A common theory among NBA fans is that championships aren’t actually determined when games are being played. Instead, a title is won during the frantic NBA off-season.
Whether you subscribe to this idea or not, it’s an undeniable fact that being able to acquire better players will obviously better a team’s chances at accomplishing their ultimate goals — and there are typically more quality, game-changing players to be had on the open market in free agency in the NBA than all the other major professional sports.
This coming summer will be no different with a handful of big, impact players and an even larger group of secondary and tertiary stars that could help turn a good team into a great one.
Here’s a look at the NBA’s top 15 unrestricted free agents or player-option-eligible players of 2019 with some of the newest rumours and reports surrounding their potential futures.
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1. Kevin Durant 
Age on July 1: 30
Position: Forward
2018-19 salary cap hit: $30 million
Free-agent status: Player option ($31.5 million)
Career accomplishments: Nine-time NBA all-star (2010–18). Six-time All-NBA First Team selection (2010–14, 2018). Four-time NBA scoring champ (2010–12, 2014). Two-time NBA champion (2017, 2018). Two-time NBA Finals MVP (2017, 2018). Two-time Olympic gold medallist (2012, 2016). 2014 NBA MVP.
The latest: In the aftermath of the Draymond Green incident, one of the things that’s been noticeable is an increased offensive role for Kevin Durant
According to The Athletic’s Ethan Strauss, the Warriors have changed up their offence, adding in specific plays to make Durant happy, presumably in an effort to convince him to stay.
Some of these plays, most notably the isolations that Durant enjoys, run opposite to what many think Warriors basketball to be, but if Durant is looking to maximize his own value, getting his own isn’t the worst idea.
On a recent podcast with Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes, Durant said all he wants to do is “stack money.” So getting the best value for his talents does seem like a priority of his.
“I just want to make sure I get as much money as I can on my next deal so I can stack up my money and figure it out,” Durant told Haynes. “That’s just the plan. Play basketball and stack money.”
: The debut of “Posted Up with Chris Haynes” podcast is LIVE NOW. Our first episode features @KDTrey5.
Video Snippet: “I just want to make sure I get as much money as I can on my next deal.” pic.twitter.com/Auib8ad0Rs
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 24, 2018
If money is Durant’s only goal then staying in Golden State could make the most sense for him long-term as he could be eligible for a super-max extension (five years and about $221 million) with the Warriors next season.
That’s a lot of coin, and paints a pretty picture for Durant as far as long-term security goes. But it might not help with the winning situation he seems to crave as, if he were to sign a super-max extension, it would put two such slots on the Warriors’ payroll — the other belonging to Step Curry — the very limit of how many they can hand out. And that’s with two other stars (Green and Cousins) they may still want to sign.
As such, Durant will continue to be pursued by just about every team in the league that will have the cap space this summer to pursue him.
2. Kawhi Leonard 
Age on July 1: 28
Position: Forward
2018-19 salary cap hit: $23.1 million
Free-agent status: Player option ($21.3 million)
Career accomplishments: Three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection (2015–17). Two-time NBA Defensive player of the Year (2015, 2016). Two-time All-NBA First Team selection (2016, 2017). Two-time NBA all-star (2016, 2017). 2014 NBA champion. 2014 NBA Finals MVP.
The latest: Kawhi Leonard has done all he can do so far to repair the value that many thought he had lost after only playing nine games for the Spurs last season in a bizarre injury saga that turned sour between him and the organization, ultimately leading to the Raptors being able to trade for him.
Leonard is back to the elite force he once was on both ends of the floor and is enjoying a career year in terms of scoring and rebounding. The only knock against him this year is he has yet to play in a back-to-back, but the Raptors claim that we’ll start seeing that sooner than later.
But while everything’s setup on Leonard’s end, it feels like the exact opposite for the Raptors, who decided to roll the dice in trading a franchise icon for what they had to know was only going to be for one season given the player option he has written into his current contract.
So then, how’s everything going with the Raptors’ pitch to keep Leonard? Well, the team is enjoying remarkable success and he appears to get along with his teammates, but in actuality no one has any clue what he’s thinking, one way or the other.
Not even the latest reports will give you anything concrete to go on in regards to what Leonard’s thinking. For example, in a story from the beginning of the year from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, he had a quote from Leonard which suggested he doesn’t really like Toronto’s cooler temperature.
