NBA free agency has slowed down considerably more than a week after officially opening on June 30, and since then, teams have adjusted to the league’s “apron era” by making transactions that will affect their 2024-25 rosters.
All but three of ESPN’s top 20 ranked free agents have found new teams or re-signed with their current ones with the most notable ones including LeBron James returning to the Los Angeles Lakers, Paul George agreeing to a new deal with the Philadelphia 76ers and OG Anunoby staying with the New York Knicks. Gary Trent Jr., Tyus Jones and Markelle Fultz are the three who have yet to agree to new deals.
Which teams, through July 10, have landed the best bargains via player and specific contract deals? Which teams reached on player options and spent too much of their salary cap already? And of the more splashy deals, which players have lucrative incentives or elusive no-trade clauses? Let’s check out what we’ve seen this free agency period.
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Best bargains | Good value | Head-scratchers
Incentives, draft-pick deals and no-trade clauses
Best bargains on the market
The contract: One year, $10.5 million
It would have been easy for Paul to latch on to a contending team and chase that elusive NBA championship. Instead, Paul left the Golden State Warriors and signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract to play for Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich and franchise player Victor Wembanyama. We can think of Paul as an extension to Popovich’s coaching staff, but the 39-year-old veteran will also help on the court and in the locker room.
The Spurs last season ranked 24th in turnover percentage, 27th in turnovers per game and 28th in percentage of passes leading to a turnover, according to Second Spectrum tracking. Last season, Paul ranked behind only Tyus Jones in assist-to-turnover ratio. His 715 assists on alley-oop dunks rank most among active players.
Paul has eight sets of bonuses in his contract, including a $262K incentive if the Spurs (or the team he finishes the season with) wins 32 games or more.
The contract: Four years, $32 million and $8 million in additional unlikely bonuses
Considering the financial limitations Philadelphia faced once George signed, the four-year, $32 million Martin contract is a coup. The benefit of Martin on a team friendly contract ($8.1 million of his salary this year is 5.8% of the salary cap) is not only about this season but also about the next one for Philadelphia. The 76ers have over $140 million committed to Joel Embiid, George and Tyrese Maxey.
Martin averaged a career-high 10 points last season for the Miami Heat and has seen his scoring increase during the postseason. He averaged 12.5 points and shot 52% from the field and 43% on 3-pointers in the past two postseasons.
Martin will earn an additional $1.2 million if he plays in at least 67 games and Philadelphia wins 49 games and then reaches the second round of the playoffs.
The contract: Two years, $10.8 million
Once Martin left for Philadelphia, the Heat were left with two choices. They could bargain shop in the minimum aisle of free agency and sign a journeyman forward. This approach would have given Miami financial flexibility to sign a 15th player and remain below the second apron, however, that move would not have improved its roster. Or the Heat could take an aggressive approach and sign the best available wing defender left in free agency — Highsmith. They chose the latter.
Highsmith held 2024 All-Stars to 40.3% effective field goal percentage last season, third best among players to defend at least 100 shots, per Second Spectrum. He also improved his 3-point shooting from 33.6% in his first two seasons in Miami to 39.6% in 2023-24.
The contract: Four years, $42 million and $2 million in additional unlikely bonuses
The $40 million in additional tax penalties to retain O’Neale should disqualify the forward from the list. But considering the financial predicament Phoenix is in and the impact O’Neale has on the court, a first-year salary of $9.4 million is good value. O’Neale is one of four players to record 150 3-pointers, 50 steals and 40 blocks in each of the past two seasons, along with Anthony Edwards, Keegan Murray and Jayson Tatum.
O’Neale, formerly with the Brooklyn Nets, has played in 456 games since the 2018-19 season, third most in the NBA during that span, trailing Mikal Bridges and Buddy Hield.
The contract: Three years, $30.3 million, and the third season is non-guaranteed
We had Valanciunas ranked as the third-best free agent center, behind Nic Claxton and Isaiah Hartenstein. Claxton signed a four-year, $100 million contract in Brooklyn, meanwhile Hartenstein inked a three-year, $87 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Claxton re-signed with his current team and Oklahoma City took advantage of a two-year financial window to overpay Hartenstein. The contracts Claxton and Hartenstein signed should not discredit the value of Valanciunas and his play.
Valanciunas played all 82 games last season with the New Orleans Pelicans and ranked in the top 10 in total second-chance points in each of the past five seasons. In 2023-24, the Wizards ranked last in second-chance points per game allowed and 29th in paint points per game allowed.
An extension worth good value
The contract: Five years, $84 million
Isaac has appeared in 69 games since the 2019-20 season, and paying him an additional $68 million in new money seems like a reckless gamble. But here is why Orlando increasing Isaac’s original $17.4 million salary this season to $25 million and then decreasing it 40% to $15 million next year represents one of the better value contracts in the NBA.
Isaac is an All-NBA defender when he plays. Last season, he led all players in effective field goal percentage allowed as the contesting defender, per Second Spectrum. Isaac also ranked in the top 10 in blocks per 36 minutes among players to play at least 500 minutes last season. Because of his lengthy injury history, Orlando is protected in Years 3 to 5. For example, if Isaac plays in at least 52 games in 2025-26, his $14.5 million salary in 2026-27 is guaranteed. If he doesn’t, Orlando could waive him and owe only $8 million for the remaining three seasons.
Most head-scratching deals
The contract: Reportedly turned down a four-year, $58 million extension from Miami
Martin has accomplished the rare feat of making this list in two categories — his deal signaled a great value in Philadelphia and his rejection of Miami’s offer marked a head-scratcher of a decision.
Sources confirmed to ESPN that Martin was given the choice of opting-in to his $7.1 million contract for this upcoming season. He would then extend an additional four years and $58 million. And Martin on a $7.1 million salary would have allowed Miami to remain below the second apron.
