Free Agents: With free agency in 2023 coming to a finish, it’s time to start thinking about 2024. And, if your team does not sign a player from this year’s rookie class, it may find a good alternative among potential free agents next summer.
12 free agents to look for in 2024
Here are some of the players listed below who may sign contract extensions between now and July 1, 2024, but as of now, they are all free agents, check them out:
1. Anthony Davis & LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Bronny James, James’ son, will be Draft-eligible next year, and his father has a player option for 2024-25, which allows him to become a free agent and sign with anybody he wants. Davis can achieve the same result with an early termination option.
Since winning the championship in 2020, the Lakers have virtually reshuffled their roster four times. The two stars are the only players left on that team. The largest upheaval of all might occur in 2024.
2. Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Brown is not a player you want to lose for nothing, so the Celtics will almost probably sign him to an extension this summer. While the Celtics have won the most games (both regular season and playoffs) in the previous six years, they have failed to win a championship, and Brown’s flaws have come to light in the later rounds of the playoffs. But he’s still a tremendously skilled and versatile player, and the Celtics are trying something fresh with the offseason addition of Kristaps Porzingis.
3. Pascal Siakam, Toronto Raptors
With Fred VanVleet gone, there appears to be some uncertainty surrounding the future of Siakam (the final piece of the 2019 championship rotation) in Toronto. If he does not sign an extension, the Raptors risk losing yet another valuable veteran for nothing. So there may be a lot of trade talk (and/or a deal) before he becomes a free agent. In 22-23, he had a good season, recording career highs in points (24.2) and assists (5.8) per game.
4. OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors
Anunoby hasn’t yet achieved his expected potential as a huge do-it-all wing. In 2022-23, though, he was named second-team All-Defense despite shooting 38.7% from 3-point range. He’s also three years younger than Siakam, so the Raptors would value him more if they want to be a future club rather than a present one. Anunoby has a $20 million player option for 2024-25, which he will almost certainly refuse in exchange for a larger payoff.
You might also be interested in reading this: Unexpected NBA Summer League Stars Deserving of Rotation.
5. James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers
Harden unexpectedly exercised his player option for the 2023-24 season, and he apparently wants out of Philadelphia. If he doesn’t sign an extension (with whichever team he’s with) before next summer, he’ll be a free agency.
It’s unclear why Harden would want to leave what was the league’s third-best squad during the regular season. But the Sixers can’t afford to take a step back with the reigning Kia MVP in his prime, and Harden (though his own finishing ability has waned over the previous two years) is a significant reason why Joel Embiid is the league MVP in the first place.
6. Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
So far, five 2020 first-round choices have signed rookie contracts: Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Isaiah Stewart, and Desmond Bane. Maxey is the finest of the rest, which includes Devin Vassell of the Spurs, Immanuel Quickley of the Knicks, and Jared McDaniels of the Wolves.
Any player who does not sign an extension this summer will become a restricted free agency in 2024. That is likely to be the case with Maxey if the Sixers want to keep their options open. They now have only four players under contract for 2024-25 (including Embiid), with Harden, Tobias Harris, and De’Anthony Melton all being unrestricted free agents (unless they sign extensions).
7. Nic Claxton, Brooklyn Nets
Claxton, who is halfway through a two-year, $17.3 million contract, is one of the league’s best bargains and most developed players. He’s a bouncy big man who leads the league in field goal % and has the ability to defend both inside and outside the paint. He’s only 24 years old and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. However, the Nets (who lack depth on the frontline) will not let him leave.
8. DeMar DeRozan, Chicago Bulls
DeMar DeRozan will be 35 years old when the 2024-25 season begins. But he’s still a bucket; he’s missed only 14 games in his two seasons with the Bulls, and his 22-23 season was the second most efficient (true shooting percentage of 59.2%) of his 14-year career. It will be extremely intriguing to see what he wants to do a year from now (in terms of contention, location, and remuneration).
9. Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
2024-25 which is 11th season for Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green with Green signing a new four-year contract this summer. Thompson is the next free agent to reach the market, with one year remaining on his five-year, $190 million contract inked in 2019 (despite recovering from a torn ACL).
Thompson has appeared in 136 (84%) of 161 games after returning from a two-and-a-half-year sabbatical in January 2022. He took only 21% of his shots in the paint (the lowest percentage of his career) in 2022-23 and will be 34 in February, yet he made 41% from 3-point range.
10. Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers
Hield is clearly one of the finest shooters in the world – and not only from a distance. Only Curry and Malcolm Brogdon shot better than Hield (43.8%) among the 95 players who tried at least 75 pull-up 3-pointers this season. Every team need shooting, and Hield (31 in December, with only six games missed in his seven-year career) still has plenty of tread on his tyres.
11. Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets
Bridges missed the whole 2018-19 season and has been banned for the first ten games of the 2023-24 season. He will be an unrestricted free agent next summer after signing the Hornets’ qualifying offer. Bridges was a Kia Most Improved Player contender when we last saw him, scoring 20.2 points per game for a top-10 offence. Without him, the Hornets finished dead last in offensive rating, with the league’s worst loss in points scored per 100 possessions.
12. Caleb Martin, Miami Heat
Martin exploded in the playoffs, nearly winning the MVP award for the Eastern Conference Finals after averaging 19.3 points per game on 60% shooting as the Heat defeated the Celtics in seven games. He’ll be 29 years old when the 2024-25 season begins, thus his potential is unlikely to be much greater than the player he is today. Martin, on the other hand, is the type of versatile wing that any team would want to have.
A few more possibilities: Paul George, Kawhi Leonard & Jrue Holiday
One team won a championship, while the other has never made it to the NBA Finals. However, with their senior cores, the Bucks and Clippers may be in a “Let’s try this one more time” mentality.
The Clippers made a big impact in the summer of 2019 when they signed both George and Leonard. However, in the four years afterwards, the two players have only played 142 (41%) of a potential 347 games together, including 38 (none in the playoffs) in the previous two seasons. Meanwhile, the Bucks’ four key players played together for only 195 total minutes (including playoffs) this season.
Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Jrue Holiday all are these players have 2024-25 player options. Given their ages and/or injury histories, they would be hard-pressed to turn down a $49 million (George and Leonard) or $39 million (Holiday) contract. That’s why they’re included here rather than on the list above. However, one may be searching for long-term security or a change of scenery.
All these are the free agents to look for in the 2024 season. Let us know your views in the comment section below.
