Predictions for 2025 NBA Free Agents Who Will Command the Most Interest
While the NBA gears up for another action-packed, drama-filled postseason in which it will crown the champion of the 2024-25 season, industry insiders and team officials are already looking to the offseason and the big names that could hit free agency.
There is none bigger than LeBron James, the face of the league and its most prominent team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
What might the future hold for the league's all-time leading scorer and does it involve a return to the purple and gold?
Find out with this look at him and other top prospective free agents.
Kyrie Irving
1 of 3
The 33-year-old guard suffered a torn ACL in early March that will cost him the rest of this season and some of next, but that should not adversely affect his value to potential suitors, including current team Dallas.
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison already expressed, publicly, how much the veteran player means to the organization, suggesting he fully expects Irving back next season.
Dallas will need him, too. There is not a better ball handler or more creative offensive player on the roster now or prospectively than Irving. Tim Bontemps wrote for ESPN, "The question will be what that new deal looks like, as Dallas has to navigate the aprons and fill the shot-creating void. If Irving just picks up his option for next season, the Mavericks are already going to be a luxury tax team with 11 players under contract."
Regardless of what the numbers ultimately look like, expect Irving to exercise his option, negotiate with the Harrison and the Mavs front office, and suit up for the team when he is fully healthy next season.
Prediction: Irving re-signs with Dallas
Myles Turner
2 of 3
Myles Turner may not have the name value of a James or Irving, but he has been as essential to his team's success as those two.
The big man has displayed toughness and physicality that he had not previously and has been a more consistent offensive threat than in years past.
Averaging 15.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in just over 30 minutes a night, the center is also shooting 48 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from beyond the arc, the latter being the highest of his career.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN reported that the Pacers want to keep Turner but considering they are only $22 million under the luxury tax threshold and the big man is expected to command more than that in free agency, a return will take tireless negotiations and front office maneuvering.
Prediction: The Pacers find a way to get a deal done, even if it means moving other players to make it happen.
LeBron James
3 of 3
That James is 40 years old and is still expected to be the top free agent this offseason speaks volumes about the level of player he is at this stage of his career.
The greatest player of his generation continues to show out for Los Angeles, shooting 51 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from the three-point line, while scoring 24.4 points per game and tallying 8.1 rebounds, 8.4 assists, and a steal.
James has a $53 million option for next year that he could easily opt into or he could opt out, sign another massive one-year deal that allows him to continue to be flexible with his willingness to play another season.
Windhorst speculated that James could "reexamine the offer" to take less money to help the team add more pieces after the Los Angeles front office acquired Luka Dončić via trade with Dallas.
A player of James' quality on the court, and appeal off of it, will have plenty of suitors if he does in fact make it to free agency. Still, it would be difficult to imagine a scenario where he does not end up back in the City of Angels, especially with his son, Bronny, in the organization and a front-end Western Conference squad with championship aspirations.
Prediction: James opts out, signs a one-year max deal, and returns to the Lakers for an eighth season
