https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/48838667/nba-free-agency-rankings-2026-harden-lebron-reaves-bobby-marks-top-20-contracts

This is not the summer to switch teams if you are looking for a payday north of $15 million per season.

Just three NBA teams, the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, project to have cap space. Another 11 have only the $15 million non-tax midlevel exception to offer.

The evaporated spending power around the league is a result of more than 60 players signing rookie or veteran extensions over the past two seasons. But signing a player into cap space or using an exception, those are not the only mechanisms for a player to switch teams. In the past two offseasons, 15 players – including Duncan Robinson, DeMar DeRozan and Klay Thompson – changed teams via sign-and-trade.

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

The deal I’d offer: One year, $30 million. The contract includes a full no-trade clause.

Would James compromise to return to L.A.? A $30 million salary would allow the Lakers to re-sign Luke Kennard, Rui Hachimura and use the full $15 million non-tax midlevel exception. The Lakers could also act as a cap space team but without Hachimura and Kennard. They would then have $20 million in room and also the $9.4 million room exception.

Austin Reaves, Lakers

The deal I’d offer: Four years, $155 million. There is a trade-off on the Reaves contract. The $41.2 million salary in the first year is the maximum allowed. But to preserve cap space in 2027-28, the salary declines to $38 million and then remains flat in years three and four. Due to Reaves' $20.9 million cap hold, the Lakers can use their available cap room first and then sign Reaves to a new contract even if it exceeds the salary cap.

Jalen Duren, Pistons

The deal I’d offer: Five-years, $180 million. The contract would start at $31 million and increase 8% over the life of the contract. The first-year salary is 21% of the cap and slightly less than the starting number of Rockets center Alperen Sengun.

Best fit: Detroit

Before the postseason, you could have penciled Duren in for close to a five-year, $239 million max contract.

InternCautious | Pistons

106 | 3 hours ago

Tbh, why offer him anything? Why not wait to see what he gets offered and match? If no one offers because they don’t want to lock up cap waiting, then the Pistons has all the leverage?

ihatedougford | Toronto Huskies

59 | 2 hours ago

Yes. This is a mistake teams often make. Wait for the market to dictate his value unlike what Toronto did with Ingram and Poeltl

InternCautious | Pistons

17 | 2 hours ago

Exactly, and the last thing you want is to be in a position with a bad contract in the current CBA environment.

I’m much more interested in an Ausar extension than a Duren re-signing, he’s the type of player you gotta play a little hard ball with after the playoff performance imo.

kpeds45 | Raptors

8 | 2 hours ago

Agents and players will yell that you won’t sign people if you do this. But at a certain point teams have to just stop reflexively giving every player the same contract just because someone else did it on another team.

I’d even go a step down, 4 years $120m. Start at a lower base and have it grow, but don’t need to lock yourself into 5 years. What team can even offer more? Brooklyn? It’s not going to happen.

_no7

2 | 41 minutes ago

I think teams have a lot of leverage now with the 2nd apron always being a looming threat. Sucks more for smaller market teams though making it harder to sign FA’s.

thedrcubed | Grizzlies

0 | an hour ago

All the good players only sign with 5 or so teams anyway so what’s the point lol

kpeds45 | Raptors

1 | 27 minutes ago

But they don’t. They tend to sign with the team they are on because that team can pay them the most. Very few teams have cap space in a given year.

thedrcubed | Grizzlies

1 | 18 minutes ago

That’s kinda the point I was trying to make

mMounirM | Raptors

5 | 2 hours ago

Ingram was a FA. we outbid Atlanta for him. so I don’t think he should be included.

Quickley would be a better example. He was RFA and we didn’t wait to see what other teams would offer.

ShotFirst57 | Pistons

1 | an hour ago

I know one thing mentioned before is a team like chicago could offer way more than theyd actually be willing to pay just to force detroit to match with the intent being to have us take up more cap space on him. How often does this type of thing actually happen though?

srhdt

4 | 41 minutes ago

Very rarely happens because you just sit there with your “offer” being unusable during FA and then if the Pistons match you now get your cap space back with nothing to use it on because all the good players have already signed while you were waiting.