“But it’s just cold,” Leonard told Bontemps. “You know, I came from California, and I moved to San Antonio, and there’s no snow in either city. It’s my first experience having Christmas with snow on the ground and just seeing snow throughout the year for the first time.”
At the same time, one of that story’s leading scenes is the first meeting between Raptors coach Nick Nurse and Leonard and how well the the two immediately hit it off.
“So here we are in a meeting and I was thinking: What if this guy just sits there and says, ‘I’m not ready to talk to anybody yet?’ What am I gonna do?
“Next thing you know, it led to me being at the board, drawing plays, with him standing up there with me,” Nurse said. “It was an interesting first meeting. He was super engaging, and his basketball mind was awesome, and it was fun.”
The same duality can be seen in the Chris Mannix Sports Illustrated feature on Toronto’s courting of Leonard.
In the piece, Mannix makes a point to say that one important member of the team — Kyle Lowry in this case — “has been more reluctant” in trying to sell Leonard on staying, suggesting there could be a rift there, only to end his piece with a fun anecdote involving Leonard and Serge Ibaka, alluding to a locker room that’s very much to Leonard’s liking.
So which one is it? Does Leonard like Toronto or doesn’t he? And if he does, does he like being a Raptor enough to want to stick around for the long haul? It looks like the only time any of us will get a true indication is when he makes his free-agent decision in the summer.
3. Kyrie Irving 
Age on July 1: 27
Position: Guard
2018-19 salary cap hit: $20.1 million
Free-agent status: Player option ($21.3 million)
Career accomplishments: Five-time NBA all-star (2013–15, 2017, 2018). 2015 All-NBA Third Team selection. 2016 NBA champion. 2016 Olympic gold medallist.
The latest: It’s been a frustrating season for the Boston Celtics and at the centre of it all seems to be the apparent poor chemistry between Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward and the young stars who emerged during the playoffs last season.
Simply put, there just isn’t enough ball to go around, and when the team’s best player (Irving) is a ball-dominant point guard and seemingly isn’t seeing enough of the orange, frustration sets in.
Last Saturday, that frustration from Irving came to head as on the final play of Boston’s game against Orlando, the Celtics had a chance to tie or win the game with 2.9 seconds left. Hayward inbounded the ball to young Celtics star Jayson Tatum who forced up a tough fadeaway jumper that then clanked out. After the shot went up and the buzzer sounded, Irving was shown exasperated by the outcome, walking off the court with his hands up while looking around in bewilderment.
Kyrie was frustrated with Gordon Hayward and Celtics' last shot pic.twitter.com/sqnaW8amkq
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 13, 2019
After the game, when asked about the shot, Irving was very curt.
“Next question. J.T. got a good look, so let’s move on,” Irving told reporters, only to then expand a few moments later with his overall thoughts about the Celtics, calling out the team’s young players. “The young guys don’t know what it takes to be a championship-level team. What it takes every day. And if they think it is hard now, what do they think it will be like when we’re trying to get to the Finals?”
Publicly lambasting key pieces of the Celtics’ future could play heavily into Irving’s future with Boston as it doesn’t seem likely that the Celtics will be looking to move pieces like Tatum or Jaylen Brown anytime soon. Which then begs the question, if the Celtics can’t make Irving work, do they just let him walk or potentially move him?
To Irving’s credit, on Monday he spoke to reporters and tried to clear the air a bit, saying his competitiveness led him to speak out, and that he’s committed to being a Celtic.
“When you win, you want to taste it again, and I never want to come from a place where I don’t want to sound like or feel like I don’t want to win a championship,” Irving said. “Sometimes I may come off and say things. I’m never going to question my teammates in public like that again, but I just want to win so bad. I came from a place where I asked for a trade and I’m coming here and I believe in this organization.
“I want these young guys to be successful and in order to be that we all have to be on the same page and have that mindset of ‘A championship or nothing.’ That can get the best of me sometimes.”
4. Jimmy Butler 
Age on July 1: 29
Position: Guard/forward
2018-19 salary cap hit: $20.4 million
Free-agent status: Player option ($19.8 million)
Career accomplishments: Four-time NBA all-star (2015–18). Four-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection (2014–16). Two-time All-NBA Third Team selection (2017, 2018). 2016 Olympic gold medallist.
