Five Under-The-Radar Veteran Extension Candidates To Watch
The deadline for teams to sign players to rookie scale extensions is a week from today, and we'll be keeping an eye on several notable rookie scale extension candidates in the coming days. That group includes Pistons teammates Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren, Nuggets guard Christian Braun, Hawks guard Dyson Daniels, Rockets forward Tari Eason, Kings forward Keegan Murray, and Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe.
A number of big-name players are also eligible for veteran contract extensions, with Rockets forward Kevin Durant, Heat guard Tyler Herro, and Hawks guard Trae Young among those we're been monitoring ahead of the 2025/26 season.
However, many of the most viable extension candidates have flown somewhat under the radar this fall, so we want to shine a spotlight on some of those players today. In the space below, we'll take a closer look at five players who are eligible for veteran contract extensions and who could realistically sign new contracts either before opening night or at some point during the season.
Let's dive in...
Stein’s Latest: Giannis, Westbrook, Mavericks, Referees
If Giannis Antetokounmpo is ever traded, it’s more likely to happen during the offseason, Marc Stein of The Stein Line states in his latest Substack column (subscription required). That’s the conclusion Stein reaches after listening to the chatter out of Milwaukee since it was revealed last week that the Bucks and Knicks had trade discussions regarding the Greek superstar during the summer.
Stein cites Antetokounmpo’s response when asked about the rumor, saying that he’s happy in Milwaukee now but could reconsider his stance in “six, seven months.” He also said the idea of forcing a trade is “temptation,” adding that it “starts when the season ends (and lasts) until the season begins.”
Given that background, Stein believes this might be a “make-or-break” season regarding Antetokounmpo’s future with the Bucks. The front office took a huge gamble over the summer, waiving and stretching Damian Lillard‘s contract to create enough cap space to sign Myles Turner away from Indiana. However, the rest of the roster is virtually the same as it was when the team finished 48-34 last season and was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. Antetokounmpo has repeatedly expressed his desire to compete for another NBA title and seems likely to revisit the idea of changing teams if Milwaukee can’t make progress toward that goal.
Antetokounmpo’s contract runs through 2026/27, with a $62.8MM player option for the following season. Stein points out that he’s about to enter the first season of a three-year, $175MM extension he agreed to shortly after the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard in 2023.
Stein shares information from around the league:
- Russell Westbrook remains a free agent eight days away from the start of the regular season, but he appears very unlikely to continue his career overseas. League sources tell Stein that there have been “zero discussions” about that possibility. A report on Sunday indicated “strong mutual interest” between Westbrook and the Kings, and Stein’s sources say the 36-year-old guard remains focused on his next NBA opportunity, even if it doesn’t come until later in the season.
- The Mavericks are expected to play two preseason games at The Venetian Macao resort next October, Stein hears. He adds that team owner Patrick Dumont was instrumental in helping the NBA rebuild its business relationships with China following a 2019 dispute sparked by Daryl Morey’s online support of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong.
- NBA referees have been wearing earpieces during the preseason to allow them to communicate easier with each other, Stein adds, and they could become standard equipment when the regular season begins.
Kings Sign, Waive Mitch Mascari, Daniel Batcho
October 13: Both players have been waived, according to NBA.com’s transactions log.
Ocotber 10, 8:00 pm: As expected, Mascari and Batcho have officially signed their non-guaranteed contracts with the Kings, per RealGM’s transaction log.
October 10, 11:51 am: The Kings have reached an agreement to sign free agent shooting guard Mitch Mascari, agent George S. Langberg tells Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Mascari, who won a pair of NCAA DII championships at Northwest Missouri State in 2021 and 2022, transferred to Drake for his final year of college in 2024/25. The 6’5″ guard averaged 9.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.4 steals per game across 35 outings last season, knocking down 40.3% of his three-point tries. He played all 40 minutes in Drake’s victory over Missouri in the first round of the NCAA tournament, racking up four steals in that game.
Mascari suited up for the Suns’ Summer League team in Las Vegas this summer and averaged 1.7 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG in 10.9 MPG in three contests.
While Scotto didn’t provide any details on the agreement, it’s almost certainly an Exhibit 10 contract that will put Mascari in line to be an affiliate player for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League team. If he spends at least 60 days with Stockton, the undrafted rookie would be eligible to earn an Exhibit 10 bonus worth a maximum of $85,300.
