NBA free agency technically begins Thursday night, but the action has already begun.
The league gave us a blockbuster deal Wednesday afternoon, with the Spurs and Hawks agreeing to a trade that would send All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to Atlanta and forward Danilo Gallinari, three first-round draft picks and a trade of picks to San Antonio.
Teams can begin free agent negotiations at 6:00 PM ET on Thursday, which means we should see more player movement as teams look to revamp their rosters ahead of the 2022-23 season. While the top free agents — Washington’s Bradley Beal, Philadelphia’s James Harden and Chicago’s Zach LaVine — are expected to stick around, a host of other talented players could be switching teams in the coming days.
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Will the Boston Celtics sign any of these players? The Celtics aren’t expected to make a big splash, but they are interested in adding a scorer and/or playmaker off the bench as they look to build off a stellar 2021-22 campaign.
There will be no shortage of NBA rumors and news throughout the day, so keep it here for the latest updates until 6pm ET. (All times Eastern)
7:04 p.m.: Lonnie Walker signs with the Lakers, Shams Charania of The Athletic reports.
6:54 p.m.: Patty Mills is back in Brooklyn on a two-year, $14.5 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Free agent G Patty Mills has agreed to return to the Brooklyn Nets on a two-year, $14.5 million deal, his agent @CAA_Basketball’s Stephen Hoiman told ESPN.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
6:49 p.m.: Danilo Gallinaro is choosing between the Bulls and Celtics, and while Chicago could offer more money, Boston is his preferred landing spot, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fisher.
It sounds like Danilo Gallinari will be choosing between Chicago and Boston for his next team. The Bulls can offer a big chunk of the full MLE, roughly $8 million in AAV and a hair more than the Celtics. But Boston appears to be Gallo’s preferred landing spot.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 30, 2022
6:11 p.m.: Mo Bamba is sticking with the Magic on a two-year, $21 million deal, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
6:10 p.m.: Joe Ingles has signed with the Bucks, Ingles’ wife Renee announced on Twitter.
BREAKING NEWS:
Sources very close to free agent @Joeingles7 can confirm he has agreed to a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The house’s executive director, Renee Ingles, is thrilled for Joe and their family.
Word is Joe himself is very happy. #nba #nbanews pic.twitter.com/4yra9gQst3
— Renee Ingles (@RenaeIngles) June 30, 2022
6:00 p.m.: Free agency has begun!
A flurry of activity is reported. Here are the initial contract deals, including several stars in Devin Booker and Bradley Beal getting max contracts.
Free agent PJ Tucker has finalized a three-year, $33.2 million fully guaranteed deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, his agent Andre Buck (@andrebuck14) told @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
Free agent Victor Oladipo has agreed to a one-year, $11 million deal to return to the Miami Heat, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
Free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein has agreed to a two-year, $16 million-plus deal with the New York Knicks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. A fully guaranteed deal for Hartenstein.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
Phoenix Suns and All-NBA guard Devin Booker are finalizing a four-year, $214 million supermax contract extension that he should sign as soon as next week, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
Booker will also be the cover athlete for NBA 2K23, according to sources.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic has agreed to a five-year, $264 million supermax contract extension with the Denver Nuggets, the richest deal in NBA history, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. A fifth season (2027-28) will be a $60 million player option.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
All-Star guard Bradley Beal has agreed to a five-year, $251 million max contract to remain with the Washington Wizards, his agent, Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports , told ESPN.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
Free agent Bobby Portis is returning to the Milwaukee Bucks on a 4-year, $49 million contract, his agent Mark Bartelstein of @PrioritySports told ESPN.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
Portland Trail Blazers guard Anfernee Simons has agreed to a four-year, $100 million contract extension, his agent Bill Duffy of @BDA_Sports + WME Sports told ESPN.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
5:54 p.m.: JaVale McGee is already drawing interest from the Mavericks and Bucks, according to ESPN’s Tim McMahon.
Sources: Mavericks and Bucks expected to aggressively pursue C JaVale McGee in free agency.
— Tim McMahon (@espn_macmahon) June 30, 2022
5:27 p.m.: Spurs guard Lonnie Walker IV will become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday at 6 p.m., according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
Spurs withdraw qualifying offer for Lonnie Walker IV, making him an unrestricted free agent, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Expect an immediate strong market for Walker.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
5:03 p.m.: Jalen Brunson is expected to sign a four-year, $110 million contract with the New York Knicks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Free agent Jalen Brunson intends to sign a four-year deal worth nearly $110 million with the New York Knicks in free agency, sources told @TheAthletic @Stadium. The Mavericks never got a chance to make an offer, sources said.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
5:00 p.m.: Here’s some more information on potential trade destinations for Durant according to various reports.
4:00 p.m.: Danilo Gallinari is showing interest to the Celtics, Heat and Bulls after being rejected by the Spurs, ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports.
Will seek mid-level exception with BOS, MIA and CHI among teams interested, source close to Gallinari told ESPN https://t.co/H3V2WTEsCG
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) June 30, 2022
3:35 p.m.: Danilo Gallinari hits the open market, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
After the trade with the Hawks was officially completed today, the Spurs are expected to waive F Danilo Gallinari, sources told ESPN. As a free agent, Gallinari will have his pick of contenders in both conferences.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
3pm: How’s that for a bomb?? Kevin Durant has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports.
The Phoenix Suns are Durant’s “preferred” landing spot, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, but the Miami Heat are also reportedly on his list with several other teams willing to offer trade packages.
11:35 a.m.: The Hawks continue to mull more moves after the Murray deal, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fisher.
I’m not sure if this has been reported yet, but I’m told that Danilo Gallinarius’ guarantee date has officially been moved back to July 8th, suggesting that Atlanta is still looking to extend the DeJounte Murray trade as the Hawks look for more John Collins, Kevin Huerter deals.
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 30, 2022
11:24am: It wouldn’t be NBA free agency without mystery emojis! Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder is rumored to be a potential trade candidate.
😎🙠🠾😈
— JAE CROWDER (@CJC9BOSS) June 30, 2022
11:15 a.m.: Tobias Harris is clearly a name to watch … ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Thursday morning on Get Up! that the Philadelphia 76ers could try to trade the veteran forward.
9:25am: Could Danilo Gallinari be an option for the Celtics? Boston will be interested in signing the 6-foot-10 Italian forward if he opts out of the Spurs, according to multiple reports.
A league source confirms @JakeLFischer’s report that the Celtics are interested in signing Danilo Gallinari if San Antonio waives him.
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) June 29, 2022
9:20 a.m.: Boston is “not expected to pursue any sweeping changes” this offseason, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix reports. Mannix also noted that scoring off the bench will be a “priority” for the Celtics in the free agent and trade markets.
9:17 a.m.: Kemba Walker is expected to be bought out by the Detroit Pistons and become a free agent, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.
9 a.m.: The Hawks could try to trade Kevin Huerter or Bogdan Bogdanovic after adding Murray, The Athletic’s Chris Kirchner and Sam Amick reported Wednesday night. Huerter would fit outside of Boston’s $17.1 million traded players and could be an intriguing option for the C’s, as our own Chris Forsberg recently detailed .
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