Technically, most of this year’s top free agents remain unsigned. Until the moratorium in effect at the start of the 2022/23 league year expires at 11:01 a.m. Central Time on July 6, most of them are not allowed to sign their new contracts.
However, in the past 40 hours, 40 of the players on our 2022 Top 50 Free Agents list have come off the market, reaching contract agreements with teams around the league.
[RELATED: 2022 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
While these are only preliminary agreements and they could still fall apart, it usually doesn’t happen more than once or twice in any given offseason, so it’s safe to chalk these deals up for now and assume that these free agents are off board.
So who leaves this? As of Saturday morning, here are the top free agents from our top 50 list (which was last updated Tuesday) who have yet to agree to new deals:
- James Harden, G, Sixers
- Deandre Ayton, C, Suns (RFA)
- Miles Bridges, F, Hornets (RFA)
- Colin Sexton, G, Cavaliers (RFA)
- Cody Martin, F, Hornets (RFA)
- Caleb Martin, F, Heat (RFA)
- Dennis Schroder, G, Rockets
- Montrezl Harrell, C, Hornets
- Jordan Nwora, F, Bucks (RFA)
- TJ Warren, F, Pacers
Four of our top nine free agents remain on the board, but there are a few caveats worth considering here. Harden, for one, is expected to stay with the Sixers — it’s just a matter of both sides figuring out how many years and dollars he’ll get. The two sides will reportedly meet this weekend to negotiate his new contract.
Bridges’ contributions on the court made him one of our top free agents this offseason when we released our initial list, but if we were to move the available player rankings today, he would have fallen sharply. After being arrested following allegations of felony domestic violence, Bridges was formally charged Friday according to the Los Angeles Police Department ( story via ESPN ), and his NBA future is very much up in the air.
Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer wrote Friday that a long-term deal for Bridges, which seemed like a formality a few days ago, now looks highly unlikely. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando ( Twitter link ) has sources who believe the Hornets will withdraw their $7.9 million qualifying offer to Bridges, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 24-year-old is toxic right now, and for good reason.
Of the eight other players listed above, four are restricted free agents, which will reduce their leverage to negotiate favorable multi-year terms, at least somewhat. However, Ayton in particular still looks like a good bet for a lucrative long-term deal.
His situation could be related to the Kevin Durant trade market – if the Suns can acquire Durant, Ayton could be a key part of the exit package in a sign-and-trade, either to Brooklyn or a third team. The Jazz and Pacers are among the teams that have been linked to the former No. 1 overall pick.
It remains unclear which teams might try to force the Cavaliers’ hand on Sexton. According to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com ( Twitter link ), Cleveland still has about $15 million in cap space below the luxury tax line. It’s possible the club could bring Sexton back and stay out of the tax if there are no rival suitors in a position to chase the 23-year-old guard.
Harrell has his own legal issues to deal with, though the marijuana charges he faces will likely be viewed by teams as far less troubling than Bridges’ charges.
Warren, meanwhile, is a bit of a wild card. On merit alone, he would have ranked much higher on our original list, but the fact that he essentially missed two full seasons due to injuries made me wary of ranking him too high — it seems like his extended layoff could be giving potential suitors also stop.
The following free agents were noted in the honorable mention section of our top 50 list and are still unspoken:
- LaMarcus Aldridge, F/C, Nets
- Carmelo Anthony, F, Lakers
- Bismack Biyombo, C, Suns
- Avery Bradley, G, Lakers
- Thomas Bryant, C, Wizards
- Facundo Campazzo, G, Nuggets
- DeMarcus Cousins, K, Nuggets
- Goran Dragic, G, Nets
- Dwight Howard, C, Lakers
- Serge Ibaka, F/C, Bucks
- Jeremy Lamb, G/F, Kings
- Markieff Morris, F, Heat
- Austin Rivers, G, Nuggets
- Tristan Thompson, C, Bulls
- Hassan Whiteside, C, jazz
Here are our complete free agent lists by position/type and by team.
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