Draymond Green, Kuzma staying put as NBA free agency opens, sources tell AP

Published 3:31 pm Friday, June 30, 2023

Kyle Kuzma doubled his salary in Washington, and Draymond Green ensured that Golden State’s championship core stays together.

Free agency in the NBA got off to its traditional fast start on Friday afternoon, with Kuzma agreeing to a $102 million, four-year deal with the Wizards and Green getting a new contract that’ll pay him $100 million over four seasons with the Warriors.

Both of those deals — first reported by ESPN — got done shortly after the 3 p.m. PDT start to the offseason player movement window. Kuzma had opted out of a contract that would have paid him $13 million in Washington this coming season; he’ll now average $26 million during the next four years after scoring 21.2 points per game this past season.

NBA rules prohibit teams and players from officially signing and announcing new contracts until the free agency moratorium lifts July 6.

The Portland Trail Blazers and forward Jerami Grant have agreed to a five-year deal worth $160 million, according to an NBA source.

The news was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Retaining Grant was a top priority for the Blazers. They acquired Grant from Detroit in a trade last offseason specifically to pair him with his friend, Damian Lillard. Losing Grant would have put a huge dent in the team’s plans to continue building around Lillard, an effort that has been on shaky ground leading to speculation that the seven-time All-Star could seek a trade if progress isn’t made.

Grant got off to a hot start last season before cooling down thanks mainly to various injuries. He ended up averaging 20.5 points per game while shooting 47.5% from the field and a career-best 40.1% on threes.

The 6-foot-8 Grant provides the Blazers with scoring at all levels and the ability to defend multiple positions. He has never been an All-Star but certainly played at All-Star levels in stretches for the Blazers last season.

Green staying put keeps him alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson with the Warriors, where they have won four titles during the past decade. He opted out of a $27.6 million contract for this coming season.

In Dallas, Kyrie Irving decided to stay with the Mavericks. The 31-year-old All-Star has verbally agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract, a person familiar with the negotiations confirmed Friday. The deal ended Irving’s unrestricted free agency less than an hour into the negotiating period and restored his spot as co-star to Luka Doncic.

The Mavericks could’ve offered Irving a new contract up to five years and $272 million because they held his Bird Rights from the Nets trade.

The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets lost a free agent they wanted to keep. Bruce Brown agreed to sign with Indiana, a person with knowledge told AP. ESPN reported it was a two-year deal worth $45 million.

The Nuggets could only offer Brown $7.8 million for this season. Brown will average nearly three times that much during the next two years.

Salary cap

Shortly before the 3 p.m. window opened, the NBA confirmed the financial particulars for the coming season. The salary cap that goes into effect Saturday will be $136.021 million — the highest in league history, as expected. The tax level is $165.294 million.

All teams will have to commit at least $122.418 million in salaries for the coming year. The first apron level is $172.346 million, the second apron has been established at $182.794 million, the midlevel for non-tax teams is $12.405 million, for taxpayers it is $5 million, and the room mid-level is $7.723 million.

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