NBA Free Agent Rankings: Best 69 players available in 2026, including LeBron James

The NBA offseason is already off to a fast start. The draft has come and gone, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded to the Miami Heat, and the Charlotte Hornets sent LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a stunning move. It feels like the fireworks are just getting started as the league transitions to free agency, which unofficially opens June 30 at 6 p.m. ET with the start of the negotiation moratorium.

This is not the best class of free agents. The top unrestricted free agent still available is … Norman Powell? Tobias Harris? Soon-to-be 42-year-old LeBron James? The pickings are slim when it comes to elite talents, but every year has a few under-the-radar free agents who end up making a difference in the playoff chase.

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The restricted free agent crop is filled with considerably more talent, though their incumbent teams will have the right to match any offer. Want to pry Jalen Duren out of Detroit or Walker Kessler from Utah? It’s going to take a fat bag of cash and potentially some good assets out the door in a sign-and-trade.

Here’s our ranking of the top-69 NBA free agents in 2026. Why 69? That’s just where my long list of names fell, and also I thought it was funny. More analysis after the table.

Let’s get into some of the biggest topics of free agency.

Number

Player

Position

Previous team

Type

1

Jalen Duren

C

Detroit Pistons

RFA

2

LeBron James

F

Los Angeles Lakers

Player Option

3

James Harden

G

Cleveland Cavaliers

Player Option

4

Walker Kessler

C

Utah Jazz

RFA

5

Norman Powell

G

Miami Heat

UFA

6

Tari Eason

F

Houston Rockets

RFA

7

Kristaps Porzingis

C

Golden State Warriors

UFA

8

Tobias Harris

F

Detroit Pistons

UFA

9

Mitchell Robinson

C

New York Knicks

UFA

10

Lu Dort

G

Oklahoma City Thunder

Team Option

11

Bennedict Mathurin

G

Los Angeles Clippers

RFA

12

Peyton Watson

F

Denver Nuggets

RFA

13

Andrew Wiggins

F

Miami Heat

Player Option

14

Fred VanVleet

G

Houston Rockets

Player Option

15

Robert Williams

C

Portland Trail Blazers

UFA

16

Anfernee Simons

G

Chicago Bulls

UFA

17

Sandro Mamukelashvili

C

Toronto Raptors

UFA

18

Rui Hachimura

F

Los Angeles Lakers

UFA

19

Landry Shamet

G

New York Knicks

UFA

20

Gary Payton II

G

Golden State Warriors

UFA

21

Jonathan Kuminga

F

Atlanta Hawks

Team Option

22

John…

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Publish date : 2026-06-29 12:00:00

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