NBA Free Agency 2024: Dissecting Latest Rumors Following Mavs vs. Celtics Finals

The Boston Celtics are your 2023-24 NBA champions after a one-sided series against the Dallas Mavericks 4-1 in the finals and while the organization is busy celebrating its record-breaking 18th NBA Championship, the league’s other 29 squads are focused on building to compete next year.

That includes doing due diligence in free agency, where one player can be the difference between contending and pretending.

Who are top free agents poised to make headlines this season and what is the latest as they prepare to test the market?

Find out with this preview.

Michael Scotto of the HoopsHype Podcast reported, that there is “a lot of intrigue around the OKC Thunder and [Isaiah] Hartenstein.”

Hartenstein can move the ball and is an above-average shooter from the paint, but questions about his health make it difficult for the New York Knicks to give him a full contract for fear that it would be nearly impossible to move, reported Scotto.

It is no guarantee, though, that the Thunder could take on a contract the likes of which the team would have to give to Hartenstein, especially with key deals for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luguentz Dort, and Chet Holmgren up over the next two seasons.

Hartenstein saw more floor time in 2023-24 than any other season of his career with 25.3 minutes per game and tallied his highest field goal percentage (64.4) since his 2019-20 season with the Rockets.

His on-court chemistry with Jalen Brunson was key to the Knicks success this season and to find someone to develop that with the star would be more difficult than working out a contract, potentially by adding more years, to retain him.

The question would ultimately become whether long-term security or more money sooner would be the greater draw to the 26-year-old center.

Klay Thompson is one of the greatest shooters of all time and a future Hall of Famer.

He is also, potentially, a former Golden State Warrior.

Thompson knows he should not expect a long-term, max contract from any team, Monte Poole of NBC Sports reported.

He is, though, looking for a deal in the three-year range.

Thompson has repeatedly been linked to the Orlando Magic, with the potential for him to bring a consistent shooting threat to a young team that desperately needs one. While he is not the player he once was, he can still score 30 points on any given night and execute a key defensive play that changes the game.

His 17.9 points this past season were the fewest since his 2012 season but he remained a 43.2 percent shooter from the paint and shot 38.7 percent from beyond the arc. He tacked on 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists.

Thompson is still a star player with plenty to contribute, be it on the floor or in the locker room. With a young team like the Magic, which is still trying to find its footing as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, he has the opportunity to prove his worth beyond the only team he has ever known and the squad with which he won four NBA titles.

OG Anunoby was essential to improving the New York Knicks’ defense this season. While the team would be hard-pressed to find another player who can come in and have the impact that the former Toronto Raptor did, there is no guarantee that the 26-year-old forward/guard will return to the Big Apple.

NBA insider Brian Windhorst reported during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up that Anunoby has not been overly impressed by what the team has offered him contractually ahead of free agency.

Anunoby averaged one block, 1.7 steals, and 3.4 defensive rebounds per game with the Knicks, all improvements from his numbers in Toronto earlier in the season. Add to that 14.1 points per game in 34.9 minutes of play and you have a difference-maker who left an indelible mark on the team in the 23 games he played for them.

That the Knicks emerged as a legitimate threat to win the Eastern Conference once the team acquired him only adds legitimacy to Anunoby’s argument that he is of significant value to the organization.

It would behoove the team to improve on whatever that first offer was and ensure that Anunoby goes nowhere as starting over in an Eastern Conference that is full of young teams ready to make the jump into contention is a daunting task the Knicks should not be eager to take on.