualified for the super-max, such as Jokic and Embiid.

Here are the maximum salary figures for 2023/24:


A player re-signing with his own team (8% annual raises, up to five years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2023/24 $34,005,250 $40,806,300 $47,607,350
2024/25 $36,725,670 $44,070,804 $51,415,938
2025/26 $39,446,090 $47,335,308 $55,224,526
2026/27 $42,166,510 $50,599,512 $59,033,114
2027/28 $44,886,930 $53,864,316 $62,841,702
Total $197,230,450 $236,676,540 $276,122,630

A player signing with a new team (5% annual raises, up to four years):

Year 6 years or less 7-9 years 10+ years
2023/24 $34,005,250 $40,806,300 $47,607,350
2024/25 $35,705,513 $42,846,615 $49,987,718
2025/26 $37,405,775 $44,886,930 $52,368,085
2026/27 $39,106,038 $46,927,245 $54,748,453
Total $146,222,575 $175,467,090 $204,711,605

It’s worth noting that none of the maximum-salary figures listed above will apply to extension-eligible players whose new contracts will start in 2024/25.

This group includes players like Tyrese Haliburton and Desmond Bane, who agreed to maximum-salary extensions with the Pacers and Grizzlies, respectively. It also includes players who signed maxextensions in previous years that will begin in ’24/25, such as Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker.

The exact value of those players’ contracts will depend on where the cap lands for 2024/25, which won’t be officially announced until next June.

Values Of 2023/24 Mid-Level, Bi-Annual Exceptions

The salary cap for the 2023/24 NBA league year has officially been set, with the league announcing that the cap will be $136,021,000, a 10% increase on last year’s number.

Under the league’s current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the values of the mid-level, room, and bi-annual exceptions are tied to the percentage that the salary cap shifts in a given year. Because the cap figure for 2023/24 increased by 10%, the values of the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions increase by the same amount.

There are a few more wrinkles involved in the calculation of this year’s figures. As part of the NBA’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the non-taxpayer mid-level exception is receiving a one-time 7.5% increase in addition to the usual 10% bump, while the room exception has been increased by 30% (plus the usual 10%).

The taxpayer mid-level exception is headed in the other direction, dipping to a flat $5MM this season after being worth approximately $6.48MM last season. It will resume increasing at the same rate as the cap going forward.

Listed below are the maximum annual and total values of each of these exceptions, along with a brief explanation of how they work and which teams will have access to them.


Mid-Level Exception (Non-Taxpayer):

Year Salary
2023/24 $12,405,000
2024/25 $13,025,250
2025/26 $13,645,500
2026/27 $14,265,750
Total $53,341,500

The non-taxpayer mid-level exception is the primary tool available for over-the-cap teams to add free agents. As long as a team hasn’t dipped below the cap to use cap space and doesn’t go over the first tax apron ($172,346,000) at all, it can use this MLE, which runs for up to four years with 5% annual raises.


Mid-Level Exception (Taxpayer):

Year Salary
2023/24 $5,000,000
2024/25 $5,250,000
Total $10,250,000

Besides being worth less, this exception will now only allow for signings of up to two years instead of three, as a result of the new CBA. The goal was to reduce the ability of taxpaying teams to continue adding talent.

This exception is essentially available to teams who expect their total salaries to fall between the first tax apron and the second apron ($182,794,000). It’s not available to teams above the second tax apron, so a team that does use it becomes hard-capped at that second apron. A team that uses more than $5MM of its mid-level exception will be hard-capped at the first apron.

The taxpayer MLE can be used to sign a player for up to two years, with a 5% raise for the second season.


Room Exception:

Year Salary
2023/24 $7,723,000
2024/25 $8,109,150
2025/26 $8,495,300
Total $24,327,450

Although this is also a mid-level exception of sorts, it’s colloquially known as the “room” exception, since it’s only available to teams that go below the cap and use their cap room.

If a club goes under the cap, it loses its full mid-level exception, but gets this smaller room exception, which allows the team to go over the cap to sign a player once the team has used up all its cap space. It can be used to sign players for up to three years, with 5% annual raises.


Bi-Annual Exception:

Year Salary
2023/24 $4,516,000
2024/25 $4,741,800
Total $9,257,800

The bi-annual exception, as its name suggests, is only available to teams once every two years. Of the NBA’s 30 clubs, only two – the Sixers and Heatused it in 2022/23, so they won’t have access to it in ’23/24. The league’s other 28 teams could all theoretically use it this season.

Still, even if a team didn’t use its BAE in ’22/23, that club doesn’t necessarily have access to it for the coming year. As is the case with the non-taxpayer MLE, this exception disappears once a team goes under the cap to use room. It’s also not available to teams over the first tax apron — using the BAE creates a hard cap at that apron.

