With the Finals complete, and the draft now in the rearview mirror, it’s time to look forward to the summer! While there may be no games until October, there is still plenty of basketball to look forward to in the coming months. Let’s take a look!

Free Agency

As always, the NBA summer will kick off with the beginning of free agency! This period allows all players not currently signed to a contract to meet teams around the league and accept an offer from whichever team they please. This year would definitely qualify as a down year in terms of talent at the top of the class, but there are still plenty of valuable players looking for a new home. Keep an eye on Donte DiVincenzo, Bruce Brown, and Dillon Brooks as a few Mid Level Exceptions (MLE) who could prove a valuable addition to a contender around the league.

Trade Market

While a free agency may lack a plethora of star names, the trade market is in a position to more than makeup for that deficit. In the ever-growing player empowerment era, there promises for no shortage of star player movement via the trade market this summer. Despite a lack of movement during the draft, expect Damian Lillard to be the most prominent player mentioned here, although, in this league, nothing can be counted out. Some other high-profile names to keep an eye on include Paul George, James Harden, DeAndre Ayton, Fred Van Vleet, Julius Randle, and Jaylen Brown.

Summer League

If star players aren’t your type of thing, don’t worry just yet! While the aforementioned topics will likely command the vast majority of media attention, the Summer League begins soon, providing an opportunity for the future of the league to showcase its talent. Mixed in with the top draft picks will be many G League and rotation players, who will use this as an opportunity to prove they deserve a contract in the NBA. However, all eyes will be on the top young prospects, as they take their first shots as NBA players. Some big names to keep an eye on are, Victor Wembenyama, Scoot Henderson, Brandon Miller, twins Ausur and Amen Thompson, and Jarace Walker.