Since Sacramento has multiple openings on its 21-man preseason roster, no corresponding move will be necessary to make room for Mascari. According to James Ham of The Kings Beat (Twitter link), expectation is that the move will happen later today, along with the reported signing of Daniel Batcho, with both players waived shortly thereafter.
Shams: Kings, Russell Westbrook Have ‘Strong Mutual Interest’
Veteran point guard Russell Westbrook remains an unrestricted free agent after he declined his $3.47MM player option with the Nuggets in June. Throughout the offseason, Westbrook has been repeatedly linked to the Kings, and ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Friday that the two sides continue to have “strong mutual interest” (Twitter video link).
“I’m told there is strong mutual interest between Russell Westbrook and the Sacramento Kings,” Charania said (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “And the Kings have a need for a reserve point guard. They were 29th in bench points, 29th in bench assists last season. Russell Westbrook helps with that, and he’s got relationships across that organization.
“Domantas Sabonis, he’s close with, played with him. He played with Dennis Schröder as well. DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, they have L.A. ties as well. BJ Armstrong, the new assistant general manager there. He knows BJ Armstrong from the agency side, and he does have respect with Scott Perry, their new general manager, and Doug Christie, their new head coach.
“We’ll see if a deal gets done before the start of the season or during this upcoming year.”
Carmichael Dave of SactownSports.com (Twitter link) posits that there’s about a 70 percent chance that Westbrook will sign with Sacramento at some point, assuming the two sides can figure out the financials.
The plugged-in radio host also hears Westbrook has a lucrative contract offer on the table to play in China, but the former NBA MVP likely wouldn’t go that route until after the All-Star game, which is in his hometown of Los Angeles.
The Kings currently only have 13 players on guaranteed standard contracts, plus Keon Ellis on a non-guaranteed deal and Terence Davis on a training camp pact.
Westbrook, 36, played a significant role for the Nuggets after signing with Denver as a free agent during the 2024 offseason. He averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 27.9 minutes per game across 75 appearances (36 starts) during the regular season, with a .449/.323/.661 shooting line. He also contributed 11.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, and 3.7 RPG in 13 playoff contests (24.1 MPG).
Kings’ Keegan Murray Exits Friday’s Game With Thumb Injury
Kings forward Keegan Murray, who is entering his fourth NBA season and is eligible for a rookie scale extension until October 20, suffered a left thumb injury in Friday’s preseason loss to Portland, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee relays.
Murray sustained the injury late in the second quarter, Anderson writes, with Sacramento later ruling him out for the second half. The 25-year-old compiled nine points, five rebounds and a steal in 16 minutes of action before leaving the contest.
It’s possible the Kings may simply have been exercising an abundance of caution by ending Murray’s night early. Still, it’s never a great sign when a starter is forced out of a game, preseason or otherwise.
We’ll have to wait for further updates to see if Murray will miss additional time as a result of the left thumb issue.
James Ham of ESPN 1320 and The Kings Beat notes (via Twitter) that forward/center Dario Saric was an unexpected bright spot for Sacramento in the one-point loss. The Croatian veteran only appeared in 16 games for the Nuggets last season and didn’t play in the Kings’ first preseason contest, but he went 4-of-4 from three-point range en route to 14 points in 14 minutes on Friday.
NBA 2025 Offseason Check-In: Sacramento Kings
Hoops Rumors is checking in on the 2025 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures, and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s offseason moves and consider what might still be coming before the regular season begins. Today, we’re focusing on the Sacramento Kings.
Free agent signings
Dennis Schröder: Three years, $44,427,600. Third year partially guaranteed ($4,350,000). Signed using Bird rights and acquired via sign-and-trade from Pistons.- Doug McDermott: One year, minimum salary. Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
- Drew Eubanks: One year, minimum salary. Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Terence Davis: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Re-signed using minimum salary exception. Waived right to veto trade.
- Jon Elmore: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Note: Elmore has since been waived.
- Jameer Nelson Jr.: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Note: Nelson has since been waived.
- Jaylin Williams: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Note: Williams has since been waived.
- Dexter Dennis: One year, minimum salary. Non-guaranteed (Exhibit 10). Signed using minimum salary exception.
- Note: Dennis has since been waived.
Trades
- Acquired the draft rights to Nique Clifford (No. 24 pick) from the Thunder in exchange for the Spurs’ 2027 first-round pick (top-16 protected).
- Acquired Dennis Schröder (sign-and-trade) and either the Pistons’, Bucks’, or Knicks’ 2029 second-round pick (whichever is least favorable) from the Pistons in exchange for the Hornets’ 2026 second-round pick (top-55 protected).
