Free agency opens with a bang as plenty of early decisions, moves

The NBA’s annual free agency chaos is finally upon us, and we already know that a handful of the biggest names in the league will be playing for new teams next season, including Kevin Durant. But there are still some stars – notably Kawhi Leonard – left on the market.

Here we track all of the significant player movement across the league and break down what it all means. Editor’s note: The deals listed, unless otherwise noted, are simply agreements,

and can’t become official until the moratorium period ends on July 6.

The top guys

Kevin Durant – Plans to sign a four-year, $164.3 million deal

with Brooklyn: Sure, Durant will likely miss all of next season while rehabbing a torn Achilles, and he may never be the same player again. But the Nets struck gold, plain and simple. Durant is arguably the best player in the league, and when you have a chance to get him, you take it.

Kyrie Irving – Plans to sign a four-year, $141 million deal with Brooklyn: Irving’s Boston career had a sour ending, but despite the off-court issues and injuries, there’s no denying his talent. He’s only 27 and he remains one of the best scorers in the game. The Nets will have to wait to see Irving and Durant on the court at the same time, but that’s certainly something worth waiting for.

Klay Thompson – Plans to sign a five-year, $189.6 million deal to stay with Golden State: As long as the money was there, Thompson wasn’t leaving the Warriors. Like Durant, he’s probably going to miss all of next season (ACL tear), so this move doesn’t help the Warriors in the short term. In the long term, though, it keeps the best shooting backcourt in league history together.

Kemba Walker – Plans to sign a four-year, $140.8 million deal with Boston. Walker, a three-time AllStar who had one of the best seasons of his career in 2018/19 for Charlotte, fills the hole at point guard for the Celtics. He averaged 25.6 points, 5.9 assists, 4.4 rebounds and shot 43.4% from the field and 35.6% on three-pointers during his final year with the Hornets.

Jimmy Butler – Plans to sign a four-year, $142 million deal in sign-and-trade with Miami: Another year, another team for Butler. Only this time, he’s the clear-cut No. 1 option, and he joins an organization in need of a star. This move doesn’t make the Heat a title contender by any means, but Butler is one of the top twoway talents in the league.

Nikola Vucevic – Plans to sign a four-year, $100 million deal to stay with Orlando: Vucevic, a firsttime All-Star last season, is one of the most underrated big men in the league, and the Magic didn’t want to let him go. The 28-year-old was one of just five players to average at least 20 points, 12 rebounds and three assists last season.

Khris Middleton – Plans to sign a five-year, $178 million deal to stay with Milwaukee: A steep price, sure, but Middleton is worth it. The 27-year-old All-Star has been a great No. 2 option alongside MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and letting him walk after he helped lead the team to an NBA-best 60-win regular season would have been tough to do.

Tobias Harris – Plans to sign a five-year, $180 million deal to stay with Philadelphia. Believe it or not, the 76ers are the fifth team of Harris’ career – and he’s there for the long haul. He was the third or fourth option for the Sixers on many nights last season and still averaged 18.2 points and 7.9 rebounds. The contract is huge, but it’s slightly less than the max.

Kristaps Porzingis – Plans to sign a five-year, $158 million deal to stay with Dallas: No surprise here. Porzingis (ACL tear) has yet to play a game for the Mavs after they traded for him in January, and the organization views him as a franchise cornerstone alongside Rookie of the Year Luka Doncic. He’s still just 23, and he has the potential to be one of the top bigs in the league for years.

Al Horford – Plans to sign a four-year, $109 million deal with Philadelphia: The five-time All-Star, do-it-all big man left one Eastern Conference contender and joined another. Horford will be missed in Boston and welcomed warmly in Philadelphia. A potential frontcourt of Harris, Horford and Joel Embiid will be scary.

D’Angelo Russell – Plans to sign a four-year, $117 million deal in sign-and-trade with Golden State: The Warriors somewhat mitigated the loss of Durant by acquiring the 23-yearold Russell, an All-Star this past season for the Nets. To make the trade for Russell work, though, Golden State had to ship out longtime mainstay Andre Iguodala along with future picks. Russell can play either guard position, a big boost for a Warriors team that will likely be without the injured Thompson for the bulk of next season.

The second-tier guys

Bojan Bogdanovic – Plans to sign a four-year, $73 million deal with Utah: He may not be a household name, but Bogdanovic made a huge impact for Indiana last season, especially after Victor Oladipo went down. He was one of just five players in the league to average at least 18 points while shooting 42% or better from on threes. This is a sneaky-good move by the Jazz.

Brook Lopez – Plans to sign a four-year, $52 million deal to stay with Milwaukee: Lopez played a big role in Milwaukee’s dominant season, and the Bucks clearly coveted him. Lopez started 81 regular season games, averaging 12.5 points and 4.9 rebounds while hitting 36.5% of his three-pointers.

Harrison Barnes – Plans to sign a four-year, $85 million deal to stay with Sacramento: The Kings traded for Barnes at the February deadline and he shot 40.8% from beyond the arc in 28 games after joining the team. He wasn’t the best wing on the market, but he fills a need in Sacramento, and he should continue to fit nicely alongside De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield.

Malcolm Brogdon – Plans to sign a four-year, $85 million deal in sign-and-trade with Indiana: This is a big loss for Milwaukee and a big gain for Indiana. Brogdon, the 2016/17 Rookie of the Year, has developed into one of the better two-way guards in the league.

J.J. Redick – Plans to sign a twoyear, $26.5 million deal with New Orleans: Redick, who spent the past two years in Philadelphia, is coming off one of the best seasons of his 13-year career. He gives the Pelicans some much-needed shooting as they look to remain competitive after trading away Anthony Davis.

DeAndre Jordan – Reportedly plans to sign a four-year, $40 million with Brooklyn: The 30-year-old center was traded to the Knicks in January, and he played well before losing minutes to rookie Mitchell Robinson, showing the ability to still finish at the rim, rebound and block shots. It will be interesting to see how he and 21-yearold Jarrett Allen split time in Brooklyn.

Julius Randle – Reportedly plans to sign a three-year, $63 million deal with New York: The Knicks missed out on Durant and Irving, but that’s not to say Randle isn’t a great acquisition. The former No. 7 overall pick is just 24, and he put up monster numbers – 21.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists – with New Orleans last season.

Al-Farouq Aminu – Plans to sign a three-year, $29 million deal with Orlando: He’s fairly limited offensively, but Aminu is a versatile defender who can guard multiple positions.

Derrick Rose – Plans to sign a two-year, $15 million deal with Detroit: He’s not the MVP he once was, but Rose is coming off a resurgent year in Minnesota. He’s worth the gamble.

(USA Today/TNS)