The NBA free-agency period has officially started with several notable names available.
All teams were able to begin negotiations with free agents who had finished out the season on their respective rosters since June 23. Now, teams will have the opportunity to reach out to all other free agent players as early as Monday afternoon.
Several players have already avoided the free agency process and reportedly worked out deals to remain with their current teams. That group includes guard Kyrie Irving (Dallas Mavericks), guard Fred VanVleet (Houston Rockets), and the Minnesota Timberwolves duo of center Naz Reid and forward Julius Randle. Forward John Collins has already exercised his player option to return to the Utah Jazz.
Player movement will continue to be reported over the next week, but all free agent contracts will not become official until Sunday, July 6, at 12:01 p.m. ET.
Here are some of the biggest names expected to be on the free agent market:
LeBron James, Forward, Player option
There was brief chatter about what’s next for LeBron James after the season concluded for the Los Angeles Lakers, but there’s no expectation that he will retire or put on a different uniform next season. The 41-year-old currently has a $52.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season that he’s likely to opt into, according to ESPN’s Sham Charania.
Update: James exercised his player option for the upcoming season on Sunday.
James Harden, Guard, Player option
Much like LeBron, James Harden has a $36.3 million player option that would allow him to return to the Los Angeles Clippers for the upcoming season. Harden was named to the All-NBA Third Team and was selected for his 11th All-Star game.
Update: Harden declined his player option but intends to sign a new two-year deal worth $81.5 million, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Myles Turner, Center, Unrestricted free agent
Turner’s season just came to an end after falling short with the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. While Turner is likely to receive interest from several suitors, the Pacers likely have the advantage by having had a few days to negotiate with the big man exclusively in recent days.
Jonathan Kuminga, Forward, Restricted
Kuminga will have the opportunity to test the market and sign an offer sheet with any team, but it will be up to the Golden State Warriors to decide to match the terms of any offer he agrees to. Kuminga started 10 of the 47 games he played in for the Warriors in this past season, averaging 15.3 points and 4.6 rebounds in 24.3 minutes per game. He was tendered with a $7.9 million qualifying offer on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
Al Horford, Center, Unrestricted
There should be plenty of interest for centers on the free agency market, which could mean good things for the former All-Star. There’s still a chance that Horford could return to the Boston Celtics, but Horford might not be the biggest priority going into the start of free agency as the team navigates what the upcoming season will look like without Jayson Tatum.
