Draymond Green, Kuzma staying put as NBA free agency opens, sources tell AP

Kyle Kuzma doubled his salary in Washington, and Draymond Green ensured that Golden State's championship core stays together.

Free agency in the NBA got off to its traditional fast start on Friday night, with Kuzma agreeing to a $102 million, four-year deal with the Wizards and Green getting a new contract that'll pay him $100 million over four seasons with the Warriors.

Both of those deals — first reported by ESPN and subsequently confirmed to The Associated Press by people with knowledge of the negotiations — got done shortly after the 6 p.m. EDT time start to the offseason player movement window. Kuzma had opted out of a contract that would have paid him $13 million in Washington this coming season; he'll now average $26 million over the next four years after scoring 21.2 points per game this past season.

Green staying put keeps him alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson with the Warriors, where they have won four titles over the last decade. He opted out of a $27.6 million contract for this coming season, and now is under contract for more years.

The reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets lost a free agent they wanted to keep, with Bruce Brown agreeing to sign with Indiana, a person with knowledge told AP. ESPN reported it was a two-year deal worth $45 million.

There was simply nothing the Nuggets could do to compete with that offer — they could only offer Brown $7.8 million for this season. Brown will average nearly three times that much over the next two years.

Shortly before the 6 p.m. window opened, the NBA confirmed the financial particulars for the coming season.

The salary cap that goes into effect Saturday will be $136.021 million — the highest in league history, as expected. The tax level is $165.294 million.

All teams will have to commit at least $122.418 million in salaries for the coming year. The first apron level is $172.346 million, the second apron has been established at $182.794 million, the midlevel for non-tax teams is $12.405 million, for taxpayers it is $5 million, and the room mid-level is $7.723 million.

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