By the time the NBA offseason arrives, myriad lists of free agents are emerging to feed the content beast. Team building draws a great deal of attention in the NBA world, and with good reason, as the ability for free agents to change teams can shift the landscape of the league in a hurry if dominoes fall in a particular way.
While there is not an abundance of salary cap space across the league in the summer of 2025, there are six player option decisions (and a couple of honorable mentions) that could have a large-scale impact on the NBA for the upcoming season and beyond. Here is a look at what they are weighing:
Honorable Mentions
Khris Middleton and John Collins are facing significant player option decisions, though they are in a different category based on their situations. Middleton is facing the prospect of a $34 million option that, according to his recent play and durability, he should pick up. At the same time, he is currently on a rebuilding Washington team, and it is unclear what the future might hold. For Collins, he is coming off a strong season (19.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 62.8% TS) in Utah, but the Jazz are also rebuilding and Collins can opt in to more than $26 million if he chooses to do so.
Dorian Finney-Smith
As you'll quickly see, Finney-Smith is not the biggest name on this (alphabetical) list, but he does have a massive impact. The Lakers forward has a $15.3 million player option, and the 32-year-old is worth at least that much for the 2025-26 season. However, the intrigue comes from the reality that Los Angeles could not easily replace his contributions, so even if Finney-Smith doesn't have massive suitors elsewhere, the Lakers could feel the internal leverage to keep him, even at a high price.
James Harden
Harden begins a run of future Hall-of-Famers on this list, and the 35-year-old is coming off an All-NBA season in which is averaged 23/9/6 for a playoff team. Harden isn't the player he used to be when he was winning MVP awards, but the Clippers also cannot replace him if they intend to continue competing at the highest levels. At the same time, there isn't a natural suitor for Harden in free agency, so he might need a theoretical sign-and-trade to put the pressure on the Clippers for a bigger deal.
Kyrie Irving
Unfortunately, Irving is injured after suffering a torn ACL during the 2024-25 season, and he might be unavailable well into the 2025-26 campaign. However, the Mavericks received manna from heaven in winning the lottery and, after the highly controversial Luka Dončić trade, Nico Harrison and company have all kinds of internal pressure to win. No one really expects Irving to leave, but if he opts out, it will be intriguing to see what kind of deal he can extract from Dallas.
LeBron James
Speaking of players that no one expects to leave their current situations, here is LeBron James. He has a player option for more than $52 million and, despite the fact that he is apparently ageless, James is 40 years old. Will he sign another 1-plus-1 in L.A.? Will he simply opt in? Who knows, but James has the most lucrative player option figure in the league this summer.
Julius Randle
Minnesota reached back-to-back Western Conference Finals, and that is no small feat for any franchise. Randle was a key piece of the second run, but he is facing a $30.9 million player option for 2025-26. It would be a surprise if he opted in after a strong season, especially given that $30.9 million is not what it used to be in the modern cap environment. Still, Randle's next deal could be telling, both for his future and that of the Wolves.
Naz Reid
Two Wolves on the same list! Like a few players here, it would be a big surprise if Reed exercised his $15 million player option. The 25-year-old big man had a very nice season, and he is worth more than that on the market. At the same time, external suitors may have to be creative, and Reid could choose a short-term path to hit the market again in a more free-flowing cap environment. Also, the realities of the second apron could strike in Minnesota, and the Wolves might elect to part ways with Randle, Reid, or Nickeil Alexander-Walker for monetary reasons.