NBA draft and free agency 2023: Latest deals, news, buzz and reports

NBA free agency season is almost upon us. While this year’s list of free agents doesn’t contain as many superstars as those in years past, there could be plenty of player movement via trades, which we’ve seen in recent offseasons.

The 2023 NBA free agency negotiation period officially begins at 6 p.m. ET on June 30, ahead of the league’s annual moratorium period beginning July 1. Deals can be agreed to during this period but can’t be officially signed until July 6.

Among the big names who are free agents are Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving, who could be headed to the fifth team of his career. His former Brooklyn Nets teammate James Harden could be following him into free agency if Harden declines his player option with the Philadelphia 76ers. Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet might also be looking for a new home after spending the first seven years of his career north of the United States-Canada border.

We’ll have all the latest news and reports as our team of NBA insiders chases down every bit of information to keep you plugged in as the NBA reshapes itself once again this summer.

Trade grades |30-team guide

June 21

4:49 p.m. ET: The Boston Celtics are working on a trade to acquire the Washington Wizards’ Kristaps Porzingis in a three-team deal that sends Malcolm Brogdon to the LA Clippers, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. LA would be sending Marcus Morris Sr., Amir Coffey and the No. 30 pick in the 2023 draft to Washington. Porzingis would opt in on his $36 million contract for 2023-24 to make potential trade happen, but there are still outstanding issues to be resolved before a deal can be reached. Boston’s Danilo Gallinari would be in the deal, headed to the Wizards too, sources said.

2:33 p.m. ET: Although the Miami Heat continue to monitor the situation with Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, so far the star guard does not appear to be on the move. “As of right now, the Blazers have shut down anybody who has called about the possibility of trying to trade for him,” said ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on “The Pat McAfee Show.” Lillard has played all 11 of his NBA seasons in Portland.

2:30 p.m. ET: The Dallas Mavericks’ No. 10 selection has been deemed by rival teams as the most likely lottery pick to move entering draft night, with the Mavericks aiming to maximize value and searching for the highest bidder, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo. Additionally, several rival teams have indicated to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony that the Orlando Magic’s No. 11 pick is very much available in a trade for a veteran wing shooter. See the latest mock draft intel »

2:18 p.m. ET: General manager Mitch Kupchak said the Charlotte Hornets likely will use the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft on one of two players — but he also didn’t rule out trading down. Kupchak didn’t identify the two players, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week that the Hornets are down to Alabama forward Brandon Miller and G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson.

1:24 p.m. ET: The Denver Nuggets are trading the least favorable of their 2024 first-round picks and the 2023 No. 40 pick to the Indiana Pacers for the Nos. 29 and 32 picks this year, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The Pacers will now have Nos. 7, 26 and 40 and the Nuggets Nos. 29, 32 and 37 on Thursday.

1:15 p.m. ET: The NBA sent a memo to teams today stating the salary cap is projected to be $136 million and the luxury tax is projected to be $165 million — higher by $2 million and $3 million, respectively, than initial projections sent back in September. The memo makes it clear that this projection is not final until the league’s audit is over later this month.

11:18 a.m. ET: Philadelphia 76ers center Montrezl Harrell is declining his $2.7 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent, league sources tell ESPN. Harrell averaged 5.6 points and 2.8 rebounds last season.

11:00 a.m. ET: Denver Nuggets guard Bruce Brown is declining his $6.8 million player option to become an unrestricted free agent, his agent, Ty Sullivan of CAA Sports, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Brown averaged 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals while playing the sixth-most minutes on the Nuggets in 20 games this postseason.

June 20

6:37 p.m. ET: Alabama’s Brandon Miller and G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson each had a second workout with the Charlotte Hornets, who hold the No. 2 pick in Thursday’s draft. Sources told ESPN NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony that Miller looked more engaged than during his first workout, while Henderson was excellent. See who the Hornets are projected to pick in Givony’s latest mock draft.

4:19 p.m. ET: New Zealand Breakers wing Rayan Rupert has received a green room invite to attend the NBA Draft with his family, a source told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Rupert averaged 5.9 points per game with the Breakers in 2022-23. He is projected as the No. 23 overall pick in ESPN.com’s latest mock draft.

4:00 p.m. ET: Santa Clara’s Brandin Podziemski has received a green room invite to attend the NBA draft with his family, a source told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. There are now 23 players who have received green room invites.

3:48 p.m. ET: Marquette’s Olivier-Maxence Prosper has received a green room invite to attend the NBA draft with his family on June 22, a source told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Prosper, picked at No. 20 in the latest ESPN mock draft, has seen his stock skyrocket in the pre-draft process.

