Perk on Austin Reaves: ‘I saw greatness last night’ (0:54)Kendrick Perkins gives high praise to Austin Reaves after a hot start to the season. (0:54)
Bobby MarksNov 10, 2025, 07:16 AM ETCloseFollow on X
The 2025-26 season is just three weeks old, and there are more than six months until the start of free agency. But the small body of work on the court should not dissuade us from identifying 12 potential free agents who have stood out and what their future could hold with their respective teams.
First, we have disqualified players who have previously made an All-NBA or All-Star team. That means you won’t see potential summer free agents such as Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, LA Clippers guard James Harden, Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine, Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young — or even Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James — on this list.
Second, players with team options in their current contracts, such as the Oklahoma City Thunder guard Lu Dort and center Isaiah Hartenstein are also not considered. After all, if a player is outplaying their deal, it is highly unlikely their teams will decline the options.
And while LeBron doesn’t make our roster, the Lakers are well represented. Let’s start there, as one player is making waves as a second option in James’ absence and setting himself up for a major payday in 2026 free agency.
To say that Reaves has taken advantage of early season injuries to Luka Doncic and James has been an understatement.
Reaves has seen his points per game increase from 20.2 points last season to a career-high 31.1. He currently ranks sixth among all players in points per game, behind Doncic, Tyrese Maxey, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Donovan Mitchell. Reaves became the fourth undrafted player in the shot-clock era with a 50-point game in the regular or postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
In three games played without Doncic, Reaves has averaged 10 assists per game, including a career-high 16 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 29.
Because NBA rules restrict the Lakers from extending Reaves up to 140% of the average player (four-years, $87.4 million with a starting salary of $19.5 million next season), it is highly unlikely he will sign a new contract prior to June 30. The more likely scenario is for Reaves to decline his player option and become an unrestricted free agent.
If he does, Reaves will be eligible to sign for up to five-years, $241 million with the Lakers. The Lakers could still have nearly $50 million in cap space even if Reaves signs a new contract.
He is eligible to sign for up to four years, $178.5 million with teams who have cap space. ESPN is currently projecting four teams — the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards — to have at least $40 million in room this summer.
If we were evaluating Powell based on the first half of last season with the Clippers and his first few weeks with the Heat this year, he would likely be in the running for his All-Star appearance.
“I definitely have a chip from feeling like I could have made it,” Powell told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears in September. “I should have made it last [season]. It added fuel to the fire this summer on how I am going to capitalize on this [season], that I have to make sure that I’m a surefire pick for an All-Star selection.”
Last year with his former team, Powell averaged 24.2 points, 49.6% shooting from the field and 42.8% on 3-pointers prior to the break. His production took a significant drop across the last two months of the 2024-25 season, largely due to a right knee injury in late February and a right hamstring issue in March. (Powell finished the last 15 games averaging 14.4 points.) In six games with the Heat this season, Powell is averaging 23.3 points and shooting a career high 46.2% on 3s.
Starting on Jan. 7, Powell is eligible to sign up to a four-year, $128.5 million extension with the Heat. The 32-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent if no agreement is reached.
Despite being traded, Powell’s Bird rights have transferred, allowing Miami to exceed the salary cap to re-sign him if he became a free agent. The Heat are projected to be $60 million below the second apron next summer.
With the 76ers drafting VJ Edgecombe and with Jared McCain returning from injury, Grimes’ fit was in question entering the season, let alone if he could duplicate the second half of last season.
Acquired at the 2025 trade deadline from the Dallas Mavericks, Grimes averaged career highs in minutes (33.7) and points (21.9) across 28 games. He joined Maxey, Allen Iverson and Hal Greer as the only guards in 76ers history to average at least 28.5 points in a 10-game stretch.
Through Grimes’ first three weeks of this season, there has been no drop off in playing time or scoring.
“The opportunity that coach [Nick Nurse] is giving me provides a lot of freedom out there on the court,” Grimes told the Philadelphia Inquirer on Nov. 4. “The minutes he gave me are starter minutes to come off the bench at this point.” In nine games as a reserve, Grimes ranks fourth in minutes and points per game.
With the 76ers pressed up against the salary cap’s second apron last summer and a lack of teams with real spending power, Grimes signed a one-year, $8.7 million Qualifying Offer.
