The NBA Free Agency is a wonderful gateway for players to explore their prospects. Under this system, a player can sign with any team and work out on a mutual contract. However, there are a lot of nuances involved in the process. A Restricted Free Agent can potentially see the cancellation of the deal if his existing team matches the offer sheet. An Unrestricted Free Agency has much more security regarding a fresh contract. Then there are players with Player Options, whose decision to opt in the last year of the contract determines their pathway.
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The Free Agency is thus a web where the player’s desire for higher compensation and the desire to win can weigh in before making a concrete decision. Meanwhile, franchises have to engage in painstaking mathematics to work out how much they can offer considering the cap space limitations.
At any rate, the 2024 Free Agency will offer a lot of coveted names that can transform a franchise. LeBron James, Paul George, DeMar DeRozan, Klay Thompson, and James Harden are prominent names that can potentially headline the upcoming Free Agency. Here is a brief outline of their current contracts and what can persuade them to decide their next stop.
LeBron James
Los Angeles Lakers Forward LeBron James is currently in the first year of a two-year, $99,023,288 extension. For the 2023-24 season, the Lakers owe him $47,607,350. He has a player option for the 2024-25 season and if he opts for it, he is going to make $51,415,938. However, there is a chance that he can bypass the player option.
His decision can be influenced by how his son Bronny James is placed during the 2024 Draft. The legendary Forward has openly declared his desire to play alongside his son but he has backtracked from it too.
Bronny’s cardiac arrest in July 2023 has derailed his prospects a bit. The recovering USC Guard is tallying 5.2 points per game on a 34.8% and is still finding his feet. Considering there are still more than 10 games remaining in the USC Trojans season, he can still gather some rhythm. But currently, despite some flashes of brilliance, his NBA draft projections seem to be in a bit of jeopardy.
Therefore, it is likely that Bron may opt to exercise his Player option with the Lakers. It will mean that the team will have to pay around $51 million a year. There is little talk of the athlete seeking a change of scenery so it is probable that he remains with the Lakers.
Paul George
Los Angeles Clippers Guard Paul George is in the third year of his four-year, $176,265,466 contract. For the 2023-24 season, the franchise owes him $45,640,086. He has a player option for the 2024-25 season and if he does exercise it, he is going to make $48,787,676. Considering that he possesses an elite two-way skillset at age 33, his value in the market is still at its peak.
However, the Clippers would look to extend him and retain their star player. As per NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers heavily lean towards extending their two-way phenom.
Considering the way the team has performed this season after early hiccups, the Guard can opt for an extension. His confidence will be further bolstered after the franchise signed Kawhi Leonard to a three-year extension worth $52 million (approx) for each season. It will not be a surprise if George also signs an identical deal. Therefore, it is probable that he will not feature in the upcoming Free Agency.
Klay Thompson
Golden State Warriors sharpshooting Guard Klay Thompson is in the final year of his five-year, $189,903,600. For the 2023-24 season, the Warriors have to pay him $43,219,440. Unlike James and George, Thompson is going to be an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2024. And among the players discussed thus far, he is most likely to switch squads.
Considering that he has spent 13 years with the squad, the Warriors have his Full Bird Rights. They are within their rights to offer him a much larger deal than the existing one, but that is not possible. The Warriors are going to pay the highest luxury tax and after giving Green a four-year, $100 million deal, the scope of offering a maximum-level contract to the sharpshooter is negligible.
As per Shams Charania, the Warriors contemplated offering him a two-year, $48 million deal but the talks “stalled” in late October. The Guard is averaging 17.2 points per game on 42.4% which are by no means poor numbers, however, he has had some horrible shooting nights regularly.
The Warriors are struggling to even lodge a 50% win record and are going nowhere. Therefore, there seems to be a mutual will to separate, but a trade doesn’t look like a likely route. ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported, “The Warriors do not want to trade Klay Thompson. They have no desire to do it.” So perhaps we will see a bunch of teams lining up to have the services of the elite shooter in the next free agency.
James Harden
Los Angeles Clippers veteran guard James Harden is in the last year of his two-year, $68,640,000 contract that he signed with the 76ers. He exercised his player option last year and the Clippers owe him $35,640,000 for the 2023-24 season. The Harden situation is as complex as it gets. The incredible guard was underpaid for his talents with the 76ers as he took a pay cut to win a ring. After the fallout with the 76ers last year, the guard openly made himself available in the market.
However, there were no takers, save for the Clippers. His reputation as a bail-out man has been solidified. In 2021, he forced his way out of the Rockets, where he played for around a decade. Then he asked the Nets to trade him in 2022 after pairing up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. So for three straight years, he has asked out of the team which certainly affects both their short-term and long-term planning. While he has helped elevate the Clippers, their cap situation can become tricky especially if they sign George to an extension.
They will potentially owe two players over $50 million and there will be no cap space for another big contract. While he has helped elevate the Clippers and has proved that he is still a huge impact-maker, the cap space situation can be a big impediment. Will the guard take a pay cut to stay with the Clippers? If not, will a team roll the dice on the oft-disgruntled guard like the Clippers did by bringing him in earlier this season? At any rate, if the Clippers make a serious championship push then Harden may contemplate taking a pay cut as he has done earlier with the 76ers.
DeMar DeRozan
Chicago Bulls’ mid-range maestro DeMar DeRozan is in the final year of his three-year, $81 million contract. The Bulls owe him $28,600,000 for the 2023-24 season, and before the next season, he will be an Unrestricted Free Agent. His Bulls tenure began with a lot of promise but the franchise hasn’t recovered ever since Lonzo Ball went down with an injury. Therefore, the 34-year-old can hunt for a title-contending franchise. At the time of writing, the guard is tallying 22 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game on 46%.
Teams can make use of his Isolation scoring, which can provide a huge boost during a postseason scenario. But there is also a high likelihood of the Bulls retaining his services. His veteran leadership and calm demeanor is a huge plus-point and if the franchise deals with Zach LaVine, it can open up the cap space too.
In the current market, DeRozan’s talent can fetch much higher than he is earning, however, he will be entering his mid-30s soon, which will make franchises reluctant to invest too much. Therefore, it is probable that the guard can work out a salary structure that resembles the current one with the Bulls.
Among the names on the list, Klay Thompson seems to be the most likely candidate who can bolt out of his current team. James Harden’s situation is complicated but the title-hungry guard may be willing to take a huge pay cut to make his dream come true. Apart from these talents, other high-impact players are going to hit the free agency.
Among them, Tobias Harris, Pascal Siakam, D’Angelo Russell, Jonas Valanciunas, Miles Bridges, Kelly Oubre Jr., and Buddy Hield can garner a lot of interest. However, there is a big chance that some of these players either get traded or get extended before the beginning of the 2024 NBA Free Agency.
