Grading Every Trade and Signing Ahead of 2026 NBA Free Agency
NBA Free Agency doesn't officially begin until Tuesday, June 30 at 6 p.m. ET, but you wouldn't know it after a wild run-up to the start on Monday.
While the Ja Morant trade between the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers stole headlines, plenty of reports came out about free agents and their intentions to sign new deals with their current teams.
Below we have grades for every trade and signing of the day.
Grizzlies Trade Ja Morant to Trail Blazers
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Grizzlies Receive: Jerami Grant and Kris Murray
Trail Blazers Receive: Ja Morant
The writing has been on the wall with the Memphis Grizzlies and Ja Morant for years. And on Monday, news finally broke on the deal that ended Memphis' Ja era.
He's headed to the Portland Trail Blazers. It's certainly an interesting destination, given the presence of Damian Lillard, Jrue Holiday and Scoot Henderson on the roster, but this is a price that's just too good to give up.
Jerami Grant seems even less integral to Portland's future than Ja did to Memphis'. And Kris Murray is a soon-to-be-26-year-old shooting forward with a career three-point percentage of just 25.9.
With all due respect to Grant and Murray, Portland is essentially getting Morant for free.
And while there's a pretty serious logjam in the backcourt now, at least in theory, Holiday and Henderson are big and physical enough to play some 2.
For Memphis, it certainly would've been nice to get any draft capital (even a second-rounder) or a slightly more promising or younger prospect, but some reporting suggested the Grizzlies might've had to attach a pick to Morant to get out from under his deal.
He's set to make $42.2 million next season and $44.9 million in 2027-28, and not being on the hook for that obviously opens up a ton of flexibility for Memphis.
The Grizzlies can now focus on the next era, with a strong foundation of Cameron Boozer, Cedric Coward and Zach Edey.
Grizzlies Grade: B
Trail Blazers Grade: B+
Kristaps Porziņģis Signs Extension with Warriors
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In an NBA that includes Joel Embiid and Ja Morant, Kristaps Porziņģis might be the single biggest availability concern in the league.
Years of mixed messaging on long-term illness and averaging fewer than 50 appearances per season, at the very least, puts him in that conversation.
But when he's available, KP's unique combination of size, outside shooting and rim protection make him incredibly effective. And he brings a dynamic to the Stephen Curry-era Golden State Warriors that they've never really had.
And the front office looks ready to bank on the optimistic outlook, as it just gave him a two-year deal for $40 million (with the second season being a player option).
In today's NBA, that's really not much for a starting center (the salary cap in 2026-27 is $165 million), though it does come with the risk of costing more per game played than most other big men's deals.
And, it may make it tougher to sign LeBron James (assuming Golden State's serious about doing that). According to Charania and Bobby Marks, this deal may eat into the amount of money Golden State can offer as a mid-level exception.
Warriors Grade: C+
Andrew Wiggins Signs Extension with Heat
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Andrew Wiggins is not only picking up his player option to stay with the Miami Heat, but also extending his contract to stay with the franchise according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report.
Wiggins is picking up his $30.2 million player option and also signing a two-year, $34 million extension, bringing his total contract value to $64.2 million over the next three years.
Expected to be the starting small forward alongside a frontcourt that now features Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo, Wiggins averaged 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 steals last season while shooting 41.4 percent from three.
It's not surprising to see Wiggins stay in Miami or sign an extension, although this makes it less likely for the Heat to keep Norman Powell, an unrestricted free agent.
Miami is hard capped at the first apron following the trade for Antetokounmpo, a line they currently sit just $20.5 million below with six roster spots left to fill. Powell was an All-Star last year, averaging 21.7 points in his first season in Miami and could command well north of $20.5 million by himself.
It would have made more sense to convince Wiggins to opt out and sign a new three-year, $64 deal starting around $20 million, giving the Heat more space under the first apron to re-sign Powell.
The overall value for Wiggins is good, but the structuring of this money will sting if Powell ends up leaving in free agency.
Heat Grade: B-
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Thomas Bryant Re-Signs with Cleveland
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Thomas Bryant has agreed on a one-year contract to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Bryant, 28, was the primary backup to Jarrett Allen last season, averaging 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 12.2 minutes while shooting 50.6 percent overall and 35.9 percent from three. Given Allen's non-shooting and Evan Mobley's shaky three-point accuracy, the Cavs valued Bryant's floor-spacing ability in their frontcourt.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Bryant is likely signing the same veteran minimum deal he did a year ago after waiting all of summer 2025 without a deal. He eventually signed with the Cavs on September 25th, just before training camp.