2:58 p.m. ET: Guard Gary Trent Jr. is picking up his $18.56 million player option to remain with the Toronto Raptors in 2023-24, sources confirmed to ESPN. The news was first reported by Bleacher Report.

2:31 p.m. ET: Center Damian Jones has exercised his $2.58 million player option to return to the Utah Jazz next season, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Jones averaged 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 41 games with the Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers last season.

2:30 p.m. ET: Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma has declined his $13 million player option and will become a free agent next week, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Kuzma will be one of the most prominent players available. A return to Washington on a new deal remains a possibility.

9:31 a.m.: If Zion Williamson is going to be traded, it would only be for a top-three pick, reported ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on Tuesday morning on “Get Up.” Windhorst added, “I think the Hornets and the Blazers are keeping picks 2 and 3, if I had to bet today, so there’s nothing to trade Zion for.”

8:51 a.m.: In recent days, there has been increased optimism the Philadelphia 76ers will get James Harden‘s contract settled, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Tuesday morning on “Get Up.” Harden has until June 29 to decide on his $35.6 million player option for 2023-24.

8:48 a.m.: While the Washington Wizards are still looking for a third team to reroute Chris Paul in the Bradley Beal trade, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said Tuesday morning on “Get Up” that there’s a stronger possibility Paul becomes a free agent before the end of the month. If so, there is mutual interest between Paul and the LA Clippers for a potential reunion.

8:19 a.m.: What does the future hold for the Portland Trail Blazers? “I checked in on the [Damian] Lillard side of things about whether or not there’s been a change of heart there and I was told unequivocally no,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on “Get Up” on Tuesday morning. “Dame does not want a young movement. He wants to play with veterans. He wants the team to upgrade fast and immediately with veteran players that could help him now.” Portland holds the No. 3 overall pick in Thursday’s draft, which could be valuable in a trade to bring back veteran help if the Blazers decide to go in that direction.

June 19

2:14 p.m. ET: Will Draymond Green be back with the Golden State Warriors in 2023-24? New Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said Monday after Green’s opt-out, “We really want Draymond back,” adding that he “feels confident we can navigate it.” He added that Warriors ownership has the finances to re-sign Green.

12:15 p.m. ET: James Harden has until June 29 to decide on his $35.6 million player option for 2023-24, but it’s possible that even if he opts out, he’ll end up back with the Philadelphia 76ers. “I bet if you poll 50 front-office executives, the majority of them would guess he’s going back to Philly,” Zach Lowe said on “The Lowe Post” podcast.

12:11 p.m. ET: Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has declined his $27.5 million player option, electing to enter unrestricted free agency. Green’s agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, “We will continue to talk to Golden State and explore all options.” It was expected Green would opt out, and now he can talk with the Warriors, explore sign-and-trades and free agency.

10:20 a.m. ET: With trade rumblings picking up on the Zion Williamson front, ESPN’s Bobby Marks said if he were the New Orleans Pelicans, he’d be willing to give Williamson another year. “I’m not ready to walk away from Zion Williamson even if it means the No. 2 or 3 pick. We can talk the games played, which has been about 114 games, but when he is healthy he is one of those players that you can build a franchise around. … His contract doesn’t scare me at all because it is such laden with games played, injury protection and weight clauses that if he does get hurt again, it’s not like you’re stuck with $180 million-plus. If the 2-3 [pick] does become available at the end of the week, I’m still hesitant to move off [Zion].”

June 18

5:35 p.m. ET: Could Chris Paul be on the move again already? The Washington Wizards will field offers from third teams to expand their agreed upon trade with the Phoenix Suns, giving Paul a chance to land with a contender, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

4:30 p.m. ET: The Washington Wizards are finalizing a trade to send All-Star guard Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Beal is waiving his no-trade clause to form a new big three with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. The two teams are still working through the final details of the trade, but the Suns are expected to send Chris Paul, Landry Shamet, multiple second-round picks and pick swaps to the Wizards.

Windhorst: How Suns built a superteam before it’s too late

10:04 a.m. ET: The Charlotte Hornets are expecting to conduct a second-round of workouts and interviews with Alabama’s Brandon Miller and G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson on Monday — with an audience that will include outgoing owner Michael Jordan, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

June 16

11:42 a.m. ET: The Indiana Pacers are looking to trade out of the seventh spot in the NBA draft in exchange for a high-level wing player, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “Indiana has been talking to people about the No. 7 pick. I’ve been told they’ve been trying to get wing players. They’ve been trying to move out of No. 7 to get a high-level wing player. I think they might be able to, if they’re motivated enough,” Windhorst said on “The Hoop Collective” podcast.

