We’re now into the second week of the NBA’s 2026/27 league year, and while free agency has been resolved for many top players, there are still several intriguing names who don’t yet have new contract agreements in place.
Let’s check in on where things stand for some of those players…
The restricted free agents
While they’re not the only restricted free agents still on the board, there are three names who make up the top tier of notable unsigned RFAs: Jalen Duren of the Pistons, Peyton Watson of the Nuggets, and Bennedict Mathurin of the Clippers. Here’s what we know about those three:
Jalen Duren (Pistons)
Duren’s situation was a popular topic of discussion as free agency opened, with reports indicating that he was meeting with the Lakers and Kings and was seeking an offer sheet or a sign-and-trade after his talks with the Pistons had stalled. But his leverage has faded since then, as Los Angeles used its cap room to another RFA center (Walker Kessler) and Detroit showed no interest in engaging Sacramento on a potential sign-and-trade involving Domantas Sabonis.
At this point, no team is in position to sign Duren to an offer sheet anywhere near the maximum salary he’s said to be seeking, so a return to Detroit sooner or later is the likeliest outcome. The six-team trade that will send out Isaiah Stewart, Caris LeVert, and Marcus Sasser will give the Pistons more flexibility below the luxury tax line to give Duren a significant first-year salary.
Peyton Watson (Nuggets)
The Nuggets have been flexible in their approach with Watson, simultaneously conveying that they’re open to sign-and-trade scenarios and that they plan to match any offer sheet the 23-year-old wing receives. In other words, they’re determined not to lose him for nothing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re fully committed to having him on next year’s roster.
Taking back salary in a Watson sign-and-trade could be tricky for the Nuggets, who would have to contend not just with the base year compensation rules, which impact salary matching, but also with apron restrictions — using Watson’s salary as a matching piece to acquire a new player would hard-cap Denver at the second tax apron. Even if the Nuggets waive Jonas Valanciunas today to save $8MM+, they’d still only be about $20MM away from that second-apron threshold with just eight players under contract.
The Nets are the one team that has a relatively simple path to clearing enough cap room for a Watson offer sheet, but it doesn’t sound like they’re actively pursuing him. The Clippers have been described more frequently as a potential suitor for Watson, but they’d need to do a sign-and-trade, and that path would become even more complicated if they complete their John Collins sign-and-trade without finding a way to loop Watson in.
The Nuggets also still have a qualifying offer out to another restricted free agent, Spencer Jones.
Bennedict Mathurin (Clippers)
The Clippers have their own restricted free agent situation to sort out too, as Mathurin remains unsigned. There have been no rumors since free agency opened linking the former sixth overall pick to any other suitors.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that no teams are interested, but if there aren’t any rivals in hot pursuit of Mathurin, it will reduce his leverage in contract negotiations with the Clippers. If that’s the case, it wouldn’t be a surprise if his restricted free agency drags out for a while, like some 2025 cases did. Still, L.A. does want to re-sign him, confirms Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
The unrestricted free agents
There are still four noteworthy unrestricted free agents from our top-50 list who remain unsigned. However, those players are all intertwined to some extent and could end up signing in quick succession at some point. Here’s a quick breakdown:
LeBron James
After informing the Lakers he wouldn’t be re-signing them, James welcomed pitches from the league’s other 29 teams, though it sounds like it’s probably down to six: Cleveland, Denver, Golden State, Miami, Minnesota, and Philadelphia. The Cavaliers are considered the frontrunners, but the other clubs in the mix don’t believe they’re out of it.
James Harden
The expectation for weeks – or months, even – is that Harden will sign a new multiyear contract with the Cavaliers. That was still the plan when he declined his 2026/27 player option at the end of June, with a recent report suggesting he and the team have essentially already agreed to a framework. All indications are they’re just waiting to see if LeBron chooses Cleveland, since that could have an impact on how the structure of Harden’s deal.
Draymond Green
Like Harden in Cleveland, Green is highly likely to remain with his current team, but his next contract with the Warriors would likely look a little different if his friend LeBron chooses Golden State. Both Harden and Green should finalize agreements shortly after James decides on his next team — or even before then, if LeBron eliminates one or both of their teams before making his final choice.
Jonathan Kuminga
Kuminga is reportedly drawing interest from at least one of the teams involved in the LeBron sweepstakes, with the Cavaliers said to be in play. The Lakers have maintained interest in the former seventh overall pick, but they can’t make a competitive offer unless they move off some salary, either to clear extra cap room or as part of a sign-and-trade with the Hawks. Reporting on Tuesday indicated that the Lakers were “looking at” a two-year, $20MM offer for Kuminga, but it’s unclear whether they’ve lined up the necessary secondary moves to make that kind of offer. The Bucks and Kings have also been linked to Kuminga, while a return to the Hawks reportedly remains a possibility too, though Atlanta doesn’t seem to be in active talks with the 23-year-old forward.
A fifth notable name is expected to join this list later today, with DeMar DeRozan set to clear waivers after being let go by the Kings. Since his release, we’ve mostly just heard about the teams unlikely to pursue DeRozan rather than the ones who are eyeing him, but the expectation is that he would be a Plan B for some of the teams who miss out on James.
The trades that aren’t yet official
As our full breakdown of this offseason’s trades shows, there are still five deals that haven’t been officially completed. Those trades are as follows:
Four-team trade sending LaMelo Ball to Timberwolves, Naz Reid to Hornets, Julius Randle to Nets, and Nic Claxton to Bulls
This deal can’t be formally completed until July 9, which is when Mouhamadou Gueye becomes trade-eligible. Gueye, who is being sent from Chicago to Minnesota in the trade, signed with the Bulls on April 9, resulting in a three-month window in which he couldn’t be moved.
Hornets trading Miles Bridges to Suns
One of the draft assets involved in this deal is part of the Hornets’ Ball/Reid trade outlined above, so Charlotte needs to complete that trade before moving onto this one.
Jazz signing-and-trading Walker Kessler to Lakers
The Lakers already signed Sandro Mamukelashvili and Quentin Grimes into their cap room, but before they use the rest of their room to acquire Kessler, they’re probably scouring the trade market to see if they can create extra room for Kuminga or another free agent by moving off players like Jarred Vanderbilt, Jaden Hardy, and/or Dalton Knecht. Among their moves requiring cap room, it makes sense for the Lakers to complete their Kessler acquisition last, since teams under the cap get $250K of extra wiggle room in a trade that they wouldn’t get in a straight free agent signing.
The six-team trade involving John Collins, Santi Aldama, Isaiah Stewart, Khris Middleton, and others
It sounds like this agreement just came together in full on Tuesday, so it’s not a surprise that it hasn’t been officially completed yet. As noted above, it’s possible the Clippers are still trying to figure out if they could acquire Watson via sign-and-trade using Collins for salary matching. But if not, expect it to get done by Thursday at the latest, so that the Wizards can use a trade exception that expires on July 9.
Clippers trading Kawhi Leonard to Raptors
I don’t see any obvious reasons why this one hasn’t been finalized yet, since it’s not explicitly connected to any other deals. But again, it’s possible the Clippers are weighing whether they can expand it to include another team and another target. On the Raptors’ side, additional moves could affect how much of his trade bonus Leonard is eligible to receive without compromising the team’s position relative to a hard cap, which might be another reason to wait a little longer.