The BAE can be used to sign players for up to two years, with a 5% raise after year one.

NBA 2023 Free Agency: Day 1 Recap

It was a very busy first day of NBA free agency on Friday. By our count, a total of 39 free agents have agreed to new deals since the negotiating period officially began at 5:00 pm CT, while two more players agreed to maximum-salary extensions.

There was some action on the trade market too, with one deal officially finalized on Friday and three more agreed upon.

Listed below are all the free agent agreements, contract extensions, trades, and other notable news items from the first day of free agency.


Free agent agreements

These deals aren’t yet official, so the reported terms could change — or agreements could fall through altogether. Generally speaking though, teams and players are on track to finalize these agreements sometime after the moratorium ends on July 6.

Note: Some of these salary figures may include options, incentives, or non-guaranteed money.

  1. Jerami Grant, Trail Blazers agree to five-year, $160MM contract.
  2. Fred VanVleet, Rockets agree to three-year, $128.5MM contract (maximum salary)
  3. Kyrie Irving, Mavericks agree to three-year, $126MM contract.
  4. Cameron Johnson, Nets agree to four-year, $108MM contract.
  5. Khris Middleton, Bucks agree to three-year, $102MM contract.
  6. Kyle Kuzma, Wizards agree to four-year, $102MM contract.
  7. Draymond Green, Warriors agree to four-year, $100MM contract.
  8. Jakob Poeltl, Raptors agree to four-year, $80MM contract.
  9. Herbert Jones, Pelicans agree to four-year, $53.8MM contract.
  10. Rui Hachimura, Lakers agree to three-year, $51MM contract.
  11. Bruce Brown, Pacers agree to two-year, $45MM contract.
  12. Coby White, Bulls agree to three-year, $33MM contract.
  13. Gabe Vincent, Lakers agree to three-year, $33MM contract.
  14. Caris LeVert, Cavaliers agree to two-year, $32MM contract.
  15. Georges Niang, Cavaliers agree to three-year, $26MM contract.
  16. Dennis Schröder, Raptors agree to two-year, $25.4MM contract.
  17. Joe Ingles, Magic agree to two-year, $22MM contract.
  18. Tre Jones, Spurs agree to two-year, $20MM contract.
  19. Jevon Carter, Bulls agree to three-year, $19MM contract.
  20. Trey Lyles, Kings agree to two-year, $16MM contract.
  21. Julian Champagnie, Spurs agree to four-year, $12MM contract.
  22. Reggie Jackson, Nuggets agree to two-year, $10.25MM contract.
  23. Shake Milton, Timberwolves agree to two-year, $10MM contract.
  24. Seth Curry, Mavericks agree to two-year, $9.3MM contract.
  25. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Timberwolves agree to two-year, $9MM contract.
  26. Troy Brown, Timberwolves agree to two-year, $8MM contract.
  27. Kevin Love, Heat agree to two-year, $7.6MM contract.
  28. Taurean Prince, Lakers agree to one-year, $4.5MM contract.
  29. Keita Bates-Diop, Suns agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  30. Oshae Brissett, Celtics agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  31. Cam Reddish, Lakers agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  32. Derrick Rose, Grizzlies agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  33. Josh Richardson, Heat agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  34. Drew Eubanks, Suns agree to two-year, minimum-salary contract.
  35. Chimezie Metu, Suns agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  36. Yuta Watanabe, Suns agree to one-year, minimum-salary contract.
  37. Damion Lee, Suns agree to two-year contract.
  38. DeAndre Jordan, Nuggets agree to contract.
  39. Josh Okogie, Suns agree to contract.

Contract extensions

  1. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension with Rose Rule language.
  2. Desmond Bane, Grizzlies agree to five-year, maximum-salary rookie scale extension.
  3. Kristaps Porzingis, Celtics expected to finalize two-year, $60MM extension.

Trades

  1. Nets agree to trade Joe Harris and two future second-round picks to Pistons in exchange for cash.
  2. Wizards agree to trade Monte Morris to Pistons in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick.
  3. Heat agree to trade Victor Oladipo and draft compensation to the Thunder for a return that’s TBD.
  4. Pistons trade draft rights to Balsa Koprivica to Clippers in exchange for cash.
  5. Pacers nearing agreement to trade Chris Duarte to Kings for draft compensation.

Other notable headlines

  1. Clippers are James Harden‘s preferred destination as trade talks with Sixers begin.
  2. Sixers not expected to pursue rookie scale extension with Tyrese Maxey.
  3. Gary Trent Jr., Raptors nearing multiyear extension.
  4. Jordan Clarkson, Jazz engaged in extension discussions.
  5. Magic guarantee 2023/24 salaries for Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris.
  6. Trail Blazers waive Trendon Watford.