Allen could be a key trade piece this summer if Cleveland wants to keep their core of Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and James Harden, so the signing of Bryant helps with the depth at center.
This isn't getting the Cavs any closer to a title, but it's more than fine at the veteran minimum.
Cavs Grade: B
Kings Trade Devin Carter to Hawks
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The Sacramento Kings are trading guard Devin Carter and a future second-round pick to the Atlanta Hawks, per ESPN's Shams Charania. The Stein Line and Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer notes that the pick is a 2033 second-rounder.
Carter was the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 draft, yet has battled injuries and playing for the Kings the past two seasons. He gets a fresh start in Atlanta, a franchise that's actively collecting guards following the Trae Young trade earlier this year.
The Hawks now have CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, No. 8 overall pick Kingston Flemings, Aaron Wiggins and Buddy Hield in their backcourt, so it's hard to see where Carter fits in. Still, taking him on for nothing and getting a future pick is smart business.
In 12 starts this season, Carter averaged 14.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.3 steals and shot 33.3 percent from deep in 29.0 minutes. He has good defensive potential and registered positive swing ratings in both professional seasons.
This was a salary dump by the Kings to try and get out of the second apron following Zach LaVine picking up his $49 million player option.
Darius Acuff, you're our only hope.
Kings Grade: D
Hawks Grade: B
Landry Shamet Re-Signs with Knicks
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Landry Shamet has been one of the cooler stories in the league over the last couple years. He just went from fringe NBA player scratching and clawing for his career, to meaningful contributor on a championship team to playing on a multi-year deal.
The average annual salary on this new contract ($6 million) is a small fraction of the 2026-27 cap ($165 million), and Shamet's contributions (assuming they continue around the same level) will make him more than worth it.
This postseason (which ended with a championship), he shot 47.5 percent from deep.
Knicks Grade: A
Julian Champagnie Re-Signs with Spurs
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Midway through the 2025-26 campaign, Julian Champagnie claimed a full-time starting role for the San Antonio Spurs. And the team's second-half takeoff coincided pretty closely with the move.
Champagnie was also instrumental in San Antonio making it all the way to the Finals.
In the playoffs, he averaged 11.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 threes and 1.3 steals in 30.7 minutes, while shooting 39.6 percent from deep.
And now, he's been rewarded with a solid multi-year contract that pays him like a high-end reserve (which also makes the contract pretty solid on the team side too).
Spurs Grade: A
Jusuf Nurkić Re-Signs with Jazz
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Unless they're bracing for bad news on Walker Kessler's restricted free agency, this is one is a bit of a head-scratcher.
The Utah Jazz already have Jaren Jackson Jr., Lauri Markkanen and Kessler (assuming he's re-signed). Kyle Filipowski has probably earned an extended look this season. And drafting Darryn Peterson could push some wings like Ace Bailey and Brice Sensabaugh into more forward minutes.
So keeping Jusuf Nurkić in that mix is a little odd.
Stilli, there's a chance Nurkić is fine with being more of a veteran presence on the bench than an actual contributor. This salary will be less than seven percent of the cap. And if he just has a couple good weeks at some point in the season, there may be a chance Utah could move him before the deadline.
Just in terms of asset management, it's a move you can wrap your head around, even if you're a little nervous about Nurkić taking minutes from younger options.
Jazz Grade: C+
Kevin Huerter Re-Signs with Pistons
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Kevin Huerter averaged 8.6 points and shot 29.4 percent from three after he was traded to the Detroit Pistons last season, but the team must not have seen that as a tryout, because they're bringing him back anyway.
If Huerter can hit threes at the rate he did a few years ago (he made 38.7 percent of his attempts from 2021-22 through 2023-24), while also providing some playmaking in a pinch, he'll be well worth this pretty small deal.
His annual salary will only be around five percent of the cap, and Detroit needs as much shooting as it can pack in lineups around Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren:
Pistons Grade: B+
Harrison Barnes Re-Signs with Spurs
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Harrison Barnes was replaced in the San Antonio Spurs' starting five by the younger Julian Champagnie, but he still provided plenty of leadership and experience.
And if he enters the season knowing he's a backup, he may be better prepared to impact games from that role than he was in 2025-26.
At 34, Barnes isn't as versatile defensively as he once was, but he still has the size to defend a variety of reserve forwards. And he's a career 38.5 percent three-point shooter.
Keeping all of that for the second unit should almost certainly be worth less than five percent of the cap.
Spurs Grade: B+
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