2026 NBA free agency: Grades for offseason signings, extensions - ESPN

The NBA offseason is here, and teams across the league have been busy making moves, even before the completion of the 2026 draft.

There should be more contract extensions soon, as June 30 is the last day for a player in the final year of his contract to extend that deal. June 30 is also the first day teams can negotiate with free agents outside of their franchise. In other words: That's when you should expect the free agency frenzy to begin.

I'm grading every free agency signing and the most impactful extensions this offseason, breaking down the ramifications for all teams and players involved.

To determine each grade, I'm looking at multiple factors, including the player's on-court impact and age, the contract's financial implications, and the context of the team's short- and long-term outlooks. How risky or certain is the move? And how much does it help or hurt the team's chance to win a championship, next season or beyond?

Let's get into the latest moves:

Quick links:
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Terms: Four years, $185 million (with a player option in Year 4)

Grade: B+

It might seem impossible, given the intense media attention the Los Angeles Lakers receive, but Austin Reaves might be underrated.

Because he plays on a team with Luka Doncic and LeBron James, Reaves doesn't collect the counting stats he would if he were a different team's lead option. But look at Reaves' statistics in 2025-26 in 669 minutes without Doncic, per databallr, and how extraordinary they are.

In fact, they're extremely similar to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's stats:

That's not to say that Reaves is as good as Gilgeous-Alexander, of course. He's more prone to turnovers, he's a much worse