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Free agency ain’t what it used to be.
When NBA free agency officially opens at 6 p.m. Eastern on June 30, there will be a rash of signings, but the biggest deals of the summer likely will already have happened. Free agency is not how the best players change teams anymore — if Giannis Antetokounmpo is leaving Milwaukee this summer, it’s via trade. That’s essentially how all the top players change teams — a year ago at this time, it was Kevin Durant being traded to the Houston Rockets. When it comes to free agency, changes to extension rules and unrestricted free agency make it generally smarter for a player to re-sign with his existing team (and then force a trade later, if that’s the goal).
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Still, free agency saw some signings worth noting — last summer, it was how Myles Turner ended up in Milwaukee, Al Horford landed in Golden State, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker in Atlanta. Who will be on the move when free agency opens on June 30? Here are the biggest names on the board. (Reminder, a “restricted” free agent means his current team has the right to match any offer from another team.)
Detroit will re-sign Duren, who proved to be a critical core player for the No. 1 seed Pistons, averaging 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds a game, shooting 65% and playing high-level defense.
The only question is, did his playoff swoon cost him money? After making All-NBA last season, his max is five years, $287.1 million. The Pistons would like to get him at a slightly lower number, but if they get too cute, there are teams with cap space — Chicago and Brooklyn are rumored to be lurking — who could put a max offer sheet and force the Pistons to match. All that said, Detroit can’t afford to lose him.
There’s a theme to the top of this list: The team with a player’s rights can’t afford to let the player walk, but would like to get them in at a lower number than the max. Enter Austin Reaves and the Lakers.
Reaves has proven to be a quality second option next to Luka Doncic and averaged 23.3 points and 5.5 assists a game. At 28, this is Reaves’ shot at generational wealth and he will opt out of the $14.9 million on his…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/top-20-2026-nba-free-214727810.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-17 21:47:00
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