2024 NBA Free Agency: Top Players Available Right Now
The NBA Finals and the draft are behind us, which means the next big event on the league's calendar is free agency.
Over the next several weeks, teams all over the Association are going to be transformed by signings and/or trades.
And before that storm fully hits, Bleacher Report has you covered with the top free agents remaining.
The order below was determined by a number of factors, including past performance, age, size and trends in the game. But obviously, subjectivity has to a play a big role here, since no one truly knows the future.
Tristan Thompson
1 of 27
He's certainly past his prime, but 33-year-old Tristan Thompson may be younger than some realize. And last season, he played a real role with the Cleveland Cavaliers. A team in need of a third-string center or some help on the boards could give him a look.
Lamar Stevens
2 of 27
Lamar Stevens is 6'6", plenty switchable on the less glamorous end of the floor and has had above-average marks in defensive estimated plus-minus in each of the last two seasons. If he figures out how to be even an average outside shooter, he could be a solid rotation player.
Doug McDermott
3 of 27
In terms of his defense or any ancillary contributions like rebounding or passing, Doug McDermott's last three seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers didn't go great. But McDermott still possesses one NBA skill, and it happens to be the most important one. There are only nine players in NBA history who match or exceed both of McDermott's career marks for three-point attempts (2,293) and three-point percentage (41.0).
Evan Fournier
4 of 27
His banishment from the Knicks' rotation and eventual jettison to the Detroit Pistons likely did a number on Evan Fournier's value, but he's still only 31 years old. And the last time he was a starter, back in 2021-22, he averaged 14.1 points and shot 38.9 percent from three. That really wasn't that long ago.
Cameron Payne
5 of 27
Over the last five seasons, longtime backup guard Cameron Payne has averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 assists in 19.1 minutes, while shooting 38.6 percent from deep. A team in need of a little offensive pop off the bench could use him.
Kyle Lowry
6 of 27
Kyle Lowry just turned 38 in March. His best NBA basketball is obviously behind him, but he shot 39.2 percent from deep this season. Adding his experience and outside shooting could do a lot for any team's second unit.
Precious Achiuwa
7 of 27
A high-effort, high-intensity big, Precious Achiuwa doesn't do a ton as a passer or shooter outside the paint, but he generally stacks up rebounds, blocks and steals when he plays. And he doesn't demand a ton of touches on the offensive end.
Jordan McLaughlin
8 of 27
He didn't play a ton last season, but Jordan McLaughlin is a steady-handed backup point guard who went 42-of-89 (47.2 percent) from deep last season.
Talen Horton-Tucker
9 of 27
There are still real concerns with his jump shot, but Talen Horton-Tucker is only 23 years old, typically puts up raw numbers whenever given the chance and has good size (6'4" with a 7'1" wingspan) for a primary playmaker.
Trendon Watford
10 of 27
Trendon Watford is only 23 years old, and he's hit 39.4 percent of his three-point attempts over the last two seasons. With his size (6'9") and that kind of outside shooting, he has some real three-and-D upside.
Dennis Smith Jr.
11 of 27
He never became the superstar some may have expected, but Dennis Smith Jr. has quietly developed into a very solid backup point guard. Despite being undersized, he can present problems to opponents as a defender and distributor. And he's still capable of the occasional eye-popping highlight dunk.
Markelle Fultz
12 of 27
After having what felt like a little breakout in 2022-23, Markelle Fultz went back to the Orlando Magic's bench in 2023-24, averaged 7.8 points and shot just 4-of-18 (22.2 percent) from three.
That dropoff and his injury history are scary, but Fultz still offers a hint of upside as a distributor and defender.
Gordon Hayward
13 of 27
Gordon Hayward completely fell out of the Oklahoma City Thunder's rotation by the end of his time there, and he scored exactly zero points in 46 postseason minutes, but the 34-year-old should still have a little more to offer before he's done.
As a point forward facing second units, the 6'7" forward should have a couple more productive seasons.
Lonnie Walker IV
14 of 27
He certainly didn't play with the kind of notoriety he enjoyed with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022-23, but Lonnie Walker shot 38.4 percent from deep this season and had a pretty significant boost in assist rate. He's only 25 years old, so there's still time for him to develop into a more consistent reserve scorer.