- Acquired Dario Saric from the Nuggets in exchange for Jonas Valanciunas.
Draft picks
- 1-24: Nique Clifford
- Signed to rookie scale contract (four years, $15,769,801).
- 2-42: Maxime Raynaud
- Signed to three-year, $5,949,688 contract. First two years guaranteed. Third-year team option.
Two-way signings
- Dylan Cardwell
- Two years, non-guaranteed.
- Daeqwon Plowden
- One year, $75,000 partial guarantee.
- Isaiah Stevens
- Two years, $85,300 partial guarantee (will increase to $318,218 at start of regular season); second year partially guaranteed for maximum two-way protection amount (will increase to 50% at start of regular season).
Departed/unsigned free agents
- Jae Crowder (unsigned)
- Markelle Fultz (unsigned)
- Mason Jones (Perth Wildcats)
- Jake LaRavia (Lakers)
- Trey Lyles (Real Madrid)
Other roster moves
- Exercised team option on Keon Ellis ($2,301,587).
- Exercised team option on Isaac Jones ($1,955,377).
- Withdrew qualifying offer for Isaiah Crawford.
- Waived Terence Davis (non-guaranteed contract).
- Davis was later re-signed to a new Exhibit 10 contract.
Salary cap situation
- Operating over the cap ($154.6MM) and below the luxury tax line ($187.9MM).
- Carrying approximately $182.2MM in salary.
- Hard-capped at $195,945,000.
- Full non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14,104,000) available.
- Full bi-annual exception ($5,134,000) available.
- Five traded player exceptions available (largest worth $4,968,600).
The offseason so far
Since winning 48 games and ending their 16-year postseason drought in 2022/23, the Kings have had a tougher go of it. They were eliminated in the play-in tournament in a competitive Western Conference in 2023/24, then fired former Coach of the Year Mike Brown after getting off to a disappointing start in ’24/25.
Interim head coach Doug Christie, who was promoted to the permanent role after the season, guided Sacramento to a winning record after taking over for Brown, but it wasn’t enough to get the team back to .500 or beyond the first game of the play-in tournament. And along the way, the Kings traded star point guard De’Aaron Fox after he made it clear he didn’t intend to sign a contract extension with the team.
In addition to locking in Christie as their full-time head coach, the Kings also named a new head of basketball operations this spring, hiring veteran executive Scott Perry to replace former general manager Monte McNair. Perry was immediately thrown into the deep end in his first offseason in the position — Sacramento entered the summer capped out, without a first-round pick in the 2025 draft, and short on valuable trade chips.
Rather than aggressively trying to reshape the Kings’ roster with limited assets at his disposal, Perry took a relatively conservative approach during his first few months on the job. In the wake of the Fox trade, Sacramento badly needed a point guard, so the new GM went out and got one of the best available options in free agency, working out a three-year deal (only the first two years are guaranteed) with Dennis Schröder. While he was technically a sign-and-trade acquisition, Schröder’s contract is equivalent to the full non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Schröder is on his eighth team since the start of the 2021/22 season and has been up and down in recent years. In 2024/25, for instance, he got off a great start in Brooklyn, but didn’t play well during a two-month stint in Golden State and wasn’t a whole lot better down the stretch in Detroit. The 32-year-old’s production earlier in his NBA career and on the international stage for the German national team suggest he’s capable of doing far more offensively than he did in 75 games last season (13.1 PPG, .406 FG%), but the Kings won’t be expecting miracles — they just wanted a solid, high-floor veteran to fill a gaping hole on their depth chart.
Besides adding a starting point guard, one of the Kings’ other goals this summer was to get back into the first round of the draft, which they were able to do at a pretty reasonable price. Sacramento acquired the No. 24 overall pick from the Thunder in exchange for a heavily (top-16) protected Spurs 2027 first-rounder that will turn into a pair of second-rounders if it doesn’t convey in ’27.
With that 24th overall pick, the Kings drafted Nique Clifford, a five-year college player who – at age 23 – looks like one of the most NBA-ready players in this year’s rookie class. You could make a case that a team coming off a sub-.500 season should have been looking to roll the dice on a younger prospect with more upside, but trying to find a potential rotation regular is a more realistic goal at No. 24 than hoping to hit paydirt on a future star. Clifford, an All-Summer League first teamer, absolutely looks capable of playing an NBA role.
