The most active offseason in recent years saw LeBron James land in Philadelphia, Giannis Antetokounmpo in Miami, and Wembanyama locked in with San Antonio. Yet mid-August finds half a dozen major names still without contracts.
The Three Blocking the Market
The key lies with restricted free agents, a designation that allows their team to match any offer and, in practice, freezes negotiations for months.
Peyton Watson is probably the best player available. The 23-year-old small forward posted his best season with 14.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, shooting 49.1% from the field and 41.1% from three-point range, though hamstring issues limited him to 54 games. Denver has offered between $14-18 million annually, while he's seeking over $25 million. Cleveland, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and the Clippers are monitoring.
Jalen Duren is in a similar standoff with Detroit. No team with salary cap space has emerged to pressure the Pistons, who want to retain him but won't pay him like a star. Shams Charania himself reported that the All-Star could remain unsigned well into September.
Bennedict Mathurin completes the trio. Following his trade from Indiana, he averaged 17.4 points in 26 games with the Clippers, including a 38-point debut performance at Intuit Dome, and has also hit the dry market that penalizes restricted free agents.
The Unrestricted Free Agents
James Harden remains in limbo for administrative rather than basketball reasons: his return to Cleveland for two or three seasons is considered a done deal, but the Cavaliers are waiting to resolve their moves on Watson and Kuminga first. Friday's trade of Dennis Schröder to Charlotte is moving in that direction.
DeMar DeRozan became a free agent in July when Sacramento opted to waive him after failing to find a trade partner. At 36 years old, he averaged 18.4 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 49.7% from the field, and Miami appears to be the most-cited destination to bolster the second unit alongside Giannis and Bam Adebayo.
Jonathan Kuminga is the most striking case by age. The Hawks declined his $24.3 million option and the 23-year-old Congolese forward has been without a home since, despite interest from the Lakers, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, Bucks, and Clippers.
Secondary Players Who Could Still Decide a Rotation
At point guard are Gabe Vincent and Brandon Williams. At shooting guard, Bruce Brown, Cam Thomas, and Haywood Highsmith. At the wing positions, Nic Batum and Kevin Love, two veterans with well-defined roles. And in the frontcourt, Nick Richards and Kelly Olynyk.
None will move the needle in starting lineups, but all are pieces a playoff team would want to have on the bench.