NBA Free Agency 2025: Where Do Remaining Players Land?

August is the quietest month of the NBA calendar. Players are enjoying their time off, newsbreakers are able to relax a little, and fans are left to bicker over topics unrelated to the upcoming season. 

Most of the players capable of being in a playoff rotation have already signed. Only a handful remain, along with a quartet of restricted free agents seemingly in a stalemate with their respective teams. 

Contending teams with roster spots available are still seeing if they can upgrade on the margins, whether that’s a bench big, a scoring guard, or some useful defense. 

Let’s take a look at the players left on the market and where they could end up:

Russell Westbrook

The Kings have been trying ‘very hard’ to trade Malik Monk to free up a sixth man spot for Russell Westbrook, according to Grant Afseth. Adding Westbrook to the Zach LaVine, Domantas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan core would cap off a string of illogical, backwards moves from Sacramento. 

Sharing ball-handling responsibilities with Dennis Schröder in bench units in Northern California is Westbrook’s most likely route to rotation minutes in 2025/26. He won’t be going back to the Nuggets, who have had a stellar offseason, and there are very few other teams that could justify taking a chance on him after seeing how his last few moves have worked out. 

Malcolm Brogdon

Malcolm Brogdon’s teams have been much better with him on the floor in three of the last four seasons. He’s not a shot-chucking scorer – he’s a smart point guard capable of creating for others or generating his own shot. 

His defense isn’t what it was, with years of injuries chipping away at his lateral quickness, yet he’s solid on that end and has the catch-and-shoot game to be as effective off ball as he is on it.

The Warriors and Cavaliers make sense as landing spots for the former Rookie of the Year. Minnesota could use his ball handling off the bench, too. Golden State is probably the best fit, and his clearest path to playoff minutes after Cleveland acquired Lonzo Ball. 

Al Horford

Al Horford to the Warriors has been an inevitability since free agency began. The uncertainty over Jonathan Kuminga’s future has slowed a move, but the expectation remains that Horford will join the Dubs, with Golden State planning for him to be part of the team. 

The fit is seamless. He won’t eat many innings, but his shooting, defense, and ball movement slot in perfectly next to Draymond Green in the frontcourt or as a lone big in smaller lineups. 

Retirement is still on the table, reportedly. Horford, though, clearly has plenty left in the tank. 

Gary Payton II

Like Horford, Gary Payton II is waiting on the Kuminga saga. A return to the Golden State remains the most likely outcome for a player with a unique skill set. 

Despite standing at 6’2, Payton is a four or five on offense, and a disruptive perimeter defender. He posts outrageous steal and block numbers on a per-play basis, yet his viability fluctuates depending on whether his three-point shot is falling. 

Few teams have the spacing to accommodate Payton outside of the Warriors or Spurs. 

Precious Achiuwa

Could the Lakers use Precious Achiuwa as a backup to DeAndre Ayton? Not expecting to re-sign with the Knicks, Achiuwa’s athleticism and ability to shoot a couple of threes per game could make him a useful bench big for a contending team.

The former Raptor is comfortable at the four or five. He’s undersized at center in some matchups, but he has the mobility to keep up with big wings on the perimeter. A team like the Lakers could kick to him in the corner or use him as a pick-and-roll partner for their star wing duo. 

Unfortunately for Achiuwa, he couldn’t sign for the Lakers until January (barring a trade) due to the apron. 

Ben Simmons

It’s hard to see where Ben Simmons ends up. The Knicks, according to reports, are going to pass. There’s no space for him with the Clippers. Perhaps he’s a backup to Draymond in San Francisco, or he brings much needed defense to the Kings. 

There should be a role for Simmons in the NBA. He can still be an effective defensive player and his playmaking at his size can at least provide some value off the bench. There are just very few teams that have minutes for a player of his skill set. 

Maybe a few months in Europe would be the best thing for Simmons to regain his mojo. 

Josh Giddey (Restricted)

It’s been months of negotiations between the Bulls and Josh Giddey. There remains optimism that a deal will be agreed before the end of summer, but the longer this goes on, the more the negotiating table is in the Bulls’ favor. 

There was never the cap space out there to give Giddey leverage. His demands of a deal north of $30 million per year haven’t been met, and Chicago has no reason to overpay for a talented, yet flawed, player. Time will tell if these discussions have a long-term impact on Giddey’s relationship with the team. 

Jonathan Kuminga (Restricted)

The Oct. 1 deadline looms in the long-running Kuminga vs. Golden State battle. Kuminga has no interest in the Warriors’ two-year, $45 million offer. Golden State hasn’t moved towards the three-year, $82 million deal proposed by Kuminga’s camp. 

A sign-and-trade clearly isn’t going to materialize this summer. Kuminga didn’t want to sign a tradeable deal. Golden State has been back and forth on trading Kuminga for years, so the likelihood is Kuminga takes the qualifying offer and gets flipped for very little value at the trade deadline. 

This whole situation has been mismanaged by Golden State over the last couple of seasons. 

Quentin Grimes (Restricted)

In theory, Quentin Grimes should be a man in demand. He’s a two-way wing who shone in a lost Sixers season. There’s next to no cap space to force Philly into a decision, though, and Grimes’ long-term future is uncertain.

Like Kuminga, taking the qualifying offer is in play. Grimes isn’t getting given the money he wants, and the Sixers are already in salary cap hell with Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Tyrese Maxey. 

A short-term deal could be the best move for both parties. Grimes will be able to command a sizeable salary as an unrestricted free agent in a couple of summers. 

Cam Thomas (Restricted)

No team seems to value Cam Thomas as highly as he hoped. Yes, he’s put up big-time scoring numbers, but he’s done so with mediocre efficiency on a hopeless Nets team.

Brooklyn hasn’t been sucked in by empty-calorie scoring. They haven’t buckled to Thomas’ demands of a big contract and might be happy to see him take the qualifying offer if the alternative is a multi-year deal.

Thomas is more likely to be Lou Williams than James Harden. In this cap environment, the Nets have done well to avoid tying themselves to him for the rest of the decade. 

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