He is an unrestricted free agent next offseason and Philadelphia can exceed the salary cap to re-sign him because they hold his bird rights.
For a Lakers roster featuring Reaves, Doncic and James, Hachimura has been a constant this season. He is one of three Lakers (Jarred Vanderbilt and Jake LaRavia the others) to play in all nine games and is the only Laker to start in every game.
Hachimura is averaging career bests in minutes per game, points per game and field goal percentage (59%). Since he was acquired from the Washington Wizards in 2023, his 3-point percentage has increased from 33.7% to 48.7%.
And thanks in part to Hachimura’s defense — most notable his knack for defending 3-point shooters — the Lakers are allowing the second lowest field goal percentage on shots outside 25 feet.
Duren was one of 12 players to forgo signing a rookie extension prior to the season. The decision to wait until 2026 free agency, at least for now, has paid off.
For a third consecutive season, the Pistons center is on pace to average a double-double in points and rebounds. His 110 career double-doubles before turning 22 are tied with Shaquille O’Neal for the fourth most in NBA history.
What has been more impressive is Duren’s ability to get to the free throw line and improved percentage of makes. Duren has seen his attempts increase from 3.1 last year to 6.2. He is shooting 83.9% from the line. Last year he shot 66.9%.
“We’ve put together a plan over the summer for him and he was as dedicated to that plan as anybody,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff told the Detroit Free Press on Nov. 7.”He worked relentlessly on his game. He’s always had the talent. I think the confidence is coming now, too.”
According to ESPN Research, Duren is one of seven players to average 10 points and 10 rebounds in each of the last three seasons (since 2023-24), along with Nikola Jokic, Vucevic, Anthony Davis, Victor Wembanyama, Domantas Sabonis and Antetokounmpo.
Acquired in a trade that sent Jusuf Nurkic to the Utah Jazz, Sexton is enjoying career bests from the field (51% shooting), from 3-point range (44%) and in assists (5.3 per game).
Sexton is eligible to sign a three-year, $71.7 million extension (the deal would increase to four-years, $119 million starting on Dec. 29) and can be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
We were reluctant to include Thomas, considering the guard suffered a left hamstring strain and will be reevaluated in three to four weeks. Thomas missed 55 games last year with the same injury and played a career-low 25 games.
But we couldn’t overlook Thomas’ scoring numbers in the seven games he was healthy this season. Thomas scored a combined 74 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs in late October and scored at least 25 points in four games. (That’s despite his career-low 40.2% shooting from the field.)
According to ESPN Research, Thomas joins Zion Williamson to average at least 20 points per game while playing fewer than 32 minutes per game in each of the last three seasons.
We will learn next offseason if Thomas made the right decision to bet on himself. Thomas declined both a two-year, $30 million contract with a team option and a one-year, $9.5 million contract — that deal could have increased to $11 million if incentives were reached — from the Nets in September. He eventually signed a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer and is set to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer.
We could look back at Oubre signing a one-year, $2.9 million contract with Philadelphia in 2023 as a low point in his career. The signing came after the former No. 15 overall pick in 2015 averaged 20 points per game with Charlotte the prior season.
In reality, the veteran minimum contract and the two-year, $16.8 million contract he signed with the 76ers has helped Oubre develop into a more well-rounded player. This season for the resurgent Sixers, Oubre is averaging 18.6 points per game on a career-best 51% from the field and 38% on 3-pointers.
Moving forward, the big question comes with how Oubre is impacted when Paul George returns from injury.
“You saw him. He was fighting [Brandon] Ingram most of the night,” 76ers coach Nick Nurse said after their win on Nov. 7. “He’s done that consistently, where he’s got one of the better scorers in the league or the other team and keeps working and working. He’s been really good and done a good job of playing physical.”
Because he signed a two-year contract in 2024, Oubre is not extension-eligible and will become an unrestricted free agent in June.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra already had an in-depth scouting report before trading for Fontecchio this summer.
“Italy was my [scouting assignment] when I was an assistant with Team USA,” Spoelstra told the Sun Sentinel on Oct. 27. “He was a stud over there for his national team, putting up big numbers and shouldering that weight you have when you’re the No. 1 option.”