The NBA free agency period has become boring, according to former superagent David Falk. Does the league even need it anymore?
So far this summer, NBA free agency has not delivered as much of a head-turning spectacle as it did, say ten years ago.
In 2023, instead of testing the free agency waters, some of the league's biggest stars chose to re-sign, like Draymond Green and Kyrie Irving. Others demanded a trade, like James Harden. There were some sizable free agent deals here and there, but by and large the NBA offseason landscape looks different than before.
Michael Jordan's former agent, David Falk, gave his take on why free agency was assuming such a different shape in recent years. Falk served as the agent of a plethora of players in the 1990s from Jordan to Patrick Ewing to Dikembe Mutombo, and in his eyes, the free agency system has been radically altered due to various labor deals introduced throughout the years that penalizes high-spending teams.
Because of the multitude of new rules and regulations (supermaxes, midlevel exceptions, etc.), players no longer profit from testing the free agent market. Rather, they can maximize their earnings by signing for as much as they can in the present and asking (usually not very politely) for trades in the future.
Basically, what Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard did.
NBA free agency no longer as exciting, according to former agent David Falk
David Falk breaks down this process:
"I don't think free agency is dying. I think that as the rules become more and more restrictive, it's more and more difficult to be creative… You don't need free agency because these teams, the minute the guy says 'I don't want to be on the team,' they accommodate him."
Falk also believes most players don't need agents, claiming only 30 percent of contracts are negotiated today.
Based on how the early 2023 free agency period has played out, Falk has a salient point. The most electrifying drama of the summer stemmed from players' defiant trade demands, and the biggest moves have also been trades, not free agent signings.
Per The Ringer's Zach Kram, seven free agents signed blockbuster $100 million deals in the summer of 2019. Since then, only two players have done so (Jalen Brunson, Gordon Hayward).
Players are getting their way by forcing themselves out of their franchises and team-hopping, which may be toxic for the league but gives stars what they want: a sense of stability, and a boatload of money.
This trend doesn't seem to be tapering off anytime soon — for 2023 and beyond, free agency is out, and trade demands are the new norm.
