An Early Preview of 2018 NBA Free Agency
As hectic and chaotic as NBA Free Agency has been in the last two years, next summer could be as peculiar as any offseason in a long time. There are quite a few storylines to watch as an absolutely stacked free agency class gets ready to hit the open market next year.
Where Will LeBron James End Up?
Rumors are already swirling about where the King could be in 12 months. He could decide to re-up with the Cavs, but he’ll likely test the waters and see what kind of options are out there. The Los Angeles Lakers seem like a plausible destination, given their massive cap space and the fact that Paul George seemingly has his mind already set on LA. The San Antonio Spurs will have cap flexibility, they could get a meeting with James and win him over. The Philadelphia 76ers could even have a tiny chance. LeBron is good friends with Ben Simmons, who he shares an agent with. The Sixers have tons of young talent and more cap flexibility than anyone else in the league. The Sixers could theoretically bring in James and another superstar in the free agent market. Don’t expect him to go to Philly, but don’t totally rule it out- there’s a case to be made. The Lakers are likely the heavy favorite if he leaves Cleveland, though.
Lots of Stars, But Not a Lot of Money
This class is LOADED. James, George, DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook, Isaiah Thomas, Chris Paul, and DeAndre Jordan all can become unrestricted free agents. But the problem is, not a lot of teams have cap space to go after them. In the last two summers, the majority of teams have spent way too much money, thus taking them out of the running to sign a big-name free agent. Watch out for teams with massive cap space like the Spurs, Sixers, Lakers, Bulls and Mavericks to be linked to these big names as potential suitors.
The Warriors Meet a Crossroads
Last offseason was obviously fantastic for the Golden State Warriors because of the Kevin Durant signing, but the under-the-radar move they made was when they bought the 38th pick and took Patrick McCaw, a young and promising Shooting Guard who played big minutes for them in the playoffs. The problem is, though, they only signed him to a two-year contract, which means he will be a restricted free agent next summer. Many teams will likely be ready to give him a deal too large for the Warriors to match because of his potential. Assuming he gets some substantial offers, the Warriors wouldn’t be able to bring him back unless they moved on from either Andre Iguodala, who seems unlikely to be dealt, or one of their four stars- most notably, Klay Thompson. If the Warriors disappoint next year, they could very well consider moving on from Iggy or Klay to get younger and cheaper, and bring back McCaw to be a foundational long-term piece. The much more likely outcome is that the Warriors win another title, and McCaw leaves for more money elsewhere. Still, though, it’s something to think about.
It’s still a ways away, but it’s never too early to start looking into free agency, especially when there are so many huge names set to hit the market. And with many teams lacking cap space, there aren’t a lot of teams ready to hand out huge deals.