Bixby33 | Raptors

1 | 33 minutes ago

Notable RFAs to the Raptors Poeltl and Ingram.

9061xRG | Wizards

0 | 44 minutes ago

It’s not a mistake when you offer to keep relationships with agents intact. I don’t think any agent will be glad to talk their client into going with your offer when you’ve fucked him before.

InternCautious | Pistons

1 | 30 minutes ago

Curious, which examples has this happened where there is a successful team struggling to sign players?

SuperH533 | Knicks

12 | 2 hours ago

I’d imagine he would get pissed and sign a qualifying offer to become a FA next year.

BakerStSavvy | Spurs

9 | an hour ago

QO is so risky. Say Duren takes it, he is now giving up 28mil on year one to get an extra 10mil on each of the 5 years on the next contract. Literally risking a year for 22mil total when money in hand now is always better.

InTheMorning_Nightss | San Diego Clippers

3 | an hour ago

Depends what the Pistons ultimately offer him. There’s just so much risk in taking a QO.

Like if Kuminga took the QO like people suggested last year, how much would his offers be this off season? MLE at absolute max?

Negative-Tier | Philippines

3 | an hour ago

Has anyone have had any success with the qualifying offer route? Kuminga signed for 24M instead of QO, he sure as hell ain’t getting that amount again it was a good decision on his part. Cam Thomas and Grimes took QO in hopes of playing for a better contract, I also don’t see that happening.

Jaerba | DET

2 | an hour ago

After these playoffs, I don’t think Duren has the leverage Gordon Hayward did.
Duren’s fear of hurting his ankles again is like a real concern that affects the way he plays.

liquidcalories | Rockets

1 | 4 minutes ago

This almost never happens. Probably the highest profile guy who has ever signed a qualifying offer was Ben Gordon in 2008.

Star-level guys never take the qualifying offer to “bet on themselves.”

Wallshington | Supersonics

3 | 2 hours ago

the thing that i would be wondering here is, would the pistons be willing to pay him much more and if not would they let him walk? Because if you don’t offer anything, i guarantee you another team that has money to blow will offer him more so you’re basically going to have to match and pay him more or let him walk. By offering the 180M, you can at least see if he agrees to that to stay with the team rather than opening him up to the market and putting yourself in an over pay or nothing situation. that’s my thought at least.

skillet06g | Nuggets

2 | an hour ago

He’s not good defensively and limited offensively. He can’t be your 2nd option. It sucks but that’s how the current CBA is structured.

InternCautious | Pistons

1 | 2 hours ago

If a team offers him, say, 4/$160M, the Pistons should 100% let him walk.

The biggest issue for the Pistons going forward is finding a secondary creator/scorer and Duren isn’t the guy imo to be that. If he walks, you open more cap space to bring in another high level player.

On the other hand, if you get him to sign sub-30M/yr type contract, I think in the worst case you have a trade chip down the line. Best case, he continues to improve and not suck in the playoffs and you have a positive contract.

likewoahitsaj | Bucks

2 | an hour ago

Only downside is if someone like Chicago decides to fuck with pistons and offer him a huge contract

ObiOneKenobae | Knicks

2 | 41 minutes ago

Because that’s how you end up matching a max contract when you didn’t have to. Depends on the player, but it’s often better to negotiate on your terms unless you’re really confident their market sucks.

Erosun

1 | an hour ago

And if he’s offended the max?

InternCautious | Pistons

4 | an hour ago

You definitely let him walk if he gets offered the max

The-Williams-Family | Raptors

1 | an hour ago

Because that’s a really good way to piss off your starting center lol

InternCautious | Pistons

1 | 29 minutes ago

But if no other team offers him what he wants, why would he pissed? That’s his market value.

The-Williams-Family | Raptors

1 | 18 minutes ago

Because people aren’t just a spreadsheet. Any player would want to see thier team legitimately believe in them and offer a deal. Waiting and getting the lowest possible dollar, weather it is market value or not, will piss off players. Cam Thomas is the most recent example of this.It would be the same thing as if you spent years creating an art peice that is the culmination of your life’s work. You bring it to the auction and a your cousin in the back offers 1$ and gets it. Is it market value? Sure. Would you feel disrespected? Obviously

Simple_Purple_4600

1 | 10 minutes ago

Cam Thomas was not worth the bother

Who cares if he feels dissed?