10:36 a.m. ET: NBA prospect Kris Murray will not attend the NBA draft at the Barclay Center in New York on June 23, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony tweeted. Murray will watch the draft at home with his family.

8:51 a.m. ET: The Golden State Warriors named Mike Dunleavy Jr. their new general manager on Friday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Dunleavy was previously Golden State’s vice president of basketball operations. He will replace former president and GM Bob Myers.

8:28 a.m. ET: The Los Angeles Lakers are unlikely to acquire another superstar this offseason, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “In this league right now, with the new collective bargaining agreement, you can’t really pay, have three max contracts, three superstars and expect to have any depth on its roster. It’s going to look a lot the same,” Wojnarowski said on “Get Up.”

June 15

3:21 p.m. ET: The Utah Jazz have three first-round picks in next week’s NBA draft and could be looking to move up from their current spot at No. 9, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “If there is a player on the board that they don’t think will get to them, they’re in position to [move up],” Wojnarowski said on “NBA Today.”

3:18 p.m. ET: The Charlotte Hornets are still deciding what to do with the No. 2 overall pick. ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said on “NBA Today” that Scoot Henderson had a great workout with Charlotte, while Brandon Miller‘s was not as good, but for good reason. “Miller is coming off an illness,” Givony said. “He had mono in April, so he hasn’t been training with the same intensity.” See Givony’s latest mock draft »

2:53 p.m. ET: Forward Danilo Gallinari has exercised his $6.8 million player option to return to the Boston Celtics for the 2023-2024 season, his agent, Michael Tellem of Excel Sports Management, told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Thursday. Gallinari tore the ACL in his left knee while playing for his native Italy in a FIBA qualifying game in August. He had signed a two-year, $13.3 million deal with the Celtics last offseason that included the player option for the second season.

2:30 p.m. ET: Could Bruce Brown return to the Denver Nuggets in 2023-24? At Denver’s championship parade, Brown said to the crowd, “I’ve got one more question: One more year?” Brown holds a $6.8 million player option for next season. If he opts out, the Nuggets have non-Bird rights on him and can offer him a new contract starting at $7.8 million.

8:08 a.m. ET: Two teams to watch out for if the Washington Wizards look to trade Bradley Beal? The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks. “There are other teams on the periphery that I think are involved, but two teams I think at the forefront, Miami and Milwaukee,” Brian Windhorst said on “Get Up” this morning. “Milwaukee would be a very complicated trade.”

June 14

3:22 p.m. ET: Will James Harden be back with the Philadelphia 76ers next season? Harden has a $35.6 million player option he can decline to become a free agent. If he does, the 76ers might not rush to re-sign the former MVP. “The Sixers are not desperate,” Brian Windhorst said on “NBA Today” this afternoon. “While they absolutely want James Harden back — and I think there is a way they can play together and still be highly successful — the Sixers have other moves they can make. If Harden walks, they have cap space. They have tradable contracts. They have things they can do. Harden is important, but he is not the be all and end all for the 76ers.”

1:07 p.m. ET: As rivals begin reaching out to the Wizards to explore possibility of trading for All-Star guard Bradley Beal, new team president Michael Winger and Beal’s agent — Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports — are staying in close contact to discuss scenarios presented to the franchise, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

8:38 a.m. ET: Are the Washington Wizards and Bradley Beal going to go their separate ways? Brian Windhorst said on “Get Up” that a Beal trade would be hard to put together not only because of his remaining contract (four years, $207.7 million), but because he has a no-trade clause and can veto any potential deal. Still, he adds, “if the Wizards are going to make a move with Bradley Beal, it looks like it could be before the draft next week.”

8:06 a.m. ET: Could Zion Williamson be on the move? Brian Windhorst said on “Get Up” that “the league is certainly wondering if the Pelicans are going to make, for the first time truly, Zion Williamson available.” Williamson, who has played just 29 games over the past two seasons, is entering the first year of a five-year, $193 million contract extension.

June 12

2:59 p.m. ET: In the first major domino of free agency, Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Fred VanVleet has declined his $22.8 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent in July, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. VanVleet, 29, has played his entire seven-year NBA career with the Raptors. Last season, he averaged 19.3 points and a career-best 7.2 assists per game.

June 7

6:56 p.m. ET: Phoenix Suns ownership and executives had a series of conversations with Chris Paul and his representatives on the All-Star point guard’s future with the franchise, including the possibility that he could be waived by the NBA’s June 28 guarantee date on his contract, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Only $15.8 million of his $30.8 million for the 2023-24 season is guaranteed if he’s waived — unless the Suns keep Paul past that June 28 deadline date.