{"id":65140,"date":"2025-08-12T23:27:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T23:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/65140\/"},"modified":"2025-08-12T23:27:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T23:27:08","slug":"looking-ahead-21-potential-nba-free-agents-in-the-class-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/65140\/","title":{"rendered":"Looking ahead: 21 potential NBA free agents in the class of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBA free agency is not entirely wrapped up for 2025. There are a few name players still available<\/a> \u2014 Russell Westbrook, Malcolm Brogdon, although Amir Coffey may be the best of them \u2014 and some restricted free agents still looking for the best deal possible<\/a>, such as Jonathan Kuminga and Josh Giddey (among others).<\/p>\n

That said, it\u2019s time to gaze into the future \u2014 what about next summer, the free agent class of 2026?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not setting up to be the deepest class (free agency is not how star players generally switch teams in the apron era), and who is in this group could certainly change between now and next July, but here are the names to look ahead to in free agency a year from now.<\/p>\n

Biggest nameLeBron James<\/p>\n

Agent Rich Paul\u2019s not-so-subtle statement when LeBron James picked up his option to play with the Lakers this season<\/a> put the NBA trade rumor mill into high gear, but the reality of the marketplace was always that he would play this season out in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Next season? That\u2019s when things get interesting. What might happen depends in large part on how LeBron feels and how this season plays out in Los Angeles \u2014 is he still healthy and playing at a high enough level to have contenders willing to make a bold move to land him? Does he stay in L.A. with his family? LeBron isn\u2019t going to finish out his career just anywhere, but if he wants to go to the Knicks or return to the Cavaliers, is he willing to sign on at a very steep discount to make that possible? Could a sign-and-trade be worked out that would also benefit the Lakers?<\/p>\n

There are far more questions than answers right now, but that\u2019s not going to stop the storylines \u2014 LeBron James\u2019 free agency will be a big story during this season and could be the story of the summer of 2026.<\/p>\n

Players likely to sign extensions<\/p>\n

These are players who, as of now, could be free agents but likely will not be next summer.<\/p>\n

Kevin Durant: Durant is entering the final year of his contract, but he and the Houston Rockets are expected to work out a two-year extension (the longest he can sign because of the over-38 rule). The question becomes, how much of a haircut on his salary is KD willing to take to help out Houston? The conventional wisdom was always that he would take a little less to be on a team he wanted to be part of, but how much less? What is his market now as an elite but aging scorer, one who is still one of the biggest draws in the league? Whatever the number, the expectation is that a deal will get done and KD will stay in Houston beyond just this season.<\/p>\n

Trae Young (player option): The Hawks want to kick Young extension talks down the road, likely to next summer, but neither side is looking to part ways. Eventually, an extension, maybe a shorter one (two years?), will be reached, but until then, the possibility of Young opting out of his $48.9 million and becoming a free agent is on the table (and something the Hawks want to avoid).<\/p>\n

Dyson Daniels: The Hawks\u2019 Most Improved Player and All-Defensive wing is headed to restricted free agency next summer if he does not sign an extension before this season starts. Reportedly, both Daniels and Atlanta want to get a deal done, so an extension likely will come together. But if the Hawks low-ball him, Daniels could choose restricted free agency next year and other teams would have interest in trying to poach him. <\/p>\n

Likely unrestricted free agents<\/p>\n

Kristaps Porzingis: His future with the Hawks \u2014 and how much demand there will be for him around the league \u2014 will rest on how healthy he looks this season and how he meshes with Trae Young. That said, 7-foot rim protectors who can shoot the 3 always have a market and there will be teams calling KP next summer.<\/p>\n

Norman Powell: He was traded to Miami for the final year of his contract, making $20.5 million. He is coming off a season where he made a leap (in year 10!) and averaged 21.8 points a game while shooting 41.8% from beyond the arc. At age 32, the Clippers were hesitant to give Powell the longer extension that he wanted, which helped lead to the trade, but is Miami going to feel any differently (Miami is also trying to keep its books clean to make a big swing at a superstar down the line)? While the Heat and Powell may work out an extension, his hitting free agency seems a very real possibility. <\/p>\n

Anfernee Simons: Simons was traded to a Celtics team that liked his ability to score, averaging 19.3 points and 4.8 assists per game last season. He can get a bucket from anywhere on the court, and Boston needs that next to Jaylen Brown. However, the Celtics are not done dealing and may try to move Simons at the deadline, and even if they don\u2019t, he may not be in their long-term plans once Jayson Tatum returns. How this season goes for Simons will determine where his salary goes from the $27 million he is making this season, but he very well could be a free agent.<\/p>\n

John Collins: He picked up his $26.6 million option for this season but likely will be a free agent (or up for a sign-and-trade) next summer. Collins moves to the Clippers this season, joining a veteran team \u2014 Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Ivica Zubac \u2014 that could highlight his skill set and make him even more valuable. Collins averaged 19 points and 8.2 rebounds a game last season when healthy, shooting 39.9% from beyond the arc. There are a lot of teams that could use a stretch four like him and there will be demand if he has a strong season.<\/p>\n