The first seven players on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents came off the board on Friday night, but there are still plenty of recognizable names on the market, including D’Angelo Russell, Miles Bridges, P.J. Washington, Austin Reaves, Brook Lopez, Max Strus, and Dillon Brooks.

The full list of available free agents can be found right here.

Hoops Rumors’ 2023 NBA Free Agent Tracker

With free agency officially underway and news of contract agreements breaking left and right, Hoops Rumors is here to help you keep track of which players are heading to which teams this offseason. To this end, we present our Free Agent Tracker, a feature we’ve had each year since our inception in 2012. Using our tracker, you can quickly look up deals, sorting by team, position, free agent type, and a handful of other variables.

A few notes on the tracker:

  • Early in free agency, most of the information you’ll find in the tracker will reflect tentative agreements, rather than finalized deals. As signings become official, we’ll continue to update and modify the data as needed.
  • Similarly, contract years and dollars will be based on what’s been reported to date, so in many cases those amounts will be estimates or approximations rather than official figures. Salaries aren’t necessarily fully guaranteed either.
  • A restricted free agent who signs an offer sheet won’t be included in the tracker right away. We’ll wait to hear whether the player’s original team will match or pass on that offer sheet before we update our tracker in order to avoid any confusion.
  • If you’re viewing the tracker on our mobile site, be sure to turn your phone sideways to see more details.

Our 2023 Free Agent Tracker can be found anytime on the right sidebar of our desktop site under “Hoops Rumors Features,” and it’s also under the “Tools” menu atop the site. On our mobile site, it can be found in our menu under “Free Agent Lists.”

The tracker will be updated throughout the offseason, so be sure to check back for the latest info. If you have any corrections, please let us know right here.

Our lists of free agents by position/type and by team break down the players who have yet to reach contract agreements.

2023 NBA Free Agency Primer

The NBA’s 2023 free agency period officially begins on Friday at 5:00 pm central time. At that point, we can expect news of contract agreements to start pouring in, continuing well into the night.

By our count, 38 free agents agreed to deals on day one of free agency in 2022, with seven more players reaching agreements on extensions — we’ll see if that number is matched or exceeded later today.

Here are a few links to prepare you for one of the most exciting days on the NBA calendar:

Top 50 NBA Free Agents Of 2023

The NBA’s 2023 free agent period will tip off at 5:00 pm Central time on Friday, June 30. And while a handful of opt-ins (James Harden and Josh Hart) and extensions (Nikola Vucevic, Harrison Barnes, and Naz Reid) in recent days have taken some notable names off the market, there are still dozens of available players whose decisions will reshape NBA rosters this summer.

Listed below are our top 50 free agents for the 2023/24 NBA season.

Our rankings take into account both a player’s short-term and long-term value, and are essentially a reflection of what sort of contract we expect them to sign. If we were to consider solely a player’s worth for the 2023/24 season, veterans like Brook Lopez and Eric Gordon would place higher, while younger free agents with upside, such as Ayo Dosunmu or Paul Reed, would be ranked lower — or perhaps not at all.

In addition to the players listed below, there are plenty of other free agents available this summer. You can check out our breakdowns of free agents by position/type and by team for the full picture.

Here are our top 50 free agents of 2023:


1. Kyrie Irving, G, Mavericks
There are red flags galore for Irving, whose availability has been compromised in recent years by both health issues and personal decisions. However, his career résumé on the court – including eight All-Star nods, a championship, and a scoring average of 27.1 PPG on .491/.395/.914 shooting over the last four seasons – is strong enough to earn him the top spot on this list. At age 31, Irving still has some prime years left, and as long as he’s available, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be among the NBA’s best scorers going forward. His reputation and his apparent lack of viable suitors may limit his leverage in negotiations with the Mavericks, but he’s one of the only players in this market capable of landing a deal worth $40MM+ per year.

2. Fred VanVleet, G, Raptors
VanVleet is coming off a down season, having made a career-worst 34.2% of his three-point attempts in 2022/23 as his defense also took a step back. But he’s still just 29 years old, so potential suitors may chalk his off year up to nagging injuries and bad luck rather than assuming it’s the beginning of a downward trend. VanVleet’s inability to finish around the rim is a concern, but when he’s at his best, he’s an excellent shooter (he had a .382 career 3PT% entering last season) who plays dogged defense and sets up his teammates (7.2 APG in 2022/23). He turned down an option worth nearly $23MM and could exceed $30MM on a multiyear deal.

