The 2022-23 season ended with the Denver Nuggets‘ maiden championship win. Since then, NBA basketball has been on pause. Thankfully for fans, the off-season has made up for it with plenty of action taking place already. The league is now witnessing a series of intriguing episodes as franchises are on the move to make their futures better. The NBA Draft concluded on June 22 and brought in fresh blood for teams that needed a jolt. Now, the much-awaited free agency window officially opened on Friday at 6 PM E.T.

Multi-million dollar mega deals are a norm in the NBA world right now. As things stand, franchises have splurged over a staggering $1 billion on day 1 to secure the services of star players. Other than hoops fans, the recent splurge has even bewildered superstar LeBron James. Quite a lot of stars won on the first day, and now let’s see who has taken home the biggest cheque.

Free Agency Day 1: Big names that made the headlines

Certain players have such a gravity that their future can affect the future of the league. Mavericks’ point guard Kyrie Irving and Golden State forward Draymond Green were arguably two of the most-talked-about free agents. And on the very first day itself, NBA free agency brought answers to the basketball world.

Along with four championships, Draymond Green developed inseparable bonds in the Bay Area. Apparently, the ace defender has reportedly agreed to a four-year $100 million contract to return to the Golden State Warriors. After Green, Stephen A. Smith will perhaps be the happiest person to know that the Dubs will spend $100 million on Green.

Meanwhile, all the chaos and rumors that surrounded Kyrie Irving are also now stories of the past. The 2016 NBA champion has agreed to a three-year $126 million deal to stay in Dallas. Mark Cuban is certainly hoping that Irving will come up with some magic alongside his superstar guard Luka Doncic.

The Wizards’ Kyle Kuzma was yet another NBA star who decided not to pack their bags. Kuzma gave the nod for a four-year $102 million deal to stay in Washington.

But of course, not every player re-signed with their team from the previous season. Some have reportedly agreed to new cities and bigger bags.

Key moves, big winners and the NBA star with the biggest cheque

2019 NBA champion Fred VanVleet will reportedly join the Houston Rockets for a three-year $130 million contract. From being an undrafted player to an NBA champion, to an All-Star, and now, to securing this contract – VanVleet has come a long way. With one of the league’s best young cores, the Rockets decided to fast-forward through the contentious rebuild and found in VanVleet a much-needed point guard.

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Meanwhile, Desmond Bane rewrote the Grizzlies’ history by securing the largest contract Memphis has ever signed. Bane’s recently agreed five-year $207 million contract extension has surpassed Ja Morant’s five-year rookie max contract. With Ja set to miss a chunk of the next season, the Grizzlies wanted to ensure that Bane would continue with the team.

Trail Blazers’ Jerami Grant is the next big winner from day 1. Grant has reportedly agreed to stay in Portland o na five-year $160 million deal.

Yet another star player decided to stay with his side, and he seems to have got the biggest deal for his loyalty. It’s none other than Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton. According to a report on The Athletic, Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers agreed to a five-year maximum extension that could be worth up to $260 million!

If Haliburton was the big winner among the players, it was LeBron James’ agent and Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul who secretly won the first day of NBA free agency.

What a night for Klutch Sports

Three of Klutch Sports’ major clients turned out to be newsmakers on the first day of free agency. They were Draymond Green, Fred VanVleet, and Jerami Grant. The deals secured by these clients are totally valued at a staggering $390 million. Further to that, their other clients such as Trey Lyles, Troy Brown Jr., and Cam Reddish also secured deals on Friday.

Seeing Rich Paul’s dominance on Friday, client and long-time friend LeBron James took to Twitter and gave him a shout-out. Now, next on Klutch Sports’ radar is to negotiate an extension for Toronto’s Gary Trent Jr.

So much has happened on the very first day. There is much more drama to come as the NBA world awaits the decisions of big-shot free agents such as Russell Westbrook, Dillon Brooks, and D’Angelo Russell, among others.

Let us know your thoughts! Who was the biggest winner on day 1 of free agency? Which team might end up regretting their decision?

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