2023 Free Agent Rankings: Point Guards

The NBA's Free Agency period is less than three weeks away, as teams can begin negotiating with free agents on June 30th at 6 p.m. EST. (Although there will be a moratorium period until July 6th, at which point teams can officially sign players.)

Thus, we'll begin the positional ranking of the top free agents set to hit the open market this summer by listing the best point guards up for grabs: 

1. James Harden — Philadelphia 76ers — Player Option:

Harden is coming off a productive season, as he averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, and a league-leading 10.7 assists per game, while shooting 44% from the floor and 38.5% from downtown. However, he appeared in just 58 games and will celebrate his 34th birthday prior to the start of the 2023-24 season. According to recent reports, he is deciding between re-signing with the Sixers (for two years) or taking more guaranteed money (three years) to head back to Houston. (And, no, I don't understand why the Rockets would want to abandon their rebuild to add Harden). 

2. Fred VanVleet - Toronto Raptors - Player option:

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported earlier this week that VanVleet has officially declined his $22.8 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent. VanVleet "hasn't ruled out negotiating a new deal and a Raptors return," according to Woj, but is a "target of teams with cap space and several contenders who'd welcome discussions on sign-and-trade scenarios with Toronto." I've always been a big fan of FVV, but his inefficiency on the offensive end (he's shot 39.5% from the floor and 36.1% from three-point range over the past three seasons combined) is a concern.  

3. Kyrie Irving - Dallas Mavericks - Unrestricted:

There is no denying Irving's incredible basketball talent; however, that's only part of the story. Over the past 5+ years, the drama and dysfunction Kyrie carries with him have outweighed his contributions on the court - that is when he decides to suit up. I think a team would be foolish to sign Irving to major money over multiple years, but it seems as though he'll have plenty of suitors.