The NBA Finals are over.
The NBA Draft is over.
We’ve officially entered the Waiting for Transactions stage of the NBA calendar.
It’ll be an interesting offseason around the League. There really is no “marquee” free agent in this year’s class. Sure, there are a lot of names you know, but there’s no current or potential game changer on the market.
There are only five teams currently under the projected $136 million salary cap: The Houston Rockets ($50.7 million), Indiana Pacers ($16.9 million), San Antonio Spurs ($6.6 million), Detroit Pistons ($5.89 million) and Orlando Magic ($756,451). Those figures include guaranteed salaries, dead cap money for players who have been cut, exceptions, and cap holds for pending free agents and unsigned draft picks.
Ironically, those five teams have been among the worst in the league the last couple of years. They don’t have any “huge” contracts. They have an average age of around 24 years old, meaning the five squads have a lot of guys on their first contract. Teams like the Sacramento Kings, LA Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks can open up a sizable chunk of cap space by renouncing the rights to a handful of players.
The “major” players in this free agent class are looking for their last big deal. Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden, who turns 34 in August, on Thursday decided to opt into a $35.6 million player option to help Philly facilitate a trade. Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, 33, opted out of a $27.6 million player option. Milwaukee Bucks 31-year-old wing Khris Middleton opted out of a $40 million player option.
The security of a last long-term deal is what that group is after, while players like Lakers wing Austin Reaves look to sign their first big contract and make a bigger name for themselves.
Free agency officially starts at 6:30 p.m. EST on Friday. It won’t take long for new deals to start rolling in. I’d be surprised if a lot of the bigger names switched teams, only because the teams with the most cap space are…rebuilding? Sign and trade deals are always an option, like what Harden is aiming to get this summer.
Depth charts are going to change a lot this summer. We’ll see how the moves affect the championship chase.