NBA free agency predictions for 12 best available players on 2025 market

Let’s predict where the best remaining NBA free agents will land.

NBA free agency in the summer of 2025 felt like it was over as soon as it started. The first 48 hours of free agency brought a rash of signings and a few big trades, but things quieted down quickly with almost zero available cap space around the league. Once the Brooklyn Nets used their cap space to take on bad contracts for future assets, the league’s restricted free agents felt a crush and have been in limbo ever since.

NBA free agency feels like one big waiting game right now as the basketball world descends upon Las Vegas for Summer League. Al Horford seems destined to sign the Golden State Warriors ... unless he retires. The Los Angeles Clippers want both Bradley Beal and Chris Paul, but the latter wants to start, and that’s unlikely to happen in LA. Jonathan Kuminga feels like the one restricted free agent who could change teams in a sign-and-trade, but it’s possible it will drag out all summer.

There are still some good players left in free agency even as the market has hit its quiet point after the first wave of signings. Let’s give predictions for the top unsigned free agents on where could sign and what type of contract they are looking at.

Josh Giddey

Prediction: Chicago Bulls

Predicted contract: Five years, $115 million with player option

Giddey wants $30 million per year, but there’s no reason for the Bulls to give it to him in a depressed market for restricted free agents. The only thing Giddey can really do is play on the one-year qualifying offer for about $11 million next season, but that’s an incredibly risky move if your team is offering more than $100 million guaranteed. The player option predicted on the final year here would help Giddey get back into the market as unrestricted free agent when he’s still only 26. Chicago has built an uptempo system to accentuate his talents, but it still hasn’t led to efficient offense for the team. Still, Giddey will put up numbers and the Bulls can catch the thrill of the play-in tournament hunt year-after-year. This feels like a best-of-both worlds deal for the two sides.

Jonathan Kuminga

Prediction: Sacramento Kings

Predicted contract: Four years, $95 million

It feels like a breakup is best for both Kuminga and the Warriors. There are a number of interested teams, including the Bulls, Pelicans, Heat, and Wizards, but the latest smoke has been all about the Sacramento Kings. The Kings reportedly offered Devin Carter, Dario Saric, and two second round picks, which Golden State deemed a low ball offer. I actually think that’s a nice return for a player who never fit well into Steve Kerr’s system. I liked Carter in last year’s draft as a point of attack defender who can get off some threes, and they can probably find a taker for Saric on an expiring deal. Kuminga makes some sense for the Kings because they just need upside swings, and he could finally leverage his physical gifts away from Kerr’s read-and-react offense. The Kings offer the cleanest fit of any potential suitor. The Warriors just need to agree to play ball.

Cam Thomas

Prediction: Brooklyn Nets

Predicted contract: Three years, $75 million with a team option

The Nets will be gunning for a top-3 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and there should be lots of field goal attempts for Thomas along the way. Brooklyn essentially drafted four ball handlers with its five first round picks, and those young players should be helped by a high-volume scorer like Thomas. After averaging an efficient 24 points per game last year, the Nets would do well to lock Thomas up on an inflated contract with a team out at the end of it. Thomas is still only 23 years old until the start of next season, so this deal would give him a chance to find a broader market for his scoring punch in his prime years while still locking down a big pay day.

Chris Paul

Prediction: Milwaukee Bucks

Predicted contract: One year, $5 million

Will CP3 choose to be closer to his family in LA, or go for the situation where he can actually be a starter? This is Chris Paul we are talking about, one of the most competitive players in league history, and I just can’t see him going out in a small role. Paul still has some gas left in the tank after starting all 82 games for the Spurs last year, and while his scoring punch has diminished, he could still be a valuable table-setter for the Bucks next to Giannis Antetokounmpo while playing for his old coach Doc Rivers. Milwaukee desperately needs more guards on the roster, and that should mean a big role for CP3 in his final year before retirement.

