1. LeBron James, F, Lakers (player option)
It feels a little ridiculous to rank a 40-year-old atop a free agent list that accounts for long-term value, especially given that there’s no guarantee James plays beyond the 2025/26 season. But this is one of the NBA’s all-time greats and he’s still playing at an elite level, having averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds per game on .513/.376/.782 shooting in 70 games this past season en route to his 21st(!) consecutive All-NBA selection. James will probably either pick up his $52.6MM option or re-sign with the Lakers on another short-term deal, but if the salary cap weren’t an obstacle and LeBron were prepared to keep playing indefinitely, there would be teams lining up to pay him $50MM+ annually for the next several seasons.
2. Kyrie Irving, G, Mavericks (player option)
It’s a reflection of the relative weakness of this year’s free agent class that the NBA’s oldest player ranks No. 1 and a 33-year-old who will spend the rest of 2025 recovering from a torn ACL comes in at No. 2. But there’s some precedent here that bodes well for Irving’s chances of scoring a big payday —
Klay Thompson signed the most lucrative free agent contract of the 2019 NBA offseason (five years, $189.9MM) despite having suffered an ACL tear a few weeks earlier that would sideline him for all of 2019/20. I don’t expect Irving, who is four years older now than Thompson was in 2019, to receive quite that lengthy a commitment from Dallas, but he has a chance to top Klay’s average annual salary. After trading
Luka Doncic earlier this year, the Mavericks are pot-committed to Kyrie, the only star ball-handler and play-maker on their roster, who will have some leverage in spite of his injury.
3. James Harden, G, Clippers (player option)
While his field goal percentage (41.0%) and three-point percentage (35.2%) were both well below his career averages, Harden enjoyed a bounce-back year of sorts in 2024/25, registering his highest scoring average (22.8 PPG) since 2020/21 and earning a spot on an All-NBA team for the first time since ’19/20. With
Kawhi Leonard out for the first half of the season, Harden was the primary offensive engine for a Clippers team that performed better than expected after losing
Paul George. The former MVP won’t get a long-term contract as he enters his age-36 season, but I could see him getting multiple guaranteed years with a salary bump, assuming he declines his $36.3MM player option.
4. Myles Turner, C, Pacers
5. Josh Giddey, G, Bulls (RFA)
6. Julius Randle, F, Timberwolves (player option)
7. Fred VanVleet, G, Rockets (team option)
8. Jonathan Kuminga, F, Warriors (RFA)
9. Naz Reid, F, Timberwolves (player option)
10. Cam Thomas, G, Nets (RFA)
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