2022 NBA Free Agency: Tracking Day 1 Rumors, Contracts, and More originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
NBA free agency technically starts Thursday night, but the action has already started.
The league gave us a blockbuster deal on Wednesday afternoon with the Spurs and Hawks reportedly agree to a trade that will send All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to Atlanta and beyond Danilo Gallinarithree first round draft picks, and a pick swap to San Antonio.
Teams can begin negotiating with free agents at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, meaning we should see more player moves as teams look to renew their roster for the 2022-23 season. While the top free agents — Bradley Beal of Washington, James Harden of Philadelphia, and Zach LaVine of Chicago — are expected to stay put, lots of other talented players may switch teams in the coming days.
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Will the Boston Celtics country one of these players? The Celtics aren’t expected to make a big splash, but are interested in adding a bank scorer and/or playmaker while looking to build on a great campaign for 2021-22.
There won’t be a shortage of NBA rumors and news throughout the day, so keep it here for the latest updates leading up to 6pm ET. (All times East)
11:35 am: The Hawks continue to ponder more moves in the wake of the Murray trade, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer.
11:24 am: It wouldn’t be an NBA free agency without cryptic emojis! Phoenix Suns forward Jae Crowder has been rumored as a potential trade candidate†
11:15 am: Tobias Harris is apparently a name to watch out for… ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported Thursday morning on “Get Up!” that the Philadelphia 76ers could trade the veteran forward.
9:25 AM: Could Danilo Gallinari be an option for the Celtics? Boston will be interested in signing the six-foot-tall Italian forward if he is sacked by Spurs, according to multiple reports.
9:20 am: Boston “not expected to make radical changes” this off-season, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated reports. Mannix also noted that scoring the perimeter bank will be the Celtics’ “priority” in the free-agent and trading markets.
9:17 am: Kemba Walker is expected to be bought out by the Detroit Pistons and become a free agent. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
9 o’clock: The Hawks can swap Kevin Huerter or Bogdan Bogdanovic after adding Murray, The athletic Chris Kirschner and Sam Amick reported on Wednesday evening. Huerter would fit into Boston’s exception of $17.1 million traded players and could be an intriguing option for the C’s, as our Chris Forsberg recently detailed†