NBA free agents: What about these 7 important names?
The future of Jonathan Kumina, Josh Giddey and others remains in doubt as the 2025-26 season approaches
As the 2025-26 season of the NBA approaches, most teams are finalizing their templates. However, there are still some free agents available: some are stuck with their contracts, while others do not know what team they will play at the beginning of the season.
Jonathan Kumina, Josh Giddey and Russell Westbrook are among those who seek to define their future.
Our NBA insiders analyze the seven most important players who remain in free agency, their situation in negotiations and how the wage limit is affecting the league panorama.
Russell Westbrook
It seems that Westbrook, who spent the first 11 years of his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, will play for his sixth franchise in seven seasons. He will not return to the Denver Nuggets after an ups and downs campaign, in which he finished seventh in the vote to the sixth man of the year. The historical leader in triples-double will not follow the trend of dream returns for future bases of the Hall of Fame, such as Damian Lillard and Chris Paul. The Thunder will withdraw the Dorsal 0 from Westbrook after its withdrawal, but the current champions do not have space in the template, much less in the rotation, or desire to retouch the chemistry of their career for the title.
Liga sources consider the Sacramento Kings the most likely destiny for Westbrook, who will turn 37 during the first month of the season. If so, Westbrook would probably come out of the bench again and share ball management responsibilities with Dennis Schroder, signed as a free agent. – Tim Macmahon
Jonathan Kumina
Nothing has changed in the field of Kumina in the last two weeks, according to Fuentes.
Kumina recently traveled to his native country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and returned to Miami (his current place of training in the preseason) with the same opinion on the offer of the Golden State Warriors for two years and 45 million dollars.
Initially, the Warriors presented Kumina’s representation as a transferable agreement that could satisfy the long -term wishes of both parties when eligible to be transferred again in January, according to Fuentes. That is why Golden State wants a team option in the second season and asked Kuminga to give up his non -exchange clause.
But that is also the reason why Kuminga has continued refusing to accept it. He does not want such a favorable agreement for the team, according to Fuentes, and the idea of signing to be transferred more easily in the middle of the season is not attractive.
Kuminga set out this summer to find a contract that meant a commitment to him as a future pillar for the Warriors or for another team, according to Fuentes. His representative presented a three -year contract for 82 million dollars, to which the Warriors resisted. Until last weekend, it had not advanced towards an agreement.
So everything remains the same as 10 days ago. The Warriors have not increased their offer, and Kumina has indicated to their relatives that the qualified offer of 7.9 million dollars is more attractive than the current proposal of the Warriors. Something has to yield before the deadline of October 1. – Anthony Slater
Simmons is in a critical situation of numbers.
It is one of the almost 75 players who finished the regular season on a squad, but they still don’t have a place for next season.
The main reason?
It all starts with the 41 players selected in the Draft that signed first and second round contracts. These players have replaced veterans, including Simmons, in the templates for next season.
In addition, most teams, except Golden State, have already completed their templates for the next season or cannot sign any player due to lack of availability. For example, the Lakers have a vacant place in the squad, but they cannot sign any player until January 18.
Of the 442 players with a contract for the next season, 393 have guaranteed contracts (an average of 13.1 per team). – Bobby Marks
To Horford
Those who continue the NBA continue to place Horford in the Warriors when uncertainty about free agency is calmed. Kumina’s situation continues to delay signing, keeping Horford in a waiting situation.
But Horford feels comfortable waiting. According to Fuentes, Retiro remains an option, although Warriors seem to be operating as if it were a fundamental part of their plan for the next season.
Horford would become the alleged starting pivot, which would relieve the load of the regular season on Draymond Green, which is a priority. Horford’s ability to pass and defend fit perfectly into the Warriors system. His ability to throw from the pivot is something they have lacked considerably.
Horford is 39 years old. He has not been playing in consecutive games. Warriors cannot trust him as a 25 -minute option every night. But the desire is to have it in the alignment when it is important and open space for combinations of five men, which would especially benefit a descent corridor like Kumina. – Slater
Cam Thomas
Of the four prominent players in the restricted free agency this summer, Thomas is more likely to appear in his qualified offer next season.
The value of the 23 -year scoring base contract has been difficult to estimate since it fell too late in the first round of 2022. He averaged 24 points last season, but it is not yet clear what kind of offers is receiving, which is also affecting his fellow free free agents Kumina, Grimes and Giddey this summer.
If you reach an agreement with Brooklyn, it is expected to be resembled, at least in structure, to which the Nets signed with the Pivot Day’ron Sharpe and the forward Ziaire Williams at the beginning of this preseason: one year contracts with team options for the second. – Tim Bontemps
Josh Giddey
The contractual negotiations between Josh Giddey and the Chicago Bulls have extended for months, but it is almost certain that both parties will reach an agreement before the end of summer. Giddey continues to be part of the long -term plans of the team after his acquisition of the Thunder by Alex Caruso last summer. He had a slow beginning, but the Bulls could glimpse their effectiveness as a promoter of the advantage in the second half, when he averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists after the recess of the game of the stars.
Giddey has been looking for a contract of about 30 million dollars annually, and the team has not accepted that price. With the shortage of salary space in the League, especially for restricted free agents, the Bulls have benefited from waiting for a more favorable agreement for the team. – Jamal Collier
Grimes is in the same situation as Kumina in Golden State, Giddey in Chicago and Thomas in Brooklyn. He is a talented player who should be generating offers. But he is a restricted free agent and almost no team has salary margin to sign it, which leaves him in a difficult position to negotiate.
Grimes would also be in a battle per minutes of the game in the template of the Philadelphia 76ers. The last two teams of first round of the team – Jared McCain, who was the main rookie candidate last year before undergoing a meniscus surgery that ended the season, and VJ Edgecombe, the third selection this year – play in the same position. The 76ers are building their team around another base, Tyrese Maxey, for the future.
There is also uncertainty about the health problems of Joel Embiid and Paul George. If Gimes accepts the qualified offer of Philadelphia (instead of paying an annual long -term contract of eight figures), the 76ers could start the season with a few million dollars in the luxury tax, which would potentially allow them to immerse themselves below it if this season goes like last season. – Bontemps