The latest: It seems no matter where Jimmy Butler goes these days, drama is sure to follow.
Less than a month after his early-season drama led to him being traded away from Minnesota, he’s reportedly already causing some headaches with his new team in Philadelphia.
About a couple weeks ago, ESPN published a report saying Butler aggressively challenged Sixers head coach Brett Brown over his role in the offence.
This was cleared up by Brown himself, who later told reporters that he doesn’t “feel like any of that crossed the line,” but this can be seen as an indication that not everything is peachy with Butler in Philly.
According to that same ESPN report, the feeling is Butler wants to remain with the 76ers, signing a longer-term deal with them when he hits free agency after declining his player option on his current deal. But the circling vultures that are the rest of the league also expect Butler to take meetings with them in July.
As such, out of fear that Butler might leave them after a three-quarter-season rental, Bleacher Report’s Yaron Weitzman reports that the 76ers front office have received at least one trade call during this latest Butler hub-bub to inquire about the four-time all-star’s availability, to which the 76ers say they’ve never considered it.
The trade deadline isn’t until Feb. 7. We’ll see if there might be some embers to this puff of smoke sooner than later.
5. Klay Thompson
Age on July 1: 29
Position: Guard
2018-19 salary cap hit: $18.9 million
Free-agent status: Unrestricted
Career accomplishments: Four-time NBA all-star (2015–18). Three-time NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018). Two-time All-NBA Third Team selection. (2015, 2016). 2016 Olympic gold medallist.
The latest: It’s pretty well-known by now that LeBron James is going out of his way to try to recruit stars to join him in L.A. — chiefly Anthony Davis. But seeing as the earliest Davis can be a free agent would be in the summer of 2020, the Lakers would have to trade — a lot — for him, so that might not be feasible.
However, the free-agent market offers new possibilities for the Lakers and a guy who James apparently has his eye on is Klay Thompson.
James loves playing with spot-up shooters and Thompson just might be the best ever at that particular skill — and James knows it. Thus, when Thompson went off for 43 points on just four dribbles against the New York Knicks, he got plenty of love from James on Instagram.
No, this is not “tampering” BUT Klay Thompson is a Free Agent this summer. #LakeShow #NBA pic.twitter.com/OV9Lh7AkNR
— Lakers Raw (@LakersRaw) January 9, 2019
Now this can be interpreted as James simply fan-boying over an amazing basketball feat because he himself is something of a basketball nerd and enjoys watching the game as much as anybody. But let’s be real here, this is totally James making a not-so-subtle recruiting pitch to Thompson.
6. Kemba Walker 
Age on July 1: 29
Position: Guard
2018-19 salary cap hit: $12 million
Free-agent status: Unrestricted
Career accomplishments: Two-time NBA all-star (2017, 2018). 2011 NCAA National Champion.
The latest: When the Charlotte Hornets managed to lock Kemba Walker up to a four-year, $48-million contract extension just a little over four years ago, they didn’t realize they’d be getting one of the best discounts in the entire league.
This time around, however, there will be no secret about Walker’s elite-level play as he will almost assuredly command a max-level deal. And, if recent comments of his are to be believed, he wants the team cutting those cheques for him to remain the Hornets.
“I love it. It’s perfect for me,” Walker told Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Abrams. “The pace of the city is pretty slow, which I love. It’s not fast-paced like New York. … That’s the kind of life I like to live.”
Of course, just because a player says he loves where he is at the moment is no guarantee he won’t want to at least test out free agency. For now, however, it seems like the Walker Sweepstakes will only come down to one team.
7. Tobias Harris 
Age on July 1: 26
Position: Forward
2018-19 salary:$14.8 million
Free-agent status: Unrestricted
Career accomplishments: Two-time Player of the Week selection (Nov. 13, 2017, Nov. 26, 2018). 2018 October/November Western Conference Player of the Month.
The latest: If you were to only look at past accomplishments, you’d probably think it crazy that Tobias Harris could be ranked so high on this list, but the journeyman swingman is in the midst of a career year right now, building off a strong half-season he had with the Clippers last season after he was traded to L.A. from Detroit as part of the Blake Griffin blockbuster.