Bradley Beal

Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers

Predicted contract: Two years, $6 million

From the minute the Clippers traded Norman Powell in a three-team deal that landed them John Collins, it has felt like there’s another shoe to drop in the backcourt. Bradley Beal is the perfect addition, assuming he’s eventually brought out from the Phoenix Suns. While Beal isn’t a free agent yet, it seems inevitable that he’ll reach a buyout and hit the open market, where he’s widely expected to go to LA. Beal is still only 32 years old and could revive his career playing alongside an great playmaker like James Harden while surrounded by an elite defense. Beal doesn’t need to worry about money after pocketing the buyout, and can choose his next team strictly off the best basketball fit. That feels like the Clippers.

Russell Westbrook

Prediction: Sacramento Kings

Predicted contract: Two years, $6 million

Westbrook revived his career this past season with the Denver Nuggets, and the Kings and Knicks are among the teams reportedly interested. Sacramento badly needs a point guard after employing both Tyrese Haliburton and De’Aaron Fox only a few years ago, and Westbrook is a nice bridge to whatever Sacramento will do in the future at the position. Westbrook wouldn’t be a great fit next to DeMar DeRozan, so don’t be surprised if he’s traded should Westbrook sign with the Kings. The fit is cleaner next to Zach LaVine and Keegan Murray. The Kings need someone to generate open shots, and Westbrook can still sort of do it on the brink of his 37th birthday.

Quentin Grimes

Prediction: Philadelphia 76ers

Predicted contract: Qualifying offer

I’ll take a wild guess that one of the restricted free agents currently stuck on the market bets on themselves to take the qualifying offer, and Grimes feels like a good fit. He reportedly wants $25 million per year, and he’s not going to get that from the Sixers this offseason. Grimes was electric in the second half of the season after being traded from Dallas to Philly, but it’s still hard to see how he fits into the Sixers’ backcourt of the future, which already has Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, and VJ Edgecombe. There should be a big market for his services in unrestricted free agency a year from now as a big guard who can play on- or off-the-ball and defend. I can see him betting on himself.

Al Horford

Prediction: Golden State Warriors

Predicted contract: One year, $5.1 million

The Warriors are the only team to do nothing so far in free agency as they wait on Kuminga’s RFA status to play out. Golden State desperately needs another big after losing Kevon Looney in free agency, and Horford is the ideal target. Horford is a quick decision-maker who has turned into a high-volume three-point shooter in his golden years while still being mobile enough to compete defensively. That sounds like a perfect match for Steve Ker’s system. The Warriors already have three veteran stars in Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler, and Horford is an ideal complement to that trio if Golden State can convince him to play one more year before retirement.

Amir Coffey

Prediction: Minnesota Timberwolves

Predicted contract: One year, $3 million

This is where the pickings get really slim in free agency. Coffey has carved out a nice career for himself as a bench wing with the Clippers, and at 28 years old, it’s possible he’s ready for a slightly bigger role. Minnesota will rely heavily on Terrence Shannon Jr. and Rob Dillingham to fill the void left by departing free agent Nickeil Alexander-Walker, but it would be nice to have a veteran option, too. Coffey would be a nice addition.

Chris Boucher

Prediction: Golden State Warriors

Predicted contract: One year, $3 million

Boucher is still a solid bench big at 32 years old, and he could finally leave the only team he’s ever known in the NBA in the Raptors after hitting unrestricted free agency. Boucher hit 36.3 percent of his threes last year, and while his rim protection has diminished some with age, he can still provide some shot-blocking. The Warriors need more stretch bigs, and Boucher would fit well there.

Malcolm Brogdon

Prediction: Los Angeles Clippers

Predicted contract: One year, $3 million

After missing out on CP3 in these predictions, the Clippers land the veteran backup point guard they’re looking for in Brogdon. The 32-year-old has been stuck in NBA purgatory the last two seasons on rebuilding teams in Portland and Washington, so playing any semblance of meaningful basketball would be great for him. He can still organize second units and should see his shooting bounce back after an odd down year as a shooter this past season.

Damian Lillard

Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers

Predicted contract: Two year, $5 million

This is the hardest one to peg with Lillard out all season as he recovers from an Achilles tear. Let’s go Lakers to make all of those wild Photoshops come true a few years too late.