NBA Free Agents For 2023: Top 3 Guards Available

With free agency just over two months away, we focus now on the top NBA guards who will be available for the highest bidder this offseason. 

We've already had an early look at the Top 3 Free Agent Centers, and the Top 3 Free Agent Forwards. 

This list features some who are without a contract entering the summer, and one who will certainly be opting out of the final year of his deal to enter free agency. And that's where we begin.

Fred VanVleet

Former NBA champion Fred VanVleet is looking for a big payday this summer, something substantially larger than the $22.8M he'll be opting out of. The timing of his move isn't the best, as he's coming off the worst shooting season of his career, hitting on just 34.2% of his three-point attempts. He still averaged 19.3 points and a career-high 7.2 assists. 

He's the heart and soul of the Toronto Raptors, and one of the most respected team leaders in the league. But the Dinos had a disappointing season, and head honcho Masai Ujiri has to decide whether to blow things up and start anew, building around Scottie Barnes, or to still try to keep the core of the team together. 

VanVleet will have plenty of suitors, with the Orlando Magic among those ready to throw bags of cash at the undrafted former All-Star. 

Kyrie Irving

Where do we begin to tell this story? Irving forced his way out of Brooklyn after another year of controversy. He refused the team's attempts to get him to agree to a lesser-than-max-term deal last summer, but with his options around the league severely limited, it will be interesting to see how the negotiations go with the Dallas Mavericks. 

Owner Mark Cuban has said that re-signing Kyrie is their top priority, but are they really prepared to go three or four years for a player who has bailed on his last three teams and left them in disarray? 

There are no other known serious suitors for Irving, so the Mavs will be basically bidding against themselves.

D'Angelo Russell

His reunion with the Los Angeles Lakers has been a successful one, and both sides say they'd definitely like the association to continue. The Minnesota Timberwolves were prepared to let Russell walk as a free agent this summer, but the Lakers have no such intentions. They hope to re-sign him to a long-term deal as their point guard of the future. 

Other notable free agent guards include Josh Hart (player option), Russell Westbrook, Gary Trent Jr. (player option), Dennis Schroder and Patrick Beverley.

Photo: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports