Fred VanVleet bet on himself and the Houston Rockets are the beneficiaries on the opening night of free agency on Friday, when most of the big names — Kyrie Irving, Draymond Green, Khris Middleton, Kyle Kuzma and more — stayed put.
VanVleet agreed to a three-year deal with the Rockets that is pay him about US$130 million, a person with knowledge of the negotiations told reporters.
ESPN first reported the agreement between VanVleet and the Rockets.
Photo: Michelle Pemberton-USA TODAY
VanVleet — who uses the phrase “bet on yourself” to describe his career trajectory from undrafted player to NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors — would make about US$525,000 per game over the next three seasons.
That nearly matches what he made as a rookie in Toronto.
“Love seeing guys getting paid,” Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum wrote on Twitter.
Photo: AP
Irving and Luka Doncic are going to try again together with the Dallas Mavericks. Green is to chase more championships with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, just like Middleton is alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Jerami Grant is staying with the Portland Trail Blazers.
All those decisions came quickly as free agency in the NBA got off to its traditional fast and free-spending start — with about US$1.5 billion in deals getting struck in about the first three hours alone.
The biggest deals, in terms of total value, had to wait until after midnight — when the calendar flipped to July 1 for the start of a new league year.
ESPN first reported that the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane both agreed to maximum extensions that begin in the 2024-2025 season. Exact figures would not be known until next season’s salary cap is released, but based on projections, they are worth at least US$207 million for five years.
Haliburton’s deal could be worth US$260 million if it goes to a supermax based on his making an All-NBA team, ESPN said.
Haliburton was an All-Star this past season for the Pacers, while Bane had a breakout year, averaging 21.5 points for the Grizzlies.
Irving agreed to a three-year, US$126 million deal to remain with the Mavericks, who acquired him in a splashy move in February, but sputtered down the stretch and missed the playoffs.
A person with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed the agreement, the deal taking quite possibly the biggest name in free agency off the board.
The Mavs had made clear that keeping Irving was their top priority and got it done in the first hour of the NBA’s free agency window.
“DA11AS,” Irving wrote on Twitter, using his traditional jersey number.
Grant is getting US$160 million over the next five years, part of a plan that Portland hopes keeps Damian Lillard happy enough to not ask for a trade. Grant is staying put, as is Kuzma for the Washington Wizards and Cam Johnson for the Brooklyn Nets.
Kuzma essentially doubled his annual salary, agreeing to a US$102 million, four-year deal with the Wizards. Green got a new contract that will pay him US$100 million over four seasons with the Warriors.
Both of those deals — first reported by ESPN and subsequently confirmed by people with knowledge of the negotiations — got done very quickly once the off-season player movement window opened.
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