The free transfer market has always been a lucrative bait for the teams. Here, they can completely look for quality players to thicken the squad.
Not only that, the free market sometimes also sees the appearance of top stars, even NBA legends. Let’s take a look at a few names that may appear as free agents after the 2023/24 season.
NBA’s free stars in next season
LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers
LeBron will have the option of a $51.4 million extension for the 2024/25 season and it is highly likely that this legend will choose to stay with the LA city. However, it is still uncertain as he has hinted at retirement after failing to reach the finals last season.
LeBron has talked a lot about playing with his son Bronny James (who will likely be picked in the final rounds of round 1 next year). Money may be the reason for James to stay with the Lakers but who knows, playing with his son is also a rare experience.
Pascal Siakam – Toronto Raptors
Rumors of a Siakam trade have spread throughout the tournament. In the end, however, none of the deals took place. The player’s team has confirmed that no matter where he trades, he will not sign an extension next year, but wants to experience the free market.
Siakam is a top 20 player in the NBA, who averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.8 assists in a single game last season. He has a diverse attacking style and is an excellent defender.
James Harden – Philadelphia 76ers
Harden is very close to the free market next year after choosing to extend his contract worth $ 35.6 million this season.
At the age of 34, the bearded god has shown signs of decline in form. He will have to work hard in the 2023/24 season if he still wants to receive a three-year contract at 30-40 million dollars. The level of spirit and gameplay will still be James’ strengths and just wait for the day to explode.
Anunoby – Toronto Raptors
After announcing their readiness to negotiate over Siakam, the Raptors management received another question: What about Anunoby?
Anunoby has a $19.9 million extension option for the 2024/25 season but he will almost certainly decline and accept to enter the free market. The Raptors still have the right to Anunoby’s Bird, which will allow the Canadian team to offer a higher number than other teams but ultimately the decision will still be with Anunoby.
DeMar DeRozan – Chicago Bulls
Another name that will also enter the free market next year is DeRozan. Despite turning 35 years old, DeRozan is still ranked among the best players in the NBA.
Last season, he averaged 24.5 points with a rate of up to 59.2%. But teams will also have to be very careful when deciding to sign this player when he is a relatively difficult player to use. Because, if using DeRozan on the field, the coaches will have to solve the defensive problem quite a lot.
Nic Claxton – Brooklyn Nets
Brooky will certainly find ways to keep this young striker, but this will be a difficult task.
Claxton is a fairly wide and flexible defensive model, he also has an average of 12.6 points and a rate of 70.5%. The most important thing is that Claxton has always shown his potential for growth even in a relatively chaotic team like Brooklyn.