InternCautious | Pistons

1 | 6 minutes ago

I totally agree, but it also depends on how the team views the player.

For example, Scottie Barnes means much more to the Raps vs Mamu, would the Raps be as worried if Mamu feels disrespected vs Scottie?

Duren is important, but I do think the playoffs exposed the holes the Pistons need to fill as a priority, and if Duren’s re-signing would impede on filling the holes they have, it would be poor management to focus solely on Duren’s feelings. That’s just my opinion, and I know there is more nuance to managing comradery and locker room, but it’s harder to judge that from a fans seat vs someone in the org.

Scodo810 | Cavaliers

1 | an hour ago

To add Det has the advantage of being right there to better understand what happened this playoffs. The scoring fall off I think every team needing a center could talk themselves into giving a pass, but the multiple game stretch of not rebounding really raises questions on what was going on with him.

D_roneous1 | Warriors

1 | 34 minutes ago

I agree in general but most teams won’t offer a RFA a deal. So if they sit on the sidelines it will hold them back from making other moves.

kb24k

1 | 32 minutes ago

Sometimes it backfires. He could get max and also he might get unhappy.

FeeNegative9488

38 | 2 hours ago

Duren was never worth the max. Even in the regular season his limitations were apparent.

jemstone_croc | Pistons

1 | 23 minutes ago

He also made huge offensive strides thjs past season. It’s not unreasonable to think he will improve even further, give his age (22). You pay players just based off of past performance, but also future performance.

raziiiii | Knicks

1 | 19 minutes ago

Improvments aren’t linear

simplyASI9 | Mavericks

1 | 14 minutes ago

No but projections can be

Delanorix | Knicks

1 | 4 minutes ago

At my current rate, ill be a billionaire in 2186!

jemstone_croc | Pistons

1 | 12 minutes ago

True, and he may never improve from here. It’s always a gamble.

ickyrainmaker | Pistons

1 | 14 minutes ago

It’s not unreasonable to think he will devolve, either. 9 ankle injuries by 22 is a red flag.

Brooklyn917 | Nets

26 | 2 hours ago

They need to get him on a $25-$28 AAV.

A rim runner making more than that is wild.

pdpdpdpdpdpdpdpd | Raptors

12 | an hour ago

I think the majority of teams in the league would jump to get him at that price. He obviously shat the bed this playoffs but he’s only 22, he’ll definitely get that $180m deal

xebex1778 | Knicks

8 | an hour ago

Isaiah Hartenstein got 29 a year, that’s just not happening

Brooklyn917 | Nets

6 | an hour ago

Hartenstein got an overpay because the Thunder weren’t paying anyone at the time. His current TO for $28.5 will be declined; they will either let him walk or negotiate on a smaller number.

With the Pistons, they have Cade’s supermax, Ausar will be expecting an Extension soon, and Cade still needs an 2nd option.

jaloru95 | OKC

2 | 34 minutes ago

Yeah Hartenstein was the largest (monetarily) free agent signing the Thunder have ever made

Odoaiden | Timberwolves

7 | an hour ago

He’s getting north of 30 million easy I don’t think you realize how contracts work these days recent players to get in that range of contracts are draymond green Myles Turner Rj barret and Isiah Hartenstein

Hefty-Revenue5547 | Suns

21 | 3 hours ago

He’s worse than Seguin so this matches up

Baby_Yod4 | San Diego Clippers

11 | 2 hours ago

5 year 150 is max I’d be willing to give

fuckitwilldoitlive

1 | 14 minutes ago

Well that’s why you’re not a GM I guess, he’s getting more for sure

Rahnamatta | Heat

6 | an hour ago

It’s crazy that a basketball player can play like ass when the teams needs him and then he gets $3,000,000 per month for 5 years as a reward.

