NBA free agency in 2010: Everyone waited for LeBron James to make a decision.
NBA free agency in 2026: Everyone is waiting again for James to make a decision.
James was the biggest domino to fall in the NBA’s off-season player movement period 16 years ago when he decided to join Miami, and he may be the biggest domino to fall — at least in free agency — this summer as well. Free agency opens in the NBA on Tuesday evening, with James’ future atop the list of most intriguing storylines that will be solved over the coming days and weeks.
The one thing that seems clear when it comes to James: It seems like retirement isn’t happening yet, which would mean the NBA’s career leader in points scored, minutes played and games played coming back for a record-extending 24th season and potentially — when including playoff contests — appearing in his 2,000th game.
His options would figure to include staying with the Los Angeles Lakers, returning to Miami or Cleveland (both would have interest for obvious reasons) or even thinking about moving elsewhere, like Golden State and teaming up with longtime friends — and rivals, considering they’ve gone head to head in the NBA Finals on four occasions — Stephen Curry and Draymond Green to chase one more title.
Green — who is not expected to leave Golden State — on Monday declined his $27.6 million option for next season, doing so to give the Warriors more maneuverability to add players in the coming days, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because that detail was not revealed publicly by the team, and it raises the possibility that the Warriors might now have more of a selling point to pitch to James.
“When the time comes, you guys will know what I decide to do,” James said when the Lakers were eliminated this spring by Oklahoma City in a 4-0 sweep.
The window when teams can begin officially talking with free agents — other than the ones on their own team, those talks could begin when the NBA Finals ended — opens at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, and deals could be flying not long afterward.
In most cases, any new deals cannot be executed until at least the end of the NBA’s off-season moratorium on July 6.
“This period we’re in right now, kind of from mid-May to mid-July, it’s a two-month sprint through the draft, combine, free agency, Summer League, all that,” Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. said earlier this month. “We’re super busy right now. But it’s a fun time of year. This is where we get to make decisions, shape the roster, do all that stuff.”
The NBA finalists — champion New York and runner-up San Antonio — both will have moves to make in the coming days, though they are expected to keep their cores largely intact. The Knicks were keeping Landry Shamet on a four-year deal, a person with knowledge of the details said Monday. And the Spurs announced Monday that sharpshooter Julian Champagnie, who came up big time and time again for San Antonio in the playoffs, signed a new deal with the club; a person with knowledge of the terms told AP it was a three-year deal for up to $45 million.
Plenty of other decisions and roster shaping already has happened around the league, either by trades (such as the Giannis Antetokounmpo blockbuster by Miami last week or the Ja Morant deal between Memphis and Portland that went down Monday) or teams re-signing or extending their own players (such as Trae Young’s $212 million deal with Washington and Austin Reaves’ $185 million deal with the Lakers).
Detroit has agreed with guard Kevin Huerter on a three-year, $27-million deal that keeps him with the Pistons, a person familiar with those terms told AP; the third year is an option. Sacramento traded former lottery pick Devin Carter and a future second-round pick to Atlanta in a salary dump, and Kings guard Zach LaVine picked up his $49 million player option, a person familiar with those moves said on condition of anonymity because they haven’t been finalized.
Many moves still awaiting completion
Miami will land Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis in a trade that sends Tyler Herro, other players and draft capital to Milwaukee, but that won’t be finalized until that moratorium date passes. But in the interim, the Heat will be looking to add shooters — Tim Hardaway Jr., whose father’s number is retired in Miami, and longtime Antetokounmpo favourite Khris Middleton make a lot of sense.
The Heat will be keeping Andrew Wiggins, who on Monday exercised his $30 million option for this coming season and, according to a person familiar with the talks between the sides, has agreed in principle to a $34 million deal for the following two seasons — with 2028-29 at his option.
More trades could be coming, with a person familiar with the negotiations confirming to the AP that Toronto has spoken with the Los Angeles Clippers on the possibility of Kawhi Leonard — who led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title — returning to Ontario next season. And Boston is still believed to be holding talks about the possibility of trading 2024 NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, who was the centrepiece of the Celtics’ ultimately futile offer to land Antetokounmpo in trade discussions with Milwaukee.
“Nobody has won more combined regular-season and playoff games since I entered the league 10 years ago,” Brown posted on social media over the weekend. He’s right: The Celtics have won 523 games with Brown in the lineup, including playoff contests, which is six more than Denver has won with Nikola Jokic over that span.