Long rumored to be a Jonathan Kuminga suitor in a potential sign-and-trade, the Kings were reportedly willing to give up some combination of Malik Monk, Devin Carter, and/or Dario Saric, plus draft assets, in various iterations of offers to the Warriors. And while moving Zach LaVine was essentially a non-starter due to the size of his contract, DeMar DeRozan was also considered a possible offseason trade candidate.
However, Golden State wasn’t moved by Sacramento’s offers for Kuminga, and the Kings didn’t end up working out any other significant deals on the trade market besides their moves for Clifford and Schröder. The only other trade the front office made was a one-for-one swap of Jonas Valanciunas for Saric.
The Kings’ handling of Valanciunas was an example of what happens when a new head of basketball operations with his own ideas about what the roster should look like replaces one that was taking swings in the hopes of saving his job a few months earlier. After giving up two second-rounders to acquire Valanciunas in February, Sacramento traded him for a player who played just 210 total minutes last season and wasn’t effective in his limited role.
Saric is a possible bounce-back candidate and the trade was more about finances than on-court value — swapping out Valanciunas’ $10.4MM salary for Saric’s $5.4MM cap hit ensured the Kings were able to stay under the tax line.
Still, it resulted in a downgrade at the center spot behind Domantas Sabonis, where Saric, Drew Eubanks, and second-round pick Maxime Raynaud are in the mix as potential backups, and it may have been a missed opportunity for the Kings. After they agreed to that trade with Denver, word broke that Valanciunas wanted to return to Europe to play for Panathinaikos. If Sacramento had held onto the veteran center, perhaps the front office could’ve negotiated a buyout that would’ve removed most or all of his cap hit from its books and allowed the team to add a free agent with more value than Saric.
The rest of the Kings’ offseason moves were minor ones. Eubanks and sharpshooter Doug McDermott signed minimum-salary contracts, while Keon Ellis and Isaac Jones had their minimum-salary team options exercised. In general, the summer feels like it could be a prelude to more substantial roster changes in Sacramento, especially if the club continues to hover around or below .500 in 2025/26.
Up next
The Kings currently have 13 players on standard guaranteed contracts, plus Ellis on a non-guaranteed deal. That leaves one opening on the projected 15-man regular season roster. Terence Davis, who has played for Sacramento off and on since 2021 and is in camp on a non-guaranteed contract, could be the best candidate to fill it.
Still, I won’t be surprised if Davis is waived at the end of the preseason. The Kings don’t have a ton of wiggle room below the luxury tax line, so they may want to maintain the extra cap and roster flexibility that would come with leaving that 15th spot open for now.
It’s also worth noting that Russell Westbrook has been linked to Sacramento since the start of free agency and remains a candidate to end up with the team. I’ve gotten the sense that the Kings would need a clear-cut role – not just an open roster spot – to bring Westbrook aboard, so unless they trade one of their guards after having hung onto Monk and Carter through the offseason, a deal with the former MVP may not be in the cards.
Potential contract extensions for two of the Kings’ most promising young players – former No. 4 overall pick Keegan Murray and defensive stalwart Ellis – are probably more pressing issues in Sacramento than back-of-the-roster machinations. The team has until October 20 to work out a new deal with Murray, whereas Ellis will remain extension-eligible all season. Finding the right price point will be challenging in both cases.
Murray showed a ton of promise as a rookie in 2022/23, averaging 12.2 points per game and making 41.1% of his three-pointers, and he has improved defensively since then. However, his offensive numbers have stagnated — his shooting percentages of 44.4% from the field and 34.3% on three-pointers last season were career lows, as were his 13.0 points per 36 minutes. In order to invest heavily in Murray at this point, the Kings would have to be pretty confident in his ability to take another significant step forward within the next couple years.
As for Ellis, the former undrafted free agent has shown he’s capable of providing a little value offensively after initially establishing himself as a reliable point-of-attack defender. His 8.3 points per game and 43.3% three-point mark last season were career highs. Still, he can’t realistically be relied upon as a go-to play-maker or volume shooter, so the Kings will have to decide just how highly they value his defensive contributions.
Pacific Notes: Knecht, Booker, Williams, Schröder
Lakers forward Dalton Knecht got off to a great start as a rookie last season, averaging 12.2 points per game and making 43.9% of his three-pointers in his first 19 outings. However, he averaged just 8.1 PPG and knocked down just 34.8% of his outside shots the rest of the way while struggling defensively.
