Ranking the Top 7 Cheap NBA Free Agents Still Available
Cap space is drying up across the NBA as many contenders are now left with just veteran minimum contracts with which to pursue players.
This isn't going to get you one of the big remaining restricted free agents like Jonathan Kuminga, Josh Giddey, Cam Thomas or Quentin Grimes. Even unrestricted veterans like Al Horford and Malcolm Brogdon should still be getting a chunk of a mid-level exception.
Luckily for cash-strapped teams, there's still plenty of value left on the market.
The following seven players should be available for the veteran's minimum, giving their next team some excellent value for the 2025-26 season.
7. Seth Curry, SG
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Seth Curry remains an elite shooter in the NBA, a skill all 30 teams should be in pursuit of.
The 34-year-old led the league with a 45.6 percent mark from three last season with the Charlotte Hornets and would have been even better had LaMelo Ball stayed healthy.
Curry made 53.8 percent of his threes off of passes from Ball, who was once again limited due to injuries and played just 47 games. Joining a championship-hopeful team with stars who can create open looks for Curry would bump up his efficiency even more.
Outside of shooting, there's not a whole lot Curry brings to the table. He's a small guard who doesn't do much facilitating and isn't a plus on the defensive end. He'll also turn 35 in August.
Still, Curry has an elite skill set, something the rest of this free agent class is lacking. Curry ranks No. 7 in NBA history in three-point accuracy (43.3 percent) and is equally dangerous off the catch and in pull-up situations.
As long as he's playing between 15 and 20 minutes a night off the bench, Curry can still provide some instant offense to a contender's rotation.
6. Alec Burks, G/F
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An athletic 6'6" wing who's put together a good 14-year career, Alec Burks' performance with the Miami Heat last season proved he still has more to offer.
Burks was used as a starter for stretches after the team traded Jimmy Butler away, averaging 11.1 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 46.7 percent from three in 14 starts.
The 33-year-old has primarily become a three-point specialist at this stage in his career, knocking down 42.5 percent of his outside looks last season overall, good for 14th overall in the NBA. While not quite as good of a three-point shooter as Seth Curry, Burks offers more defensive resistance with his size and had a defensive swing rating in the 80th percentile last season (minus-3.8).
His days as a full-time starter are probably over, although a contender could plug Burks into a backup wing role as a two or three who can guard multiple positions. Part of his appeal is his versatility, as Burks fits with any coach in any system.
Armed with 29 games of playoff experience, Burks is a solid veteran who's become an excellent outside shooter at this stage of his career.
5. Brandon Boston Jr., SG
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Brandon Boston Jr. has largely flown under the radar in his first four NBA seasons, yet is going to be a sneaky-good pickup for whatever team lands his services in free agency.
The 23-year-old took advantage of some injuries to the New Orleans Pelicans last season, averaging 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 10 starts. He has really good size for a shooting guard at 6'7" with a high release point on his jumpers. A talented athlete, we've seen Boston make jaw-dropping plays in the past like this.
Ideally, Boston signs with a younger team that can offer a regular role where he can have the ball in his hands and create offense. There's shades of Brandon Ingram here with his length and ability to pull up and knock down 15-foot jumpers over outstretched defenders.
Boston can function as an isolation scorer but was good in a spot-up role as well. While he only made 26.8 percent of his pull-up threes last season, Boston did connect on an impressive 41.0 percent of his catch-and-shoot attempts.
Never really getting a consistent role in his first three years on a veteran-heavy Los Angeles Clippers team, Boston finally got the chance to showcase his all-around game in New Orleans last season.
Some team should try to sign him to a multi-year deal at a low number and enjoy some value scoring for seasons to come.
4. Amir Coffey, G/F
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Amir Coffey was a big part of the Los Angeles Clippers winning 50 games once again even without Paul George, as he recorded a career high in minutes (24.3) and points (9.7) while shooting 40.9 percent from three.
Unlike others on this list who are past their primes or still years away, Coffey should be in the middle of his at age 28 and could be a starter in the right situation. A 6'7" wing, Coffey can play and guard multiple positions and averaged 12.8 points on 43.4 percent shooting from three in his 13 starts for the Clippers last season.
While most of his role consisted of standing in the corner or on the wing and waiting for a pass to come from James Harden, Coffey also did a good job of attacking close outs and finding room in the defense to hit pull-up jumpers.
He's not going to initiate much offense for himself or others, although if you need someone to hit open threes (42.1 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts) and provide excellent floor spacing with size, Coffey can deliver.
He knows his role and plays it well, thriving when given even more minutes and shot attempts. Coffey is an easy plug-and-play option for any contender.
3. Chris Boucher, F/C
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The big man market is quickly drying up, a list that includes players like Al Horford (who may already have an agreement with the Golden State Warriors), Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher.
Between the latter two, Boucher is the most interesting given his floor-spacing and overall offensive versatility.
The 32-year-old power forward/center averaged 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks and shot 36.3 percent from three in just 17.2 minutes for the Toronto Raptors this past season. His 7'4" wingspan allows Boucher to release jumpers well over defenders as well as challenge shots all over the floor.
Boucher is not a rim protector, although he's athletic enough to switch defensively. A good three-point shooter, Boucher keeps the floor open and can attack close outs extremely well for someone his size.
If a contender needs some offensive pop off the bench from the big position, Boucher can deliver and carries championship experience from the Raptors' 2019 squad.
2. Russell Westbrook, PG
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Russell Westbrook isn't an easy fit with most teams unlike others on this list, although his ceiling is still the highest of any unrestricted free agent.
The 36-year-old averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals with the Denver Nuggets, splitting his time between sixth man and starter. His assists still ranked 17th overall in the NBA despite playing less than 28 minutes a game.
Outside shooting, turnovers and some head-scratching plays will continue to be a concern, although there's a path to Westbrook still being a good lead guard off a contender's bench. As long as he passes up above-the-break threes (26.6 percent) and stays in the corners instead (48.2 percent from the right corner, 36.0 percent from the left), a team can get by with Westbrook's shooting.
Still playing with one of the highest motors in the NBA, Westbrook can continue to give teams a spark as long as he doesn't try to go superhero mode. Playing alongside a high-IQ, talented passer like Nikola Jokić was an ideal situation, one that Westbrook should want to continue.
There aren't a lot of good fits for Westbrook, although he's easily the most talented player left available.
1. Chris Paul, PG
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Chris Paul doesn't have the ceiling of a Russell Westbrook, although his floor is quite a bit higher than his fellow future Hall of Famer. He's also far easier to fit into a team's rotation and does a better job of taking care of (and shooting) the ball.
Starting all 82 games for the San Antonio Spurs last season even at age 39, Paul ranked 7th overall in assists per game (7.4) while chipping in 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and shooting 37.7 percent from three. He also turned the ball over half as much as Westbrook (1.6 turnovers per game compared to 3.2).
The Milwaukee Bucks may be the only team that could offer Paul a starting point guard job at this point, although it's unlikely that he would spend what's probably going to be the final season of his legendary career playing in an unstable situation given the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade chatter.
A return to his home in Los Angeles and joining the Clippers or Lakers is a strong possibility, although Paul would likely want more clarity on LeBron James' plans.
As a sixth man, Paul still has a lot to offer given his veteran leadership, experience, passing, and individual playoff success (20.0 points and 8.3 assists in 149 career games).
Paul is the best and safest choice of any free agent that could potentially play under the veteran's minimum salary in 2025-26, getting one last chance at winning a ring.