If you think about it as a job becomes a joke. “Oh, your performance was really bad at the end and our company underachieved. Take these $3M per month and let’s hope you get better… if not, well, that’s our problem”

Air2Jordan3 | Cavaliers

2 | an hour ago

You can apply all of NFL NBA MLB to that as well if you go that route. “Oh you’re really good at your job, congrats here’s $60M”.

Rahnamatta | Heat

1 | 30 minutes ago

But Duren wasn’t. That’s my point

If you are great and you are young. Go ahead.

But Duren became Hibbert when the Pistons really need him

recurnightmare

1 | an hour ago

It’s not crazy at all? It’s like Econ 101 lol.

Swift_42690 | Knicks

-1 | an hour ago

It’s not a job tho. It’s entertainment. Can’t compare regular corporate jobs to entertainment, it’s a whole different industry

Rahnamatta | Heat

2 | 34 minutes ago

That’s not my point.

TIL basketball players don’t have a job

My point is. You do a terrible job and your boss saves your life, your children’s life and your grandchildren’s life.

Duren can play worse and worse for the next 5 years, he can become unplayable amd the money is there.

Nobody will give you money after underachieving. This happens because he is young an it’s a sport.

osbelix | Knicks

3 | 2 hours ago

I think he bounces back big time next year. He got the yips and he’s young

brnccnt7

5 | an hour ago

That’s what I’m saying

It sucked but he’s 22

People act like he’s doing this at age 28

Jaerba | DET

6 | an hour ago

I pulled up a list last week of other rim running bigs at 21 or 22 who got significant minutes in the post season at that age. Guys like Gafford, Lively, Williams, Poetl, Clingan, Capela, Claxton. They all outperformed Duren per100 possessions, generally with much better efficiency and most of them are better defenders.

To be clear, this was not Duren during the regular season. But in the playoffs, he was a below average rim runner and a ton of other guys played better at the same age in the playoffs.

jbrunsonfan

5 | 2 hours ago

Every major sports players association should be taking notes from the nba. The salary explosion is so unreal that even us casuals need to start switching to percentage of cap space when discussing these contracts

With that said, 21% is great value for Duren. A non-all star level, but top 12 position player, that starts normally makes between 25-35% of the cap.

n0-ragrets | Knicks

1 | 15 minutes ago

Agreed about percentages of cap being used to calculate a players value.

For the pistons to aim for long term success, they should hope he signs for a descending contract that begins just under the 20% marker. This will enable true 3rd and 4th options.

The Knicks don’t have the perfect cap setup but it’s a relatively sound set up. Outside of Kat, most of the players are on high value or net neutral contracts.

Could be a repeatable recipe for pistons knowing Cade will take 35% and so forth

Decent_Pack_3064

2 | 3 hours ago

5 yr/180M is fair

SurpriseDonovanMcnab | Pistons

7 | 2 hours ago

Nah, far too much for someone who can’t start in the playoffs.

KingDave46 | Cavaliers

-1 | 2 hours ago

Is it his fault that you are playing 4v5 on that side of the floor cause one guy can’t shoot

When a dude can get doubled at will they’re not gonna put up numbers

Give him a super max please

Jaerba | DET

4 | an hour ago

You weren’t doubling him or sending help like the Magic were, and he had the same issue against JA when Mobley was on the bench.

Duren kept making his own spacing worse by taking bad angles to the hoop.

I don’t think he intuitively understands spacing. It’s easier to see on defense but it comes up on offense too when he does a straight line dive to the front of the rim or stays slightly too close to Cade and makes a clean pass impossible.

Duren kept bringing his man close enough to Cade to help contest so your bigs never really had to make a choice. Just think about the angles of the drives: if Cade is driving from the right elbow towards the right side low block, Duren should not be rolling through the exact middle of the key every time. Those 2 lines converge before the basket.

Ausar being a 40% 3 point shooter would not have fixed all of Duren’s issues on offense.

SurpriseDonovanMcnab | Pistons

1 | 33 minutes ago

Duren and Ausar can’t shoot. Ausar is the better player by a longshot, let Duren walk.