As Dan Woike of The Athletic writes, a poor Summer League showing in which Knecht shot just 32.1% from the field and 23.7% on three-pointers further exacerbated the concerns that rival scouts and executives have about the 24-year-old, whose trade value has dipped in the past year.
While Knecht has been viewed as a prime trade chip for the Lakers – he was part of the package the team was prepared to give up in February for Mark Williams – sources who spoke to Woike don’t believe the Lakers would be able to extract value comparable to the No. 17 pick they used on him right now. The general consensus, Woike writes, is that he could return multiple second-rounders, or perhaps even a single second-rounder.
However, Knecht is in just the second season of his four-year rookie contract and should still have plenty of time – and opportunities – to work on making his game more well-rounded. Head coach JJ Redick remains optimistic about Knecht’s potential.
“I’m very confident (that) when he’s confident, he’s a high-level offensive player in the NBA,” Redick said last weekend. “It’s the other stuff that he’s got to just do and find that consistency in his defense, on being the low man, or boxing out, or crashing every time or sprinting back and actually talking in transition. When he’s doing those things, he’s an impact player.”
Here’s more from around the Pacific Division:
- With Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal no longer in Phoenix, Devin Booker knows there’s more pressure on him to be the face of the Suns on and off the court, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic relays. “(I) think it’s a big responsibility for me to be a leader and continue being a leader and getting everybody on the same page so we can start this thing off the right way,” Booker said within a more extensive Q&A ahead of the team’s preseason games in China.
- New Suns center Mark Williams, who is entering a potential contract year and has dealt with injuries during his first three NBA seasons, was a high-risk, high-reward investment for Phoenix. Doug Haller of The Athletic takes a closer look at the bet the Suns made on Williams and what his ceiling might look like. “He could be one of the better rim protectors in the game, first of all,” former Hornets assistant Tyrone Corbin said. “He could get quicker at setting screens and just rolling to the rim really hard. He’s a threat at the rim always because he can catch the ball. He just has to get there a little quicker. … He’s smart. … He has the potential to be a pretty good starter and a reliable guy in the lane.”
- While the Kings made it an offseason priority to add an experienced point guard like Dennis Schröder in large part to organize the offense, head coach Doug Christie is also asking the 32-year-old to “set the tone” defensively with full-court ball pressure. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee has the story on Christie’s defensive expectations for Schröder and the rest of the Kings.
Kings Sign, Waive Dexter Dennis
October 9: Dennis has been waived, the Kings announced (Twitter link via James Ham of The Kings Beat). As noted below, he’ll likely be headed back to Stockton this season.
September 28: The Kings have signed free agent shooting guard Dexter Dennis to a non-guaranteed contract, per Paul Garcia of The Spot Up Shot (Twitter link). It’s an Exhibit 10 deal, confirms Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link).
Dennis, 26, has spent the majority of the past two seasons in the G League after going undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2023. He was on a two-way contract with the Mavericks for the first couple months of 2023/24, but appeared in just four NBA games for Dallas and was with the Texas Legends and Cleveland Charge for most of that season.
Dennis appeared in 44 G League games as a rookie, then played 47 times in 2024/25 for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s affiliate. The 6’5″ guard was a key part of Stockton’s rotation, averaging 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 31.1 minutes per contest, with a shooting line of .428/.350/.780. He helped lead the team to an NBAGL title in April.
In all likelihood, Dennis will only be under contract briefly with the Kings, with this deal designed to ensure he receives an Exhibit 10 bonus worth up to $85,300 if he returns to Stockton and spends at least 60 days with the team.
The Kings now have a full 21-man preseason roster. If they intend to complete their reported camp deal with forward Daniel Batcho in the coming days, Dennis or another player on a non-guaranteed contract will have to be cut.
2025/26 NBA Over/Unders: Pacific Division
With the 2025/26 NBA regular season tipping off later this month, we’re getting serious about predictions for the upcoming campaign and continuing an annual Hoops Rumors tradition.
With the help of the lines from a series of sports betting sites – including BetMGM and BetOnline – we’re running through the predicted win totals for each of the NBA’s 30 teams, by division. In a series of team-by-team polls, you’ll get the chance to weigh in on whether you think those forecasts are too optimistic or too pessimistic.
In 2024/25, our voters went 13-17 on their over/under picks. Can we top that in ’25/26?
