When can NBA teams sign free agents? Finding out more

With the 2022-23 NBA season over, teams are now gearing up for the NBA draft and free agency. While the draft is scheduled for this Thursday, teams will not be able to start negotiating with free agents until 6 p.m. ET on June 30.

Signings will then not be made official until 12:01 p.m. ET on July 6. This is due to the league’s moratorium period where teams cannot officially sign free agents or make trades.

As usual, numerous deals will be reported around the start of free agency by top NBA reporters like ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

However, those deals are considered to be agreements until they become official and are not legally binding. This means that players or teams can back out of their agreed-upon deals before July 6.

This happens on rare occasions, most notably when then-LA Clippers star center DeAndre Jordan backed out of his verbal agreement with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015. Jordan did so after he had a change of heart and decided to re-sign with the Clippers.

In addition, any negotiations that take place before June 30 are considered tampering and are punishable by the NBA. This happens more often, including in 2021 when the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat were both docked second-round draft picks.

This came after both teams engaged in premature free agency discussions with guards Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry.

Who are the top free agents this year?

Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden

As for the top NBA free agents this year, most consider the top prize to be Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden. "The Beard" is expected to decide between staying in Philly and returning to his former team the Houston Rockets.

Other top free agents include Golden State Warriors star forward Draymond Green and Toronto Raptors star point guard Fred VanVleet. Both Green and VanVleet are expected to have several suitors.

Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving will also be available, however, interest in Irving has been limited up to this point.

Outside of the top unrestricted free agents, there are also some intriguing restricted free agents, most notably LA Lakers shooting guard Austin Reaves. However, the Lakers are expected to match any offer sheet Reaves receives.

There are also a few players who have yet to decide on whether or not to exercise their player options for next season. These include Washington Wizards big man Kristaps Porzingis and Milwaukee Bucks star wing Khris Middleton.