Jose Alvarado
15 of 27
He's woefully inefficient as a scorer, especially inside the three-point line. And while his playmaking is solid, it's not gamebreaking. Where Jose Alvarado makes his biggest impact is as a spark of energy, particularly on the defensive end, off the bench.
Simone Fontecchio
16 of 27
He only has two years of NBA experience, but 28-year-old Simone Fontecchio already plays like a seasoned vet (thanks to his time overseas) and has comfortably slid into a consistent floor-spacing role.
Last season, he averaged 10.5 points and hit 40.1 percent of his three-point attempts.
Malik Beasley
17 of 27
A floor-spacer who really doesn't provide much beyond three-point shooting, Malik Beasley has averaged 12.4 points and 2.7 threes, while shooting 38.6 percent from deep over the last six seasons.
He's displayed some embarrassingly bad defense over the years, but that kind of marksmanship will keep him in an NBA rotation.
Caleb Martin
18 of 27
Caleb Martin's out-of-body experience throughout the 2023 playoffs didn't really carry over into the 2023-24 season, but he's still a fairly reliable fourth or fifth option with years of defensive seasoning within Miami's vaunted #HeatCulture.
Luke Kennard
19 of 27
Luke Kennard is one of the most accurate three-point shooters in NBA history. His career three-point percentage of 43.9 ranks third of all time, but he's proved to be more than that in the right situation. In 2023-24, he averaged 3.5 assists in just 25.6 minutes.
Dario Šarić
20 of 27
After missing all of 2021-22 with an ACL injury and splitting limited time with two teams in 2022-23, Dario Šarić had something of a resurgence as a playmaking 5 for the Golden State Warriors this season.
His combination of ball-handling, passing and outside shooting make him an interesting option at backup 5 for a number of teams.
Saddiq Bey
21 of 27
His three-point percentage plummeted in 2023-24, but the theoretical version of Saddiq Bey is still intriguing.
The 25-year-old has defensive potential as a sort of wide-bodied, multipositional defender similar to a younger Jae Crowder. And he's generally been OK with operating as a catch-and-shoot threat.
Spencer Dinwiddie
22 of 27
His role was severely limited after he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, but Spencer Dinwiddie is still a solid playmaker and dangerous enough outside shooter to command attention at the three-point line.
His potential to impact the game will be even greater if he's consistently up against second units.
Gary Trent Jr.
23 of 27
The ancillary contributions are almost nonexistent, but Gary Trent Jr. has been a consistent, high-volume three-point shooter throughout his career.
Shooting is still the most important skill in the NBA, so he will have plenty of value as long as that remains true.
Isaac Okoro
24 of 27
He's never put up significant per-game numbers, but Isaac Okoro has developed into a helpful perimeter defender in recent years. He's had an above-average three-point percentage in each of the last two seasons. And he's only 23 years old.
Miles Bridges
25 of 27
Miles Bridges' inconsistency from three (he's hit 34.0 percent of his attempts over his last two seasons) is a bit of a concern. And below-average defense is part of why the Charlotte Hornets were better without him on the floor in 2023-24.
But he's still a 6'7", multipositional forward a couple years shy of his prime. And he's averaged at least 20 points in each of his last two campaigns.
If the 26-year-old gets a little more consistent from the outside and on the defensive end, he can help a good team.
Tyus Jones
26 of 27
He doesn't bring much volume as a scorer or playmaker, and he's undersized on the defensive end, but Tyus Jones is among the game's most reliable creators.
Over the last three seasons, he has started just over half his games and averaged 10.3 points, 5.6 assists and 1.4 threes, while shooting 39.0 percent from deep.
And his 6.6 assist-to-turnover ratio over that span is first (by a long shot) among the 393 players with at least 100 assists.
DeMar DeRozan
27 of 27
Since his last season with the Toronto Raptors in 2017-18, DeMar DeRozan has quietly become one of the league's better playmaking wings. Over the last seven seasons, he's averaged 5.6 assists (and been over 5.0 in six of those years).
His ability to hit tough shots from the mid-range could add a little variety to offenses that are overly reliant on threes or trips to the line, too. Those things are great, but they aren't always readily available.
His defense and the fact that he turns 35 this summer are valid concerns, but DeRozan can still help a contender as a secondary creator or heat-check scorer off the bench.
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