Landing Spots for Top Available NBA Free Agents

It's late August, and only a few scraps remain on the NBA free-agent market. The odd quirk this offseason: Some of those leftovers are big names.

DeMar DeRozan is inside the top 20 of the NBA's all-time leading-scorer list. Jalen Duren is coming off an All-NBA season. Both could make a major difference wherever they land.

Let's check in on the top three free agents as we lay out the best places for them to ply their trades in 2026-27.

Jalen Duren (Restricted)

Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images

1. Detroit Pistons
2. LA Clippers
3. Houston Rockets

Even if the relationship feels increasingly strained by the ongoing restricted free agency stalemate, Jalen Duren and the Detroit Pistons are still each other's best fit.

Duren may not be the All-NBA force he resembled during the 2025-26 regular season, but he's also better than the guy who so conspicuously flopped in the playoffs. The Pistons can't easily replace him, and even if they're right to play hardball on Duren's next deal, they should still try to avoid the riskier outcomes of a qualifying offer or a sign-and-trade.

If the Pistons get too worried about Duren accepting the qualifying offer and want to address their secondary creation needs, a sign-and-trade deal with the Clippers that returns point guard Darius Garland might be worth exploring.

Duren would give the Clippers a scoring threat, rebounder and roll man to pair with rookie guard Keaton Wagler.

Another playmaking sign-and-trade option: Sending Duren to the Houston Rockets for Alperen Sengün. The mechanics would be tricky (just as they would for LA), but Duren would work well with the existing young core of Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr.

DeMar DeRozan (Unrestricted)

Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images

1. Boston Celtics
2. Los Angeles Lakers
3. Miami Heat

If the Boston Celtics are concerned about losing Jaylen Brown and his ability to create difficult-but-acceptable scoring chances when the offense breaks down, they could do a lot worse than filling the void with DeMar DeRozan.

A poor defender and a reluctant three-point shooter throughout his long career, DeRozan remains a specialist in the self-created two-point jumper. Last year, a whopping 73 percent of DeRozan's shots came in the mid-range area, and he made half of them.

Brown's penchant for those same shots had a lot to do with his low approval rating among the analytically inclined, but those are often the only available looks in a playoff scenario. Brown could take and make "bad" shots, and so can DeRozan. He could fit right into the middle of Boston's attack, which otherwise swings the ball around the perimeter hunting for threes.

The Lakers offer a hometown angle for the L.A. native, as well as a good chance of seeing the postseason, while the Heat have to be included due to persistent speculation that they'd land DeRozan after the Sacramento Kings cut him loose. He'd be a tricky fit in a spacing-starved offense that might struggle to integrate him with Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the playing time and chance to win might be irresistible.

Jonathan Kuminga (Unrestricted)

Sarah Stier/Getty Images

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. Milwaukee Bucks
3. Minnesota Timberwolves

Jonathan Kuminga would have been a strong theoretical fit next to James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. But after the Cavaliers' trade for Peyton Watson, reporting points to the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves as the top two favorites.

Kuminga's athleticism and foul-drawing abilities should make him attractive to both teams, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks, with Milwaukee having more reason to chase a high-risk prospect. After failing to meet expectations in both Golden State and Atlanta, it's starting to seem that Kuminga's struggles are more about his style of play than any system suppressing his talent.

While the Lakers are reportedly interested and could use a high-upside option like him on the wing, they have more to lose if things don't pan out.