Overview

• The NBA’s free agency negotiating window opened on June 30 and teams can formally sign players starting July 6 under league rules.
• Houston secured the $14.1 million mid-level exception after trading for Kevin Durant and locking in Fred VanVleet on a team-friendly deal.
• Denver plans to emphasize free-agent signings over trades as it operates near the salary-cap second apron while seeking upgrades around Nikola Jokić.
• Los Angeles will spend its first full offseason with Luka Doncic to rebuild around him and meet LeBron James’s demand for a realistic championship path, according to agent Rich Paul.
• Detroit holds one of the few free-agent cap spaces and could pursue targets like Myles Turner, while Minnesota has re-signed Naz Reid and Julius Randle and is weighing guard departures.