Ranking the 10 best NBA free agents who will actually be available

Who's ready for another Summer of LeBron?

Once Giannis Antetokounmpo gets traded and the 2026 NBA Draft concludes, all eyes will turn toward free agency, where LeBron James' future will be arguably the biggest storyline of all. While James could return to the Los Angeles Lakers, this is the first time since 2018 that he's seemingly in play for other teams as well.

Assuming that Trae Young and James Harden re-sign with the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively, LeBron is by far the biggest-name free agent who's set to hit the market at 6 p.m. ET on June 30. But teams in need of reinforcements will have plenty of other starting-caliber players from which to choose.

Based on their career accolades to date and expected production moving forward, we've ranked the 10 best NBA free agents who actually might change teams this summer.

1. LeBron James

What does it say about this year's free-agent class that a 41-year-old is the best available option? Here's a better question: What does it say about that 41-year-old?

In his 23rd NBA season, LeBron averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds in 33.2 minutes per game while shooting 51.5 percent overall. He gradually shifted into more of an off-ball, No. 3 role behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves, and his graceful handling of that transition helped the Lakers catch fire late in the season before Dončić and Reaves went down with injuries.

LeBron is by far the biggest wild card in free agency this year. The Lakers are one of the few teams that can offer him anything close to a max contract. But if he's willing to take significantly less than his max, an array of options could open up to him, including one final stint in Cleveland.

LeBron might not be able to freeze all of free agency anymore like he did in his heyday in 2010. But if he's willing to take some version of the mid-level exception—or, God forbid, a minimum contract—he should still have plenty of suitors eager to add him even though this coming season may be the last of his Hall of Fame career.

2. Jalen Duren

Jalen Duren picked a great time to have a breakout season.

The Detroit Pistons center averaged a career-high 19.5 points to go with 10.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in only 28.2 minutes per game during the regular season. That resulted in both his first All-Star nod and his first All-NBA selection.

Granted, the latter could complicate his foray into restricted free agency. Duren is now eligible to receive a starting salary worth up to 30 percent of the 2026-27 salary cap from the Pistons rather than the standard 25 percent for someone with his amount of NBA experience. However, his disappointing playoff run likely closed the door on that.

According to ESPN's Tim Bontemps, Duren is "still likely to command a new contract approaching $40 million per year." However, he added that "there's a chance, especially after the impasse between the two sides last summer and fall during his extension negotiations, that Duren could seek a suitor to give him a hefty offer sheet that the Pistons would all but certainly match."

3. Austin Reaves

LeBron isn't the Lakers' only high-profile free agent this offseason.

Because Austin Reaves is finishing up a dirt-cheap contract, the Lakers were limited in how much they could offer him in an extension this past offseason. Reaves predictably declined to sign it, as he stands to earn significantly more this summer.

Reaves has repeatedly stressed that he hopes to remain with the Lakers, although he also reportedly wants a full max contract this offseason. If the Lakers aren't willing to shell out $200-plus million for Reaves, would that open the door for the Chicago Bulls or Brooklyn Nets to swoop in and sign him? Could another team convince the Lakers to send Reaves over in a sign-and-trade?

Reaves is fresh off averaging a career-high 23.3 points along with 5.5 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 made three-pointers per game while shooting 49.0 percent overall and 36.0 percent from deep. He might be best suited as a No. 2 or No. 3 option, although the former undrafted free agent is heading for a huge payday this summer either way.

4. Norman Powell

It's safe to say that the Miami Heat should have zero regrets about trading Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love for Norman Powell last offseason.

Powell averaged 21.7 points in only 29.6 minutes per game this past season while shooting 47.0 percent overall and 38.0 percent from deep, which earned him his first career All-Star nod in his age-32 season. Powell just turned 33 at the end of May, so he might not have significant untapped upside at this stage of his career, but he's still a walking bucket.

Powell wouldn't make much sense for a rebuilding team like the Bulls or Nets unless they're that desperate to avoid the new "relegation zone" in the draft lottery. He's a better fit for a win-now squad given his age.

Depending on what happens with the Heat and Antetokounmpo, Powell could be anything from a cap casualty to a priority re-signing. He'll have his choice of destinations this offseason as well, although the Lakers, Bulls and Nets are the only three with an easy path to more than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception.

5. Isaiah Hartenstein

The Oklahoma City Thunder are about to face their first real financial crunch in a while. It could cost them Isaiah Hartenstein and/or Lu Dort.

If the Thunder picked up their team options on Hartenstein ($28.5 million), Dort ($17.7 million) and Kenrich Williams ($7.2 million), they'd already be well over the projected second apron in 2026-27. That's the cost of max extensions for Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren kicking in.

