Photo: Peter Baba

With the 2024/25 NBA season concluded, the offseason and free agency period are officially underway, though with some new nuances this year.

Thanks to a recent tweak in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams can start negotiating with their free agents just one day after the NBA Finals, instead of waiting until June 30.

That means while talks with rival teams’ free agents remain off-limits until June 30 and contracts generally can’t be signed before July 6, some preliminary agreements are expected soon, especially involving key players like LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden.

Below are the top three free agents for the 2025/26 season, focusing on their potential impact, market value, and contract outlook for the coming year.

1. LeBron James, F, Lakers (player option)
Putting a 40-year-old at No. 1 might seem unusual when factoring in long-term value, but LeBron remains an iconic figure still performing at an elite level.

This past season, he posted 24.4 PPG, 8.2 APG, and 7.8 RPG on .513/.376/.782 shooting over 70 games, earning his 21st straight All-NBA nod.

James is widely expected to either exercise his $52.6MM player option or re-up with the Lakers on a short deal.

Still, if age and the salary cap weren’t concerns, plenty of franchises would eagerly commit $50MM+ annually to keep him on their roster.

2. Kyrie Irving, G, Mavericks (player option)
The strength of this year’s free agent class is underscored by the fact that the NBA’s oldest player ranks No. 1 and Kyrie Irving, a 33-year-old who will be sidelined for the remainder of 2025 recovering from a torn ACL, sits at No. 2.

However, there is precedent for Irving to command a lucrative contract – Klay Thompson signed the top free agent deal in 2019 (five years, $189.9MM) despite also suffering an ACL injury weeks earlier, which kept him out for the entire 2019/20 season.

While Irving, now four years older than Thompson was at the time, likely won’t receive as lengthy a deal from Dallas, he could surpass Thompson’s average annual salary.

Following the Mavericks’ trade of Luka Doncic earlier this year, Dallas is fully committed to Kyrie as their sole star playmaker and ball-handler, giving him some leverage despite his injury.

3. James Harden, G, Clippers (player option)
Despite shooting well below his career averages (41.0% FG, 35.2% 3P), Harden experienced a sort of resurgence in 2024/25, posting his highest scoring average (22.8 PPG) since 2020/21 and making an All-NBA team for the first time since 19/20.

With Kawhi Leonard sidelined for the first half, Harden led the Clippers offensively and helped the team outperform expectations despite the loss of Paul George.

Now entering his age-36 season, Harden likely won’t command a long-term deal, but if he declines his $36.3MM player option, a multi-year guaranteed contract with a salary increase could be on the table.

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