Interest in NBA free agency is seemingly far lower this year than it has been in the past. A lack of available star power is certainly a cause for the diminishing enthusiasm, but fans are also growing increasingly frustrated with the lingering effects of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement. Constructing and retaining super teams in the modern game has become a grueling chore, due to the luxury tax costs for exceeding the now-infamous second apron. Draymond Green recently aired his own grievances.
The Golden State Warriors great believes the CBA is hamstringing players and giving more power to owners. He criticized the NBA Players Association for signing on to the deal in June of 2023 and even suggested that he should be union president — Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet was just elected to the post, replacing recent Washington Wizards acquisition CJ McCollum.
Green seems most concerned with how players are approaching this new era, citing a lack of understanding on their part. The four-time NBA champion thinks free agents are misplaying their hands because they do not fully grasp the impact the CBA has on their earning potential. A consequence of this added inflexibility and market misinterpretation is an underwhelming free agency period. Green’s agent, Klutch Sports Group CEO and founder Rich Paul, elaborated on his thoughts.
“Free agency for us as a league is a very important asset,” Paul told Frank Isola on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “Not just contracts, but for our fan base as well. Free agency is that moment of connectivity and cool that we should really build around. Part of that has to do with figuring out the aprons and the lack there of flexibility for teams, which I’ll leave up to the people that do that, but there’s also another aspect to it that could be very fan-attractive.
“I don’t want to continue to dampen free agency, because free agency is a very critical part of the brand of the league.”
“Free agency for us, as a league, is a very important asset.”
Rich Paul explains the significance of free agency and clarifies Draymond Green’s recent comments with @TheFrankIsola pic.twitter.com/4B0cV5cbDY
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 14, 2025
Although Paul touches on the issues presently facing the NBA, it is unclear if there is a solution to waning free agency interest, or the limitations on the open market.
Stars are still reaping the fruits of their labor, but the next tier or tiers of talent are not necessarily raking in what they want. Just look at the Warriors situation. Jonathan Kuminga remains a restricted free agent, reportedly determined to secure a massive salary in the range of $30 million. However, his perceived worth may not be in line with how Golden State or other teams view it, hence why the whole process is dragging out.
Unless players and owners can get on the same page, the free agency problem that both Draymond Green and Rich Paul have discussed will only continue. The question will then become simple. How do the fans respond?
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