According to ESPN's Anthony Slater and Tim MacMahon, "there is a strong anticipation among team and league sources that Hartenstein will be back in Oklahoma City next offseason, whether the Thunder choose to pick up his team option or the sides agree to an extension." Smart money would be on a longer-team deal that lowers his annual cap hit.

But the Thunder will also need to have a walkaway price given their other financial constraints. If a center-needy team comes over the top rope like they did to the Knicks two years ago with Hartenstein, they could be at legitimate risk of losing him.

6. Peyton Watson

The Denver Nuggets could never quite stay healthy for long enough this season to live up to their potential. Peyton Watson was the primary beneficiary of that.

Watson started only 24 games and averaged 19.5 minutes per game across his first three seasons. This past year, he started in 40 games and averaged a career-high 29.6 minutes per game.

Unsurprisingly, Watson set career highs across the board with 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 three-pointers per game. He shot 49.1 percent overall, which was one-tenth of a percentage point behind his career high, and 41.1 percent from deep. He also graded out as an above-average defender.

Watson will be a restricted free agent this offseason, which typically limits the ceiling of contract offers. But Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report recently said that "people are projecting" Watson to land a deal in the $30-35 million-per-year range.

Yes, not even the NBA is immune from inflation.

7. Coby White

Coby White has spent most of his NBA career spinning his wheels for the going-nowhere Chicago Bulls. The Bulls finally, mercifully freed him at the trade deadline by sending him to the Charlotte Hornets, where he starred off the bench.

In 21 regular-season games with the Hornets, White averaged 15.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in only 19.3 minutes per game while shooting 46.1 percent overall and 39.1 percent from deep. He doesn't have a clear path to starting in Charlotte as long as LaMelo Ball and Kon Knueppel are in town, but he'd likely be one of the Sixth Man of the Year favorites heading into next season if he re-signs with them.

Granted, the Hornets didn't have to give up all that much to get him. It only cost them Ousmane Dieng—whom they had just acquired from the Thunder in a cost-cutting move—along with Collin Sexton and two second-round picks. They still figure to prioritize re-signing him, but he's likely open to the highest bidder this offseason.

White just turned 26 in mid-February, so he's only entering his prime. Just about every team could use more ball-handling and shooting in its backcourt, so White figures to be a popular target this summer for teams with the non-taxpayer MLE at their disposal.

8. Ayo Dosunmu

The Minnesota Timberwolves presumably didn't trade Rob Dillingham and four second-round picks to the Bulls for Ayo Dosunmu at the trade deadline for a three-month rental.

Dosunmu did his part to prove that he's worth a longer-term investment upon his arrival in Minnesota. In 24 regular-season games, he averaged 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 threes in only 28.9 minutes per game while shooting 52.1 percent overall and 41.4 percent from deep.

Dosunmu also had a few standout playoff games, including a monstrous 43-point outing in Game 4 of the Wolves' first-round series against Nikola Jokić and the Denver Nuggets. Anthony Edwards left early that game due to a bone bruise in his left knee, but Dosunmu helped stake the Wolves to a 3-1 series lead that they managed to close out without Edwards.

The non-taxpayer MLE is likely Dosunmu's floor this offseason. Some team could easily envision him as the next Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

9. Lu Dort

If the Thunder do pick up their team option on Isaiah Hartenstein or negotiate a new contract with him, Lu Dort could wind up becoming a cap casualty for them.

Dort has started 219 regular-season games for them over the past three years, and he started every game on their run to the 2024-25 championship. He finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024-25 and earned his first All-NBA first-team nod.

However, Dort is a glaring net negative on offense. He shot 40.3 percent from deep across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, but that plummeted to 34.4 percent this past year. He's also never shot above 36.6 percent overall in any of his four playoff runs.

The San Antonio Spurs routinely left Dort wide open throughout the Western Conference Finals and dared him to beat them, which he failed to do. He shot 5-of-25 from deep in that series.

Dort's smothering defense should still earn him a fairly hefty payday in free agency even if he does move on from OKC, but his floor-spacing limitations could hamper his market to some degree.

10. Walker Kessler

Walker Kessler might fly under the free-agent radar for most fans, but he could wind up being one of the best values on the board.

Kessler played only five games this past year before a torn labrum prematurely ended his season. In those five games, he averaged 14.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.8 blocks in only 30.8 minutes per outing while shooting 6-of-8 from deep.

Kessler is hardly a long-range sniper—he's hit only 17 triples across his four-year NBA career—but his ability to knock down an occasional triple at this early stage of his career bodes well for his long-term development. In the meantime, he's a 7-foot-2 rim-protecting, rebound-gobbling big man who would be a welcome fit on any team in need of a center.

Restricted free agency may limit his payday this summer, but don't be surprised if some team tries to drive up the price on him in hopes of prying him away from the Jazz.

Just missed the cut: Kristaps Porziņģis, Rui Hachimura, Tari Eason, Bennedict Mathurin

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