NBA Free Agency Opens: Harris Reportedly Joining Spurs, James' Future a Major Focus

LOS ANGELES (CNA) - The NBA free agent market officially opened today, with reports emerging that the Spurs are set to sign veteran forward Harris, while the Lakers have acquired center Kessler via trade. The destination of James, who is ending his 8-year tenure with the Lakers, remains a key focus of market attention.

Harris (Tobias Harris), who helped the Detroit Pistons secure the top seed in the Eastern Conference regular season last year, is now reportedly joining the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent.

ESPN was the first to report that the 33-year-old Harris has agreed to a 2-year, $31 million contract with the Spurs, led by Wembanyama (Victor Wembanyama).

Harris played for the Pistons for the past two seasons, marking his second stint with the team. He led the team to 60 regular-season wins, ending the Pistons' 17-year playoff win drought since their Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2008.

Although teams cannot officially sign players until July 6th at the earliest, verbal agreement news has been circulating.

The future of NBA superstar James (LeBron James) after leaving the Lakers continues to draw attention. James informed the Lakers yesterday that he will continue to play in his 24th NBA season but will not wear the purple and gold uniform again, instead entering the free agent market to find a new team.

With James' departure from the Lakers, the free agent market is bound to ignite a bidding war, with speculation rife about the "King's" next stop, including a return to his former teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat, or even joining the Golden State Warriors for a dream partnership with star player Curry (Stephen Curry).

Meanwhile, the Lakers will focus on building a championship-contending roster around the 27-year-old Doncic (Luka Doncic).

The Lakers have reportedly reached a trade agreement with the Utah Jazz, sending two unprotected first-round draft picks in exchange for shot-blocking center Kessler (Walker Kessler).

The 24-year-old Kessler played only 5 games last season due to a shoulder injury, but in the 2024-25 season, he averaged 11.1 points and 12.2 rebounds, with his 4.6 offensive rebounds per game leading the entire league.

Shortly after this news broke, the Lakers reportedly reached agreements with three other free agents: Mamukelashvili (Sandro Mamukelashvili), Grimes (Quentin Grimes), and Sexton (Collin Sexton).

Additionally, multiple media outlets reported that the Boston Celtics have acquired defensive stalwart Robinson (Mitchell Robinson), who just won a championship with the New York Knicks.

Free agent Conley (Mike Conley) is also rumored to be joining the Celtics, and Powell (Norman Powell), who averaged 21.7 points and was an All-Star last season with the Heat, has reportedly agreed to a 2-year contract with the Chicago Bulls. (Compiled by Liu Wen-yu) 1150702

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