2026 NBA free agency: Grades for offseason signings, extensions
The NBA offseason you will have formally begun. Now that the New York Knicks have defeated the San Antonio Spurs in the Finalsgroups are making strikes forward of the draft (Tuesday and Wednesday on ABC/ESPN/ESPN App).
There must be extra contract extensions quickly, as June 30 is the final day for a participant within the remaining 12 months of his contract to increase that deal. June 30 can be the primary day groups can negotiate with free brokers exterior their franchise. In different phrases: That’s when you need to count on the free company frenzy to start.
I’m grading each free agency signing and probably the most impactful extensions this offseasonbreaking down the ramifications for all groups and gamers concerned.
To decide every grade, I’m a number of components, together with the participant’s on-court impression and age, the contract’s monetary implications, and the context of the workforce’s short- and long-term outlooks. How dangerous or sure is the transfer? And how a lot does it assist or harm the workforce’s likelihood to win a championship, subsequent season or past?
Let’s get into the most recent strikes:
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Terms: Four years, $212 million (with a participant possibility in Year 4)
Grade: d
When the Wizards traded for Trae Young in January, it appeared like an opportunistic buy-low transfer for a franchise devoid of star energy, as they did not must give up any picks so as to add the four-time All-Star.
But now we have realized the true value of Washington’s acquisition, and it did not grow to be a buy-low effort in any respect. Young’s new contract is not the utmost that the Wizards might have given him — that four-year deal would’ve been value $222 million — however it would nonetheless pay him a median of $53 million over 4 seasons and make him one of many 20 highest-paid gamers within the NBA.
If Young was ever at that stage by way of his efficiency — he is made one All-NBA third workforce in his profession — he isn’t anymore, as he prepares to enter his age-28 season following a marked decline on the court docket.
While Young stays an offensive engine who has averaged double-digit assists in every of his previous three full seasons, he has additionally misplaced a few of what made him so particular on that finish in his early 20s.
Young’s penchant for highlight-worthy deep 3-pointers hides the truth that he has shot 34% or worse from distance in three of the previous 4 seasons. Over that span, he ranks forty ninth out of 56 gamers with not less than 1,500 makes an attempt in 3-point share. The solely level guard under him on that checklist is De’Aaron Foxwho faces main questions attributable to his own four-year contract that kicks in subsequent 12 months.
Even extra worrying, a few of Young’s burst has disappeared, which raises broader considerations a few decline in athleticism. In the 2020-21 season, which resulted in Atlanta’s stunning journey to the convention finals, Young averaged 29 drives per 100 possessions, per GeniusIQ, which ranked third behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic.
But over the previous three seasons, Young is right down to 21 drives per 100 possessions, a drop of greater than 1 / 4. He ranks 14th in drive frequency in that span (minimal 1,000 complete drives), which remains to be good, however nowhere close to the elite stage anymore.
Bring Young’s Drives Per 100 Possessions
And if Young is not maximizing his offensive impression, then it is unclear how a lot he might help contend as a result of his contributions on the opposite finish are so meager.
The superior stat xRAPM ranks Young within the 97th percentile for offensive impression, however under the primary percentile in defensive impression. Estimated plus-minus, equally, has Young within the 97th percentile on offense and the fourth percentile on protection.
In each season of his profession (until this last, injury-shortened one), Young’s groups have been significantly better with him on offense, and in virtually each season, they have been a lot worse with him on protection, in response to Cleaning the Glass’ on/off information.
A participant with that profile nonetheless has worth to the proper workforce in the proper context. And Washington suits in some respects, as a franchise missing a transparent lead creator, with a number of present-day cap flexibility and younger gamers on rookie contracts. Young will definitely increase the Wizards’ ground as they search to climb out of the NBA’s basement after shedding 67, 64 and 65 video games previously three seasons.
But quickly sufficient, a few of these younger gamers will begin demanding contract extensions, and now they will obtain their raises on the similar time that the Wizards are paying upwards of $50 million per season to a small guard with enormous flaws on the unsuitable facet of the growing old curve.
Under the NBA’s present monetary regime, the worst mistake a workforce could make is committing celebrity cash to a superb however not nice participant who’s a rung under that stage. The Wizards would have been OK if they’d re-signed Young to fewer {dollars} or fewer years, ideally each. But they did not choose both possibility.
June 21: CJ McCollum returning to Hawks on one-year deal
Terms: One year, $21 million
Grade: TO
McCollum performed an unexpectedly necessary function in Atlanta final season, because the Hawks emerged after the All-Star break. And looking back, he might need been probably the most beneficial participant within the playoffs as a result of he completed one thing that no person else in your complete NBA might: With game-winning buckets within the remaining minute of consecutive video games, he managed to beat the Knicks a number of instances this postseason.
That wasn’t the expectation when McCollum came to Atlanta within the Trae Young commerce, the place he was apparently included primarily to assist match Young’s wage. Any on-court contributions would have been a bonus.
But McCollum meshed properly with Atlanta’s untraditional positional alignment. The Hawks’ five-man lineup of McCollum, Dyson Daniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu had a plus-21.4 internet ranking, for Cleaning the Glass, which ranked second amongst all lineups with not less than 500 possessions. In a bigger pattern, the trio of McCollum, Alexander-Walker and Johnson — the veteran guard alongside the Hawks’ two finest gamers — had a plus-14.5 internet ranking, per NBA Advanced Stats.
Next season, the Hawks will proceed utilizing these efficient lineups, and McCollum’s capacity to play each on- and off-ball — which he has efficiently balanced all through his whole profession, beginning when he was Damian Lillard‘s sidekick with the Portland Trail Blazers — makes him an asset in Atlanta. He can run the offense himself, take a backseat to Johnson (the Hawks’ help chief after Young’s departure) and assist mentor a younger level guard, if Atlanta goes that route with the No. 8 choose on this week’s draft.
And whereas McCollum is properly previous his peak and might be 35 years previous at first of subsequent season, his extension qualifies for one in every of my favourite sports activities aphorisms: There’s virtually no such factor as a nasty one-year deal.
After