NBA: Top Free Agents Teams Should Be Signing This Off-Season
Although the 2022 free agency class lacks some of the star power of prior years, there is still a lot of drama around this bunch as the summer approaches. There is a lot of possibility for backcourts throughout the league to move about to create room for these guys because four well-known guards have player options and Zach LaVine is already in the mix.
Now that the season is over, it’s time to consider the top NBA free agents of 2022. Many future stars are expected to enter the market, with one perhaps arriving from the Brooklyn Nets.
Meanwhile, emerging NBA players like Dennis Schroder and Bradley Beal may enter the market. Here is our up-to-date list of NBA free agents for the coming summer of 2022.
Top NBA Free Agents
Zach LaVine
Since the Milwaukee Bucks eliminated Zach LaVine’s Chicago Bulls from the postseason, various teams have been connected to the next free agency. Following that defeat to Milwaukee, he declared that he would “enjoy free agency,” which sparked reports about his potential interest in the Blazers, Spurs, Lakers, and other teams.
REPORT: The Bulls “have informed teams” that Zach LaVine plans on signing a 5-year max contract with them.
(via @JakeLFischer) pic.twitter.com/PtVdbeQ7Sc
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 20, 2022
LaVine led Chicago to the playoffs this past regular season with an average of 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 48 percent shooting.
Bradley Beal
The Washington Wizards star is “extremely likely” to choose free agency over a $36.4 million player option for the 2022–23 season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. The five-year, $248 million “supermax” deal to remain in Washington is then anticipated to be signed.
Bradley Beal is 'very likely' to opt out of his $36.4M player option and re-sign with the Wizards on a five-year max contract, per @wojespn pic.twitter.com/zGyDinoLv2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 26, 2022
Bradley Beal will likely enter the free-agent pool, as anticipated. In 40 games last season, Beal, who turns 29 on Tuesday, averaged 23.2 points and a career-high 6.6 assists. He had season-ending surgery in January to fix a damaged ligament in his left wrist.
Kyrie Irving
After Kyrie Irving resisted obtaining the COVID-19 vaccination, the Brooklyn Nets ultimately gave up and allowed him to join the team. For a Nets team that had been struggling before his comeback, Irving played brilliantly. It seems sensible that Irving will choose to forego his $36.5 million player option and accept a max deal instead. It is unknown if that will be the case with the Nets. He seemed to be leaning that way.
https://twitter.com/TheNBACentralI/status/1538948950077620225?s=20&t=hVaHCXeVwp5TvvS_6m-Eig
Deandre Ayton
According to rumors from earlier this month, the Pistons planned to pursue Deandre Ayton using the contract money freed up by the Jerami Grant deal.
1 Minute & 46 Seconds of Deandre Ayton guarding the greatest basketball player of all time pic.twitter.com/A4mejHESQo
— Khiz (@KhizHoop) June 25, 2022
The Pistons are one of the few clubs with enough salary room to offer the big man the kind of contract he’s likely to demand—a max deal. The Pistons have now modified their strategy after pulling off the ideal draft night.
Dennis Schroder
He received a five-year, $84 million contract deal from the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2020–21 season. Schroder declined it because he believed it would increase his earnings over the free agency market.
Dennis Schroder is not expected to re-sign with the Rockets this off-season, via @KellyIkoNBA.
Who should sign him? pic.twitter.com/Sq3gNukuGi
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 20, 2022
Dennis Schroder inked a $5.89 million one-year agreement with the Boston Celtics after turning down larger contract offers. Despite this, he is still only 28 years old and a successful player.
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