The Heat’s approach is similar to what occurred last season with the New York Knicks and Josh Hart, who opted-in to his $13 million contract and then extended for $81 million over four seasons. The financial flexibility allowed New York to sign Donte DiVincenzo.
“I mean, you’re always going to wish you could make as much money as you can,” Martin said after he signed in Philadelphia. “It’s part of the game, it’s part of life. You live and learn. You take risks. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
The contract: Five years, $90 million and a player option in the last year
Williams is 22 years old and the $18 million-per-year salary (it is flat over five seasons) is an upside type of contract. The head-scratching move, though, is Chicago including a player option for the fifth year. Williams has played fewer than 45 games in two of his first four years. Last season, he shot a career low 44.3% from the field and came off the bench for the first time in his career.
He is part of the same 2020 draft class that includes Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, LaMelo Ball, Jaden McDaniels and Devin Vassell. Those five players all signed five-year extensions last offseason that did not include player options.
The contract: Two years, $52 million
Harris’ contract is a rich one, especially when there were no teams outside of Detroit willing to throw big money at the former 76ers forward. The counterargument is Detroit had to spend 90% of its salary cap to reach the minimum salary floor. Do not get me wrong, Harris fits the timeline of the Pistons trying to compete now, while also preserving flexibility in the near future.
Harris averaged 17.2 points last season, up from 14.7 in 2022-23, but he saw his 3-point field goal percentage drop to 35.3%. In the 34 games without Joel Embiid, he shot 32.4% from deep.
The contract: Two years, $4.8 million, 15% trade bonus and a player option
Porter averaged 19 points with the Houston Rockets in 2022-23, but his contract lands in this section for multiple reasons. First, Porter was arrested last September and charged with assault and strangulation after an alleged attack on his then-girlfriend at a New York City hotel. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and a harassment violation in connection with an incident in January of this year. It is likely Porter will face some type of suspension from the NBA this season, similar to Miles Bridges with the Charlotte Hornets last season.
Second, even if the Clippers felt like there was no risk in signing Porter, they guaranteed both seasons, included a 15% trade bonus and a player option. If Porter continues to rehabilitate himself and performs at a high level like he did in Houston, the small investment the Clippers made could be worthless if they lose him.
The contract: Five years, $212.5 million, plus a 15% trade bonus and player option
Before Knicks fans worry too much, re-signing Anunoby was a smart move. The Knicks were 20-3 with Anunoby in the regular season and the forward is one of the NBA’s elite defenders. He is also in the prime of his career, turning 27 on July 17.
Why the Anunoby contract is in the head-scratching section comes down to two issues: The 15% trade bonus and all five years of the contract are fully guaranteed. The Knicks could point to a contract that will age nicely, especially with the salary cap expected to increase 10% annually for the foreseeable future. The $42.5 million salary in Year 3 is below the maximum salary for a player with six years or less of experience. However, durability continues to be an issue with Anunoby, having played an average of 50 games the past four seasons.
Anunoby is not going anywhere soon, but the Knicks adding a trade bonus could be a hindrance in the near future. The bonus is currently $22 million, $10 million more than what Dejounte Murray received from the Atlanta Hawks in the trade to New Orleans.
More contract notes from this free agency period
Cash-strapped teams sign veteran contracts
Monte Morris (Phoenix), Alec Burks (Miami) and Taurean Prince (Milwaukee) all signed one-year veteran minimum contracts with teams that are financially strapped. The three players combined to earn $8.9 million in 2024-25. Of that trio, Prince has played in the most games in his career (502), including 78 for the Lakers last season. He shot 39.6% on 3-pointers and now joins a Bucks team that ranked in the top 5 in 3-point attempts.
Morris averaged a career-high 5.3 assists two years ago in Washington and fills a much-needed void at point guard for the Suns. With New York, Burks averaged 14.3 points and shot 42.9% from 3 in last season’s second-round loss to Indiana.
LeBron and the elusive no-trade clause
LeBron James joined Bradley Beal as the only players with a true no-trade clause. James was eligible because he has played at least eight years in the NBA and four seasons with the Lakers. James and Kevin Garnett are the only NBA players to hold a no-trade clause with two different teams.
Seven second-round draft picks sign four-year deals
Led by Tyler Kolek, 10 players from the 2024 draft have signed second-round pick exceptions. The four-year, $9 million contract Kolek signed with the Knicks is the largest contract a second-round pick has signed under the 2023 CBA, and there is $6.5 million in guaranteed money. Seven of the 10 second-round picks have signed four-year contracts, including Bronny James with the Lakers.
All-Star incentives for DeRozan
Seven players have incentives in their contract, including new Sacramento Kings forward DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan has a $1 million bonus each season if he is named an All-Star Game starter, reserve or replacement. DeRozan also has one of the more unique structures to a contract, including $10 million of the $25.7 million salary in the last year of his contract is guaranteed.
If DeRozan is named to the All-Star team in either 2024-25 or 2025-26, the protection increases to $12 million. It will then increase to $14 million if he is named to the All-Star game in both seasons. And finally, the contract becomes guaranteed fully if DeRozan plays in at least 60 regular-season games and leads Sacramento to the Finals in either 2024-25 or 2025-26.
It’s bonus time for these players
Anunoby, Martin, George, Kevin Porter Jr., James Harden, Nicolas Batum, LeBron James, Naji Marshall, Derrick Jones Jr., and Klay Thompson all have a trade bonus in their contracts. The bonus is calculated based on a percentage of remaining salary owed at the time of the trade. In the unlikely scenario George is traded during the season, the bonus is voided because it exceeds the maximum salary allowed.