NBA free agency 2025 - Deals 10 stars should get this summer - ESPN

There is a cold reality when it comes to NBA free agency this summer.

Outside of players re-signing with their current teams or agreeing on sign-and-trades, free agents are staring at the Brooklyn Nets, who are the only team with enough salary cap room to offer a contract greater than $30 million. However, half the league has the $14.1 million non-tax midlevel exception.

To show the complexities of negotiating in free agency, we chose 10 of the biggest free agents this offseason and examined what their next contract should be.

This list won't include Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, as ESPN's Shams Charania reported in May that signs point to James opting in to his $52.6 million salary for next season. If James does become a free agent, the 40-year-old would be eligible to sign up to a three-year, $175 million contract with the Lakers.

(Note: The order below is based on Kevin Pelton'stop 25 free agent rankings for the 2025 offseason.)

LA Clippers | Guard
Free agent ranking: 2

Best free agent fit: LA Clippers

The deal I'd offer: Two years, $79 million. (The $41 million second-year salary has $10 million in guaranteed money. It increases to $25 million if the Clippers reach the conference finals and becomes fully guaranteed if LA reaches the NBA Finals.)

An All-Star appearance and an All-NBA nod for the first time since 2020 should have Harden seeking a raise and multiyear contract.

Harden logged the fifth-most minutes of any player this season and appeared in 79 games, his most in the regular season since 2016-17. As a result, Harden became the only player this season with 1,500 points, 500 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks.

«Because James has a player option, it would be irresponsible for me not to have