Coby White: White signed a three-year, $36 million contract coming off shoulder surgery, a deal he has completely outplayed. He is expecting to get paid next summer, reportedly he is looking for something in the $30+ million a year range, and even if the final number falls short of that, expect a big pay increase for the young guard. The Bulls might try to lock him up, depending on what happens with restricted free agent Josh Giddey, but one way or another, White is going to get paid.<\/p>\n

Khris Middleton: How much does the former All-Star and Olympian still have in the tank? The Wizards are holding on to the veteran forward and will be looking to trade him during the season, but if a deal doesn\u2019t come together, look for a midseason buyout. All of that points to him being a free agent next summer, right before his age 35 season. He\u2019s going to have to show he\u2019s got enough left to get a contender to pick him up.<\/p>\n

CJ McCollum: I feel like I could just copy and paste a lot of what was written above about Middleton: McCollum is on the Wizards, and they will be looking to trade him all season long, if not, they could buy him out. How much does McCollum have left in the tank entering his age 34 season? When healthy last season he averaged 21.1 points and 4.1 assists a game, do that again and there will be some free agent interest in him.<\/p>\n

Veterans with player options<\/p>\n

Austin Reaves: Reaves will be a free agent. There is zero chance he is picking up his $14.9 million player option, even if he plans to stay with the Lakers. Reaves reportedly wants to be paid in the Tyler Herro range of $30 million a year (and Herro is a good comp in a lot of ways). If Reaves shows this season that he can be a high-level scorer next to Luka Doncic and can step up his game in the playoffs, the Lakers gladly will pay that much to keep him (and Reaves will want to stay). However, if he struggles again in the playoffs, the Lakers \u2014 who will have a lot of cap space \u2014 may question whether that is the best way to spend their money.<\/p>\n

James Harden: This summer, Harden signed a two-year contract with the Clippers that gives him a $42.3 million player option for the 2026-27 season, and the smart bet is he will pick that up. The Clippers are working to keep their books clean for the summer of 2027 (not so coincidentally, when Giannis Antetokounmpo might be a free agent) and are not likely to offer the aging Harden (35) another extension. Is there a $40+ million market for Harden beyond the Clippers? If not, he\u2019ll grab the bag on the table.<\/p>\n

Draymond Green: Still the anchor of the Warriors\u2019 defense, Green has a $27.7 million player option for 2026-27. Golden State is still all-in on trying to win another ring with Stephen Curry, and with that, it\u2019s tough to see Green walking away (or being traded). But it\u2019s hanging out there, and it\u2019s something to watch. There would be teams interested in his defense and leadership.<\/p>\n

Zach LaVine: LaVine\u2019s future is heavily dependent on where he is playing after next February\u2019s trade deadline \u2014 Sacramento is open to trading the wing who averaged 23.3 points a game last season. LaVine has a $48.9 million player option, if he\u2019s traded his new team may want to work out an extension. If not, does LaVine grab that bag, or possibly go into free agency next summer, open to taking a little haircut off that number per year for the sake of getting three or four years of security? There are more questions than answers with LaVine at this point. Things will be a lot clearer after the trade deadline.<\/p>\n

Bradley Beal: Beal has a player option at the taxpayer mid-level exception of $5.6 million for the 2026-27 season. The Clippers plan to keep their books wide open for the summer of 2027 and to remain flexible; they are not going to offer an extension that gives Beal a big raise. What Beal does next summer will depend on how this season goes. Does he want to stay with the Clippers at this number, or will he have stayed healthy and played his way into a raise? He can hit the free agent market if he wants.<\/p>\n

Fred VanVleet: VanVleet signed a two-year, $50 million contract this summer to stay with the Rockets, and with that has a $25 million player option for 2026-27. He very likely picks that up, but he could choose free agency if he wishes.<\/p>\n

Veterans with team options<\/p>\n

Lu Dort & Isaiah Hartenstein: We\u2019re lumping these two together because they\u2019re part of the same equation in Oklahoma City: At what point do quality role players such as Dort and Hartenstein get let go because the team is headed deep into the luxury tax? The Thunder are projected to be about $24 million over the second apron in 2026-27 (when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren all will be making more than $40 million a season). The stockpile of draft picks the Thunder have gives them the ammunition to make moves (or draft players) to step into the roles of guys such as Hartenstein and Dort. At some point, the Thunder will likely trim salaries around their stars. Does this start with Hartenstein ($28.5 million team option) and\/or Dort ($18.2 million) next summer?<\/p>\n

Brook Lopez: The Clippers will likely pick up the $9.2 million team option for Lopez a year from now. However, depending on how this season goes, it is possible that Los Angeles does not bring back the floor-spacing veteran center.<\/p>\n

Bogdan Bogdanovic: The veteran guard has a $16 million team option for next season. If the Clippers don\u2019t trade him, they likely pick up the option, especially if the plan is to head into next season with a roster similar to this year\u2019s. If he is traded, it could be to a team looking to make him a free agent to save money.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NBA free agency is not entirely wrapped up for 2025. There are a few name players still available…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65141,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[434],"tags":[49,48,459,82],"class_list":["post-65140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65140\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}