The NBA world is waiting on LeBron James, and he reportedly has a short list of finalists he’s considering signing with in free agency. When will LeBron make up his mind? Who knows. He’s the top unrestricted free agent on the market by a mile despite turning 42 years old in December, and he can take as long as he pleases before he announces his next move.
Once James is off the board, the top players available will mostly be younger restricted free agents unlikely to change teams barring a surprise. Jalen Duren reportedly wants to leave the Detroit Pistons, but unfortunately for him he doesn’t have any leverage since his team has the ability to match any contract offer. Peyton Watson is in a fascinating situation because Denver probably has to cut salary elsewhere to retain him. Bennedict Mathurin is probably looking at a return to the Clippers, where he should be in line for more minutes following Los Angeles’ decision to trade Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors.
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You can find every signing and trade during 2026 NBA free agency at our tracker. Now, let’s rank the best remaining free agents left on the market.
Need a pure off-ball shooter? Gary Trent Jr. might be the best available. Over the last five seasons, he’s made 38.5 percent of his three-pointers on 11.1 attempts per 100 possessions. His pull-up three ball off the dribble is less reliable after only hitting 28.6 percent of those last season.
Brown can still be a connective guard even if he’s lost the scoring juice he once showed on the 2023 champion Nuggets. He can be a low-cost shooter and defender in the backcourt who can soak up some minutes, but he doesn’t really move the needle in a major way anymore.
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9. Brandon Williams
Williams is a 26-year-old point guard who took a leap in the second half of last season. He’s an excellent driver who can touch the paint and force his way to the foul line. His lack of size and shooting caps his value somewhat, but he feels like he could be one of the more high-upside players still available.
The idea of Kuminga as some young superstar in waiting has totally dissipated at this point. If he wants to carve out a lucrative NBA career, he’s going to need to realize he needs to improve his defense, rebounding, and spot-up shooting with his bully-ball drives as only part of the package, not the entire sell.
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7. Gary Payton II
Payton still grades out as an impactful player because he’s an efficient scorer (63.5 percent true shooting last season) who grabs a lot of offensive rebounds for a guard and forces turnovers on defense. He’s only good for 15-20 minutes a night at this point at age-33, but he could add value for a contender on a cheapo contract.
Hachimura is big and strong for a wing with a nice spot-up three-point stroke. He made 42.6 percent of his threes during his three full years on the Lakers, but his volume wasn’t great at only 6.4 attempts per 100 possessions. He doesn’t rebound or defend all that well, and his playmaking is non-existent.
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5. Bennedict Mathurin
Mathurin can score in bunches, but he’s never been particularly efficient because he’s a low-ish volume 33.6 percent three-pointer shooter for his career. He can really rebound the ball for a wing. Still only 24 years old, he should get a solid deal to return to the Clippers, but probably needs to make himself more of a dirty work guy going forward.
4. Peyton Watson
Watson has always been a good wing defender, but he exploded as a scorer when Nikola Jokic got hurt midway through last season. Watson eventually went down with a hamstring strain that took him out of the playoffs, so there are still questions on if his improved scoring punch is actually sustainable. His shot diet features a lot of mid-range looks, but he did show some ability to knock them down at a better-than-average clip last season before the injury.
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3. James Harden
Harden opted out of his player option to give the Cavs more flexibility to try to sign LeBron James. He’s one of the best regular season guards ever, but on the brink of his 37th birthday, it’s becoming foolish to think he’ll ever avenge his playoff demons.
2. LeBron James
James is probably the second-best player in league history, and it still feels like he’s a top-50 player in the league as he readies to turn 42 years old midway through next season. I’d love to see him in Minnesota, but I still think it’s Warriors or Cavs for his future.
1. Jalen Duren
Will Duren consider playing on the qualifying offer to get out of Detroit? That would be massively risky if the Pistons are offering him $140 million guaranteed. Take the money, Jalen, and try to help the Pistons get to the NBA Finals next year after a deeply disappointing playoff run.
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