For some reason or another, Harris has just never had a fair shot to stick around in one place, having also been traded from Milwaukee to Orlando and also Orlando to Detroit. With the Clippers, however, he’s finally been given an opportunity to thrive and it’s shown with career bests in scoring, field-goal percentage and three-point percentage.
He’s producing at an all-star level and just may yet get that call from the NBA’s coaches. More importantly, however, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, with Harris set to hit free agency this summer he’s been “so valuable that some executives think they should use one of their max slots on him.”
8. DeMarcus Cousins
Age on July 1: 28
Position: Centre
2018-19 salary cap hit: $5.3 million
Free-agent status: Unrestricted
Career accomplishments: Four-time NBA all-star (2015–18). Two-time All-NBA Second Team selection (2015, 2016). 2016 Olympic gold medallist.
The latest: If DeMarcus Cousins was not attempting to come back from a bad Achilles injury that tanked his value in free agency this past summer — so badly that he only managed to get a one-year deal at the tax-payer mid-level exception — he’d be far higher on this list.
For Cousins, the most important task for him is to get healthy and back onto the court in order to repair his broken free-agency value, and that could come soon.
According to The New York Times’ Marc Stein, Cousins is aiming for a Jan. 18 or 21 return to action.
Even better for him, Warriors coach Steve Kerr said when Cousins returns he’ll immediately slot in as Golden State’s starting centre.
Cousins is among the best centres in the entire league, and if he’s able to return to his previously dominant self, the Warriors will be that much scarier and he’ll be able to command the max-level contract he’s been desiring.
9. Khris Middleton 
Age on July 1: 27
Position: Guard/forward
2018-19 salary cap hit: $13 million
Free-agent status: Player option ($13 million)
Career accomplishments: Jan. 29, 2018 Player of the Week selection. Former second-round pick turned solid rotation player.
The latest: Though not the sexiest name on this list, Khris Middleton, hitting free agency at only 27 years old if he chooses to opt out of his current contract, will be one of the hottest commodities in free agency.
This is because he perfectly fits what teams want in a reliable role player: a starting-quality ‘3-and-D’ guy with size, length, strength and the ability to guard multiple positions while connecting from three consistently.
Literally every team in the league could use a guy with Middleton’s particular skill set and as such, as a Bucks official told Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports, “[They’re] gonna do everything [they] can to keep him.”
10. Nikola Vucevic 
Age on July 1: 28
Position: Centre
2018-19 salary cap hit: $12.7 million
Free-agent status: Unrestricted
Career accomplishments: Two-time Player of the Week selection (Mar. 31, 2014, Nov. 19, 2018). Taken 16th overall by the 76ers in 2011 to become the highest drafted Montenegrin player ever.
The latest: Like many things to do with his team, the monster season Nikola Vucevic is having has gone largely ignored this season. But in averaging career highs in scoring, rebounding, assists, field-goal percentage and three-point percentage just in time for a new contract, expect Vucevic to command max-level money in July.
It’s been relatively quiet rumour-wise in regards to Vucevic’s free agency, but he did offer this nugget to The Athletic’s Josh Robbins in early November.
“As far as I’m concerned, I plan on being here until the end of the year and then we’ll see what happens in free agency,” Vucevic said. “If we can agree on everything, I would like to stay. But we’ll see.”
11. Julius Randle 
Age on July 1: 24
Position: Forward
2018-19 salary cap hit: $8.6 million
Free-agent status: Player option ($9 million)
Career accomplishments: 2014 SEC Rookie of the Year. 2014 First-team All-SEC selection.
The latest: Former No. 7-overall pick Julius Randle had a pretty rough go of things in his first three seasons in the league, but last season he appeared to break out with more opportunity, averaging 16.1 points and 8.0 rebounds.
He turned that opportunity into what is essentially a one-year deal with the Pelicans that will see him hit free agency at the still-tender age of 24, where he could have the opportunity to cash in large.
And judging by the way Randle’s season is going, that ‘could’ is going to turn into ‘will’ as he’s showing that increased opportunity with the Lakers was no fluke and is flourishing as New Orleans’ third star to Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, averaging 20 points per game on over 54 per-cent shooting.
Randle still has some work to do defensively and is a far cry from being anywhere close to a reliable three-point threat, but he’s very good at the things he excels at — rebounding, interior scoring and slashing — and is likely to see some big dollars head his way in free agency probably as a secondary target.
