Some NBA agents are preparing for a "free agent recession" this coming offseason given the limited amount of cap space teams possess despite the cap increasing by 10 percent. The Brooklyn Nets are expected to have between $45 million and $60 million in cap space, but they appear more focused on a rebuild than an immediate turnaround.
"There's only one team that has a lot of cap space [Brooklyn] and they may want to do a slower rebuild and aren't looking to spend it all now," one veteran agent said. "I've never seen a free agency where only one team has real cap space in my career. These free agents are f---ed."
Restricted free agents always have limited leverage, but players such as Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga, Santi Aldama and Cam Thomas will have even less than normal this offseason.
"Actually it's no leverage," a prominent agent said. "I've prepared my clients for a free agent recession this summer. Next year will be different, the cap will be going up and teams will clean up their books as they deal with the new spending rules. So you may have to wait and try again."
While Kuminga continues to have strong support from Joe Lacob, his fit in lineups alongside Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green is complicated due to their collective lack of shooting.