3. Jerami Grant, F, Trail Blazers
A big, versatile forward who can guard multiple positions on defense, Grant is also coming off the best offensive season of his career. In averaging 20.3 points per game and knocking down 40.1% of his threes, Grant combined the scoring prowess of his two seasons in Detroit with the shooting efficiency of his Oklahoma City and Denver years. He reportedly turned down a four-year extension worth nearly $113MM, which suggests he’s confident he can get either more money or a fifth year – or maybe both – as a free agent. There’s an expectation that he’ll be back with the Trail Blazers as long as they don’t pivot to a rebuild.

4. Khris Middleton, F, Bucks
One of the NBA’s most underappreciated players for years, Middleton averaged at least 20 points in four of five seasons and made three All-Star teams from 2017-22. Unfortunately, his contract year was a forgettable one, with Middleton limited to 33 games due to injuries as his scoring rate (15.1 PPG) and shooting percentages (.436 FG%, .315 3PT%) dipped significantly. The 31-year-old looked more like himself in five playoff games (23.8 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 6.2 APG, .465/.406/.867 shooting) and felt confident enough about his earning potential this summer to decline a player option worth more than $40MM. I don’t expect him to match that starting salary on a new deal, but if he ends up signing a long-term contract, the total value should be in the nine digits.

5. Cameron Johnson, F, Nets (RFA)
With rumors percolating that the Pistons are seriously considering a bid for Johnson, the Nets forward could be the beneficiary of a bidding war that pushes his next contract well beyond the four-year, $90MM deal that his teammate and “twin” Mikal Bridges received. At 27, Johnson is older than most players coming off a rookie scale contracts, but he has continued to improve in each of his four seasons in the league, increasing his scoring average every year and evolving into one of the NBA’s most reliable shooters (41.6% on threes over the last two seasons).

6. Draymond Green, F/C, Warriors
Green’s upcoming free agency reminds me a little of Al Horford hitting the market in 2019. Like the current iteration of Green, 2019 Horford was considered a major defensive asset but didn’t score much and had just turned 33. Four years ago, the Sixers swooped in with a four-year, $97MM offer to lure Horford away from the division-rival Celtics. Is there a team out there planning a similarly aggressive push for Green? For what it’s worth, Horford later admitted that he probably should’ve just re-signed in Boston, where he was most comfortable and where he eventually returned. I expect Green to avoid that same mistake and simply re-up with the Warriors.

7. Jakob Poeltl, C, Raptors
In a subpar free agent market for centers, Poeltl stands out as the top target for any team seeking a traditional big man. He doesn’t shoot three-pointers and isn’t as switchable as you’d want a modern center to be, but Poeltl is a talented rim protector and a solid pick-and-roll partner who can score around the basket — he’s also just 27 years old. It will likely take a long-term commitment of over $20MM annually to have a chance to pry him away from the Raptors, who gave up a first-round pick for him at February’s trade deadline.

8. Miles Bridges, F, Hornets (RFA)
It’s impossible to know exactly how the Hornets and the rest of the NBA will value Bridges, who sat out the entire 2022/23 season after facing a felony domestic violence charge. He agreed to a plea deal and was subsequently suspended by the NBA, who will require him to sit out the first 10 games of next season. Prior to that incident, Bridges was viewed as one of the top free agents of the 2022 class, having averaged 20.2 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.8 APG on 49.1% shooting in 80 games (35.5 MPG) in 2021/22. As valuable as Bridges can be on the court, the repugnant behavior he was accused of away from it should give suitors pause about inviting him to represent their franchise. A return to Charlotte is the most likely path for the RFA forward.

9. D’Angelo Russell, G, Lakers
Russell’s poor showing in the playoffs left a sour taste and has resulted in several rounds of rumors this offseason about possible point guard alternatives for the Lakers. But Russell’s value shouldn’t be understated. He was an extremely productive offensive player during the 2022/23 regular season, averaging 17.8 PPG and 6.2 APG with a .469/.396/.829 shooting line. The Lakers had a plus-12.2 net rating during D-Lo’s 526 minutes of action down the stretch, easily the best mark of anyone on the roster for the season. Russell, who is still just 27 years old, almost certainly won’t match the $31MM+ he earned in 2022/23, but given the price tags for starting point guards around the NBA, it’s hard to imagine him signing for less than about $20MM per year.

10. Kyle Kuzma, F, Wizards
Kuzma decided early in the 2022/23 season that he’d be declining his $13MM player option in order to seek a bigger payday in free agency. Given that he averaged a career-high 21.2 PPG to go along with 7.2 RPG and 3.7 APG, that was probably the right call. But with the Wizards in the process of rebuilding, Kuzma’s best bet for a big raise may be off the board. There are other teams with cap room and a need for a forward – the Pacers are one – so Kuzma should still do fine on the open market, but it no longer looks like Washington will be eager to overpay him to stick around.

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