By the time NBA free agency opened at 6 p.m. ET on June 30, the biggest names on the free agency market were Myles Turner, Dorian Finney-Smith and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. With respect to those three talented players, the lack of star power in free agency this year (and last year) has been quite notable.
The league has shifted how it does business, and teams no longer try to clear tons of cap space in order to sign stars. Paul George joining the Sixers last year was the rare recent All-Star signing with a team into cap space, but that was a particularly unique circumstance for both Philly and George — who wanted to return to L.A., but wasn’t given the extension offer he wanted.
Otherwise, most of the major moves in free agency now get done by way of a sign-and-trade, while stars typically change teams via a trade request towards the end of their current deal, using the threat of walking in free agency to get to a preferred destination to work out an extension. That’s what we saw with Kevin Durant this summer, and it’s been in the playbook for most every star in the league for some time now.
As a result, the start of free agency has lost its luster, and some feel like that’s a change for the worse. Among them is Draymond Green, who took to Threads late Tuesday night and posted a lengthy thread of thoughts on why the new CBA and the second apron are to blame for where the league is right now and how he feels young players are mismanaging their careers.
I’m sitting in my mancave having a conversation with my wife. Baffled at the fact that NBA free agency is over. Quite frankly it never really started. The level of anticipation leading up to July 1st were as exciting as the fireworks on the 4th. It was the excitement of the NBA Finals yet only a week after watching a team spray champagne and ride on floats. One can only point to the “New CBA” and the 2nd apron (hard cap) for absolutely putting an end to Free Agency as we once knew it.
Sadly, I sit here and watch so many players overplay the market and not understand what they…
..
