The NBA offseason is getting to the point where most of the big names are off the board, but that doesn’t mean the free-agent pool is empty. There are still some major names left on the market right now.
Some of these players are obvious fits for contenders, while others have big names but even bigger risks. The headline belongs in the Eastern Conference, however. Jalen Duren is sitting in a completely different situation, with Detroit and its young star seemingly stuck in a contract standoff.
Here are the six best NBA free agents still available right now, ranked by their potential impact on their next team.
6. Kelly Olynyk
2025-26 Season Statistics: 3.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Kelly Olynyk doesn’t have the athleticism or star power of some of the other players on this list, but after 13 seasons in the NBA, he knows exactly how to play basketball. He is also the captain of the Canadian National Team, so he knows how to operate in the locker room as well.
The 6’11” big man can space the floor, pass from the frontcourt, operate out of the post, and make smart reads when defenses rotate. He’s never been a traditional bruising center, and that’s actually part of his appeal in today’s NBA. He only played in 42 games last season, but his presence was felt for the Spurs, who made the NBA Finals.
And this is where Olynyk becomes particularly appealing to contenders. They know what they’re getting. He has played in high-pressure situations, understands how playoff basketball changes, and can step into a rotation without needing months to figure things out. Let’s see if the 35-year-old can get another job for next season.
5. Kevin Love
2025-26 Season Statistics: 6.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Kevin Love is turning 38 years old in one week, but he can still impact the game. As he proved last season, Love is a capable scorer and rebounder off the bench in limited minutes. He appeared in 37 games, averaged 16.6 MPG, and put up solid numbers for the struggling Utah Jazz.
Are you telling us he can’t do that for a contender? Love won’t need to play more than 15 MPG to be effective, and that’s what makes him a perfect modern big man for any playoff roster. He shot a solid 37.3% from deep last season, and he probably won’t hit lower than this mark again next year.
The key for Love is to stay healthy and prove he can still occupy an NBA spot when the game is getting younger and faster. Experience still counts for NBA teams, and the big man provides plenty of that along with his bench production.
4. Ben Simmons
2025-26 Season Statistics: N/A
There was a time when Ben Simmons was an All-Star, All-NBA player, and almost untouchable on an NBA team. Now, simply getting Simmons back onto an NBA floor consistently would be a victory. It seems that could be a reality after impressing scouts in an offseason workout.
Simmons’ biggest advantage has always been his combination of size and passing ability. At 6’10”, he can grab a rebound and immediately initiate the offense, something very valuable for a second unit. He’s also capable of defending multiple positions when asked to.
Honestly, the Philadelphia 76ers might make a ton of sense. Simmons wouldn’t need to be the guy there. He could come off the bench and play off four superstar players. That’s probably the best version of Simmons at this stage of his career: forget the expectations, forget the All-Star version, and simply let him become a defensive playmaker who can make life easier for everyone around him.
3. Bruce Brown
2025-26 Season Statistics: 7.9 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG
Every contender should at least make the phone call on Bruce Brown. Seriously. This is the type of player who might not dominate a box score but somehow makes a team better every time he’s on the floor.
Brown became a championship player with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 because he understood exactly what winning basketball required. He isn’t going to complain about having a smaller role, and that’s incredibly valuable when you’re joining a team with an established superstar.
His versatility is the biggest selling point. He isn’t elite at any one thing, but he is useful in almost everything, and that is precisely why contenders love players like him. He has been through the playoff grind already and is a capable three-point shooter (38.5%) to command his next deal almost immediately.
2. Cam Thomas
2025-26 Season Statistics: 13.5 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 2.6 APG, 0.2 SPG, 0.1 BPG
Cam Thomas might be the most misunderstood player remaining on the market. Yes, he has flaws. His defense has been inconsistent, he has a reputation for being a black hole, and his style doesn’t fit modern basketball.
But let’s not overthink this: the man can score. He averaged 24.0 PPG on 43.8% FG and 34.9% 3-PT FG in 2024-25, and posted 22.5 PPG on 44.2% FG and 36.4% 3-PT FG in 2023-24.
Thomas can walk into a game and put 20 points on the board before you realize what happened. Not every second-unit player needs to be a perfect player. Sometimes you need somebody who can take the ball and create a basket out of nothing.
The criticism about the 6’3″ guard is fair, but it can also be exaggerated. Thomas doesn’t need to become a lockdown defender or suddenly transform into a pass-first point guard to have value. He has to continue to post scoring numbers to keep his name in people’s mouths, but first, needs an NBA team to give him one more shot to prove his worth.
1. Jalen Duren
2025-26 Season Statistics: 19.5 PPG, 10.5 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG
Jalen Duren is the obvious No. 1 if he is actually available, although the expectation remains that he will eventually re-sign with the Detroit Pistons. Unlike the other players on this list, Duren is a young big man trying to establish his value, and the disagreement appears to be about how much that value is worth.
Duren is already the second-best player on last season’s best Eastern Conference team. He’s enormous, athletic, powerful around the rim, and an imposing rebounder. At 22 years old, there is also plenty of room for his offensive and defensive game to continue developing.
That’s why Detroit needs to solve one of their biggest issues as soon as possible. The Pistons view Duren as one of the core pieces of their future, and the team is confident it can eventually retain him. Duren, meanwhile, has every reason to push for more money because this could be the most important contract negotiation of his young career.
If the two sides can’t find common ground, however, the rest of the NBA will be watching closely. A young, athletic big with All-Star potential rarely hits the market without somebody getting very interested.
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