We’ll continue our series today with the Pacific Division…
Los Angeles Clippers
- 2024/25 record: 50-32
- Over/under for 2025/26: 48.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Los Angeles Lakers
- 2024/25 record: 50-32
- Over/under for 2025/26: 48.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Golden State Warriors
- 2024/25 record: 48-34
- Over/under for 2025/26: 46.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
- Added: Al Horford, De’Anthony Melton, Will Richard
- Lost: Kevon Looney, Braxton Key, Kevin Knox
Sacramento Kings
- 2024/25 record: 40-42
- Over/under for 2025/26: 34.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Phoenix Suns
- 2024/25 record: 36-46
- Over/under for 2025/26: 31.5 wins
- Major offseason moves:
Previous voting results:
- New York Knicks (53.5 wins): Over (63.2%)
- Boston Celtics (42.5 wins): Over (52.7%)
- Philadelphia 76ers (42.5 wins): Under (58.7%)
- Toronto Raptors (37.5 wins): Over (50.2%)
- Brooklyn Nets (20.5 wins): Over (54.4%)
- Cleveland Cavaliers (56.5 wins): Over (58.0%)
- Detroit Pistons (46.5 wins): Over (60.5%)
- Milwaukee Bucks (42.5 wins): Over (74.4%)
- Indiana Pacers (37.5 wins): Over (50.1%)
- Chicago Bulls (32.5 wins): Over (60.8%)
- Oklahoma City Thunder (62.5 wins): Over (62.9%)
- Denver Nuggets (53.5 wins): Over (72.1%)
- Minnesota Timberwolves (49.5 wins): Over (58.7%)
- Portland Trail Blazers (34.5 wins): Over (57.1%)
- Utah Jazz (18.5 wins): Over (55.3%).
Players Seeking Paydays This Season
While some players are still hoping to finalize rookie scale extensions before the season begins, the majority of contract situations around the league have been settled at this point. But business never sleeps in the world of the NBA, and many players will enter this season hoping to impress executives and land their next big payday.
Zach Harper of The Athletic details the top names playing for new deals this season, excluding the aforementioned rookie scale extension seekers.
One player not on a rookie-scale deal but still extension-eligible is Michael Porter Jr., whom the Nets recently acquired to add some scoring pop to the starting lineup. Porter’s deal runs for two more seasons and will pay him $38.3MM this year and $40.8MM in 2026/27.
The Nets’ roster remains a major work in progress, making future projections tricky, but at just 27 years old, Porter is in position to have a big year in Brooklyn and boost his stock entering a contract year next summer. The biggest question, according to Harper, is whether Porter’s next deal would remain in the range of the $40MM+ he’ll earn in 2026/27 or if he would take a modest pay cut to secure a longer-term contract.
Harper takes a look at three big men who could hit the open market next summer: Kristaps Porzingis, the Hawks‘ new starting center, longtime Bulls veteran Nikola Vucevic, and the Knicks‘ on-and-off starter Mitchell Robinson. All three have question marks surrounding them — for Porzingis and Robinson, those questions center around health, though Robinson could also be a cap casualty on New York’s increasingly pricey roster.
Vucevic has been in trade rumors for years, and with the Bulls taking more steps to embrace a youth movement than they have in the past, his time in Chicago could be coming to an end. Harper predicts an annual value of around $21MM for Vucevic on his next deal, which is about what he’ll earn in 2025/26.
Another group of players Harper looks at is a trio of high-scoring guards who will be free agents in 2026: Anfernee Simons and Norman Powell, who were acquired this summer by the Celtics and Heat, respectively, and Coby White, who has grown into a talented combo guard over his six seasons with the Bulls. Harper predicts a deal around $20MM annually for Simons, $75MM over three years for White, and a two-year, $50MM contract for Powell.
The 2026 free agency class will also be impacted by the decisions made by veterans with player options, such as Zach LaVine (Kings), Bradley Beal (Clippers), and Austin Reaves (Lakers). Cam Thomas (Nets) and Quentin Grimes (Sixers) will also reach unrestricted free agency after accepting their respective qualifying offers and will be looking to recoup the money they passed on this offseason.
Finally, Harper singles out four role players who could be coveted next season, depending on their performance this season: Rui Hachimura (Lakers), Tyus Jones (Magic), Keon Ellis (Kings), and Georges Niang (Jazz). The 25-year-old Ellis has broken out over the last two seasons and could command his first real payday of his career if he has a strong season off the bench in Sacramento. Harper speculates he could be in line for a deal similar to the three-year, $27.6MM contract Ty Jerome signed with the Grizzlies this summer.