Enjoy Basketball: These free agents might be on the move

Rise and shine, Enjoyers of Basketball!

Free agency begins this week, and we're here to talk about all the possibilities and outcomes in one of the most exciting weeks in basketball. How many stars will switch teams?

Okay maybe not that many, LeGM. For reasons discussed below, some of your dreams for Beal or Kyrie to end up on your favorite team might remain dreams. But today let's dive into the nuance behind some moves that could shake up the young talent of this beautiful league.

Free agency will likely start around 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, June 30th and all around people are swarming to figure out which star or valuable role player will change teams. Originally we were going to break down for you which teams did and did not have cap space. But in recent years, the sign-and-trade has become a prolific weapon, making free agency even more unpredictable because teams without caps can still get big names. In the last few years, Kevin Durant and D'Angelo swapped teams, and Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler headed to Miami via sign-and-trades for landing spots no one thought possible.

Here are the top free agents this summer:

• Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets ($36.5M player option)

• Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (unrestricted)

• Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards ($36.4M player option)

• James Harden, Philadelphia 76ers ($47.4M player option)

• Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns (restricted)

• Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets (restricted)

• Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers (restricted)

• Jalen Brunson, Dallas Mavericks (unrestricted)

• Collin Sexton, Cleveland Cavaliers (restricted)

The Big Names

There's a very good chance Irving, LaVine, Beal, and Harden return to their present teams even if they decline their player options. For Harden and Beal, it's about the location and money. For Irving, it would be Kevin Durant. And for Lavine, we'd guess it is faith in Chicago and trying to run it back. If these guys return, the offseason is more boring than it otherwise could be.

We would argue that there is even more excitement in the restricted free agents. If you don't know, when a free agent is "restricted," it means that his present team can match any contract another team throws at him and the player is required to resign with his former team. It is primarily used with players who just ended their 2-year or 4-year rookie contracts. Usually, an NBA team will match any offer another team throws at their guy if he is truly a young talent with potential. But this could change this off season...

DeAndre Ayton 

The Suns young center was the third or fourth best player on the roster for the past two contending seasons and should command a pricey contract this offseason. But, reports say that the Suns don't seem to value Ayton as much as he does. We doubt the Suns will let the 2018 #1 overall pick walk for no return value, but he could likely wind up in a sign-and-trade.

The prime locations for Ayton? Detroit or Atlanta. Even though they just drafted Jalen Duren, another center which decreases the Pistons' need for Ayton, premium talent is hard to come by in this league. When a rebuilding team with the most cap space in the league has an opportunity to sign a guy like Ayton, they should take it. The Hawks have less money at their disposal, but maybe Ayton would take a bit less money to play with a terrific lop passer in Trae Young. Consequently, the Hawks would let go of Clint Capela, who they've been wanting to move for a while.

Miles Bridges

Miles Bridges is coming off of a huge season, averaging 20 points for an explosive Hornets team. However in peak 21st century fashion, cryptic social media posts have Charlotte fans doubting if the 24-year-old power forward will suit up for them next year. Below, he puts a saluting emoji next to a photo of him and LaMelo Ball. Additionally he took the Hornets out of his Twitter. We hate to be all TMZ with this one, but these things have to be intentional.

Additionally, a friend posted this caption to an Instagram photo with Bridges. It was hilarious that this random bar leaked, and even funnier that it was since edited. Man might be in the dog house...

Honestly, I think Detroit is also a great fit for Bridges, maybe an even better one than for Ayton. He would join a young team with high growth potential and great playmaking guard. But isn't that what he would be leaving behind too?

Jalen Brunson

The craziest thing about Jalen Brunson's free agency is that he is NOT restricted even though this is the end of his rookie contract. Earlier in the year, the Mavericks decided to let him hit unrestricted free agency. Then, Jalen became their second best player in the playoffs and dropped 25+ points on several occasions. Now the Mavericks look foolish and have no control over if the Villanova guard chooses to sign elsewhere.

Where? Our #1 prediction is the New York Knicks. First, the Knicks are one of only a few teams with cap space, especially after freeing up ~$12M from trading Kemba Walker and their first round pick, and need a high quality point guard. Secondly, Jalen Brunson's agent is Sam Rose, the son of Knicks' Head of Basketball Operations Leon Rose. If any back door connection could help tie the knot, its family. Check out this Twitter threat we wrote to encapsulate how dominant Brunson was during the 2022 playoffs:

We don't want to saturate y'all with unsubstantiated rumors, so we won't dive deeper into the top guys. As more stuff comes out and people opt in or out of their contracts, more analysis and predictions will come. As of now, we see Kyrie, Beal, Lavine, Harden, and even Anfernee Simons returning to their squads. If we had to pick one to change? Uncle Drew or Collin Sexton.

Hornets bring back Steve Clifford

After Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson declined Charlotte's offer to become head coach, the Hornets have hired Steve Clifford. Though Clifford is well respected around the league, especially amongst his fellow coaches, this hire is hilarious. Not only must it be awkward that he was obviously the second choice behind Atkinson, but he was also the Hornets coach from 2013-2018. How often does a team re-hire a coach after only 4 years since he was let go? We'll see if he can help evolve this Hornets team from a growing young squad to an actual playoff team

LeBron James basketball card sells for $2.4 million

The 2020-21 Panini Flawless Triple Logoman LeBron James card has sold for $2.4 million. This card depicts three different Lebron's, one from each of the franchises he has played for: Cavaliers, Heat, and Lakers. On each section is embedded NBA logo patches from game-worn jerseys from each team. Though its price is not quite record-breaking, it is unheard of that a card so new would sell for so much. We don't know if we'd drop that big of a bag on it, but it is pretty dope.

Kyrie Irving has sign-and-trade wish list if no deal with Brooklyn Nets

More Kyrie drama! Likely as leverage to secure a long-term guaranteed deal with the Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving reportedly has a shortlist of teams that he would like to be dealt to in a sign-and-trade deal in free agency. Teams include the Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, Heat, Mavericks, and 76ers: essentially, the six biggest markets in the league. The increased doubt of Kyrie's future with the Nets has also alienated Kevin Durant, sources say.

For Some N.B.A. Draftees, Making It to the Pros Runs in the Family - Sopan Deb and Scott Cacciola (New York Times)

Can the Thunder Build Their Future Around the Thin Towers? - Rodger Sherman (The Ringer)

2023 NBA Draft’s No. 1 pick: Why many think Victor Wembanyama is already locked in - Mike Vorkunov and Sam Vecenie, (The Athletic)

Film Don’t Lie: Jalen Duren adds the “jumpy jump” big man the Pistons desperately need - Bryce Simon, (Detroit Bad Boys)

That'll do it for today! We're really getting into the free agency spirit and cannot wait to share more with you as things progress. Kenny offered the other writers and me the super-max contract, so we're staying at Enjoy Basketball and in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!

- Conor Geelan

Last Trivia Answer: Before 2022, the last NBA Draft to have the top three picks be college freshman was 2017. In that year, Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball, and Jayson Tatum were the top three. I feel old.

Trivia Question: Of the 30 highest paid players in the NBA for the upcoming season, only two have never been all stars. These guys will rake in $36 million and $30 million per year, respectively. Who are they?