Surprising Landing Spots for Top Potential 2026 NBA Free Agents

The playoffs aren't quite in the rearview, but with 26 teams now eliminated from contention, plenty of fans are now eyeing the offseason.

And while NBA free agency may not be as fruitful for teams as it once was, it can still offer us some surprises.

Today, we're going to look at some potential moves that would fit that billing, while also making sense for both the free agent and the team acquiring him.

Just a couple other note before we start, though.

First, potential free agents whose futures are almost entirely dependent on the incumbent organization (so, restricted free agents and players with team options for 2026-27) weren't included in this mix. That means no Jalen Duren, Isaiah Hartenstein or Walker Kessler, just to name a few.

But those who are unrestricted or have player options they can decline are fair game (unless all signs are pointing to returns, as they are with Trae Young and James Harden, for example).

Second, it's important to remember that signing players outright from other teams is extremely rare in today's NBA, largely because most teams operate over the salary cap. Even if every organization did all it could to maximize cap space this summer (meaning they'd have to renounce their own free agents, decline team options, etc.), there would only be 11 with any room. And only five of those can get to over $30 million.

Sign-and-trades may open up a few other spots, but functionally speaking, most of the NBA is off the table for star free agents.

Still, we managed to cook up some surprising (though realistic) landing spots for some of this summer's top potential free agents.

Austin Reaves: Detroit Pistons

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The chances of Austin Reaves leaving the Los Angeles Lakers are slim. They have his Bird rights, meaning they can sign him to a bigger deal than most suitors. And with LeBron James potentially leaving this summer, Reaves' secondary creation next to Luka Dončić will be even more important.

But the Detroit Pistons may need his services even more than L.A., and they can get to over $40 million in cap space if they decline some smaller team options and renounce the free agency rights to Duncan Robinson and Paul Reed.

Both of those players offer real value to the rotation, but Reaves can replace a lot of the shooting provided by Robinson, while also being able to take a ball-handling pressure off of Cade Cunningham.

Detroit would have to nail the rest of the offseason with minimum and cap exceptions, but a top two of Cunningham and Reaves would be far more dangerous than the one it had this season.

Norman Powell: Los Angeles Clippers

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The Los Angeles Clippers would have to decline the team options on a number of role players to be able to make Norman Powell a meaningful offer, but a reunion would make sense on a few fronts.

First of all, there's a familiarity between the Southern California native and the organization. He played three years and change there, most recently in 2024-25. And this past season, L.A. missed his shooting and secondary creation.

The Clippers could also offer him a deal that would line up with Kawhi Leonard's free agency in 2027. They could consider their 2026-27 campaign the last hurrah with Kawhi, throw a solid chunk of change at Powell for it and give him a player option for 2027-28.

Then, after the swan song, L.A. could smoothly transition into the next era with Darius Garland, Yanic Konan Niederhäuser and whoever picks at No. 5 in this upcoming draft.

LeBron James: Denver Nuggets

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The Denver Nuggets desperately need to get younger, more athletic and more physical this offseason.

LeBron James obviously doesn't address the "younger" part of that equation. And at this point in his career, he might not help with the other two weaknesses either.

But if he really is willing to play for the minimum (which is probably what the Cleveland Cavaliers would have to pay him), a season alongside Nikola Jokić would be tempting.

LeBron was still a top 40-ish player in 2025-26. And if he's anywhere near that level again, his playmaking would take a ton of pressure off Jokič and Jamal Murray. His experience could help everyone on the roster.

And for a team that was overly reliant on Bruce Brown and Spencer Jones, even a physically diminished LeBron could help with their lack of explosiveness.

Coby White: Brooklyn Nets

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The Brooklyn Nets, who can carve out close to $50 million in cap space, will certainly be looking for bigger names, but their roster situation isn't the most appealing in the league.

If they strike out on someone like Reaves or have offer sheets for restricted free agents like Peyton Watson or Jalen Duren matched by their incumbent teams, they could chase someone like Coby White.

Last season, after he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, White averaged 15.6 points and 3.0 assists, while shooting 39.1 percent from deep. In a bigger role, opposite Michael Porter Jr., he could likely produce even more.

Barring massive leaps from a couple of last season's rookies, that duo wouldn't lead the Nets to anything close to contention. But the play-in wouldn't be out of reach, and the team would be far more exciting.

Anfernee Simons: Charlotte Hornets

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And if the Hornets lose White, they should be in the market for another potential heat-check scorer off the bench.

Anfernee Simons is about a year older and didn't generate as much buzz as White last season, but he's quietly been a dangerous, high-volume shooter for years.

Since the start of the 2020-21 campaign, Simons has averaged 16.9 points and 7.5 three-point attempts, while shooting 38.6 percent from deep.

Adding that kind of shooting to the second unit would allow the Hornets to continue down the same path they were on down the stretch of 2025-26, even without White.

The caveat here is that Charlotte can't get to even half of Simons' previous salary in cap space, so he might have to be willing to play here for the mid-level exception (which starts at $15.1 million for 2026-27).