12. Al Horford
Age on July 1: 33
Position: Centre
2018-19 salary cap hit: $28.9 million
Free-agent status: Player option ($30.1 million)
Career accomplishments: Five-time NBA all-star (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018). Two-time NCAA national champion (2006, 2007). 2011 All-NBA Third Team selection. 2018 NBA All-Defensive Second Team selection.
The latest: Unlike most on this list who have a player option, Al Horford is someone who could actually exercise his option.
The reasons for this are pretty simple: Firstly, turning 33 in June, Horford will be entering the twilight of his career, and no matter how effective he’s continued to be into his 30s, that’s still a risk that could cost him in the open market.
Secondly, the risk Horford’s age presents has only been compounded by a knee injury he’s battled this season. He’s appeared to have recovered now, but he was on a minutes restriction before and was only just recently cleared to play more than 30 minutes again. A knee injury, no matter how good he looks coming back, will always be a concern for teams and could cost him.
Finally, and most importantly, is the fact that Horford will be owed a little over $30 million if he opts in next season. Given the two previous reasons, he almost assuredly won’t be seeing a payday like that ever again, so why wouldn’t he just go full Scrooge McDuck and swim in a roomful of gold?
13. Eric Bledsoe
Age on July 1: 29
Position: Guard
2018-19 salary cap hit: $15 million
Free-agent status: Unrestricted
Career accomplishments: 2011 NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection. 2013 NBA Slam Dunk Contest participant.
The latest: Eric Bledsoe’s in a bit of an awkward situation in Milwaukee. He’s undeniably a solid, starting-quality point guard, but his strengths and weaknesses don’t mesh very well with the Bucks.
Milwaukee has blown teams out this year thanks to the team’s length, athleticism and three-point shooting, the perfect complements to its MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Bledsoe has plenty of athleticism and can certainly help the Bucks push the pace that they like, but at six-foot-one, he’s not the tallest lead guard out there and he’s never been much of a marksman from outside, meaning he clogs up some of the areas that Antetokounmpo would normally like to inhabit.
Bledsoe’s market isn’t clear yet, but seeing as the Bucks are championship contenders right now with him, unless they manage to swing a clear upgrade at point guard, they won’t be looking to deal him at the trade deadline.
Whether or not they decide to re-sign him in the summer, however, is open to debate.
14. Nikola Mirotic
Age on July 1: 28
Position: Forward
2018-19 salary cap hit: $12.5 million
Free-agent status: Unrestricted
Career accomplishments: 2015 NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. 2013 Spanish League MVP. 2016 Olympic bronze medallist.
The latest: A talented stretch big, Mirotic should figure to be a highly sought-after complementary piece for teams looking for the coveted hybrid role he’s specialized in.
Mirotic was recently shut down for 12 games with an ankle injury, but has since returned to the Pelicans lineup. It may take him some time to get back to the same level of effectiveness he was at before, but that shouldn’t impact his free-agent prospects.
15. Marc Gasol 
Age on July 1: 34
Position: Centre
2018-19 salary cap hit: $24.1 million
Free-agent status: Player option ($25.6 million)
Career accomplishments: Three-time NBA all-star (2012, 2015, 2017). Two-time Olympic silver medallist (2008, 2012). 2013 NBA Defensive Player of the Year. 2015 All-NBA First Team selection. 2004 Spanish League champion. 2008 Spanish League MVP.
The latest: Marc Gasol is in a similar situation as Horford, just with less money at stake and without the injury scare.
And despite his advanced age, Gasol still remains an effective player on both ends of the floor, capable of beating his man with his back to the basket, stretching the defence with a three-point stroke he’s worked on for two seasons, and he’s still as good a defensive centre as you’re going to find.
Presumably, it’s for those exact reasons that it’s been reported by The New York Times’ Marc Stein that Gasol could decline his player option to become a free agent in the summer, which could move the Grizzlies to potentially trade him before the deadline so they don’t lose him for nothing.
One whisper making the rounds: Marc Gasol can become a free agent at season's and, amid a growing belief around the league that he will indeed exercise that option, Memphis could be moved to explore trading Gasol now rather than face the threat of losing him without compensation
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 15, 2019