Vordeo | Jazz

4 | 2 hours ago

Probably but someone’s probably going to go higher than that. And to be completely fair IDK that it wouldn’t be a valid bet just based off potential - dude is still just 22.

pearlandrocks

1 | 2 hours ago

No it is a huge over pay. He can’t shoot 3’s at all. On the open market he would be lucky to get a Jarrett Allen level contract. A player with his skill set is only commanding in the 25-30 million a year range

Melonprimo | Nets Bandwagon

1 | an hour ago

25-30 million a year range.

Current year rate. Piston will overpay for maybe 2 years and then, it will be a the expected rare for him.

SkatteGOAT

2 | an hour ago

Exhibit Z on why Bobby Marks never made it beyond assistant to the general manager while with the Brooklyn Nets

EarthWarping | NBA

1 | 3 hours ago

Thats ~what hed get from a cap space team tbh so makes sense.

KingOfAllFools-

1 | 3 hours ago

That’s the max I’d go as well and pray he performs into that player or exceeds it

Skank_hunt42 | Thunder

1 | 2 hours ago

Austin Reaves, Lakers

The deal I’d offer: Four years, $155 million. There is a trade-off on the Reaves contract. The $41.2 million salary in the first year is the maximum allowed. But to preserve cap space in 2027-28, the salary declines to $38 million and then remains flat in years three and four. Due to Reaves' $20.9 million cap hold, the Lakers can use their available cap room first and then sign Reaves to a new contract even if it exceeds the salary cap.

This isn’t nearly as bad as it could be, right? I think I’d take this vs. letting him walk. Laker fans care to chime in?

amateurdormjanitor | 76ers

2 | 42 minutes ago

Four years 150 is a great deal for Reaves, bro was averaging 30ppg for a lot of the season. Also 30 million for LeBron is a really good deal too, I bet he’d take that.

free_ty

1 | 2 hours ago

🤣🤣 they gonna let him walk and he’s going to ball out. The man is 22 , its plenty of time for improvement

Kyleon17 | Pistons

0 | an hour ago

22 year old all star. Plenty of time for improvement.

lolimdivine | ATL

1 | 26 minutes ago

dont understand why people thought duren was penciled in for a max. in no way has he ever been worth that

AccomplishedStyle600 | Knicks

1 | 15 minutes ago

So… he’s proposing another gap year for the Lakers?

Diligent-Cookie-1695 | Knicks

1 | 13 minutes ago

I think he deserves the max

petarisawesomeo | Nuggets

1 | 6 minutes ago

IMO, that seems like a fair deal for Duren. He was bad in the playoffs, but seems like a solid bet that he will continue to improve and be better in subsequent post-seasons.

IntelligentStand2729

0 | 3 hours ago

If I were Detroit I would do a 3 year 30 mil per year annually. A 5 year deal could easily turn into one of the worst contracts in basketball

No_Albatross916 | Pistons

2 | 2 hours ago

⁵⁄₁₈₀ for duren is fine honestly

Jaerba | DET

0 | an hour ago

I don’t see any reason for us to make an offer first unless a S&T becomes available. Just match whatever offer sheet he receives if it’s reasonable.

The chances of him feeling spurned like Gordon Hayward should be lower after that disastrous post season.

This is the biggest decision that will affect the rest of the team going forward for years. If he gets a big deal here, our only options for significant improvement become a homerun draft pick from the 20+ range and internal player development (Duren and Ausar getting substantially better).

The improvements he has to make are a lot more fundamental than just adding range or extra moves. He’s a good defender at times but he’s rarely a smart defender and he usually has poor positioning. In the playoffs, everyone saw he wasn’t playing with high energy in 80%+ of the games and he consistently got the details wrong. Not boxing out, lunging out of position for steals, dragging his own man towards Cade on drives, sitting in no man’s land where there’s no clean pocket to pass to.

He has the physical tools to keep being a force in the regular season but he got so many of the little things wrong in the playoffs. So freaking many. And effort is something that usually peaks when players are young, unless they’re a role player at the end of their careers like Drummond. I don’t really expect it to get better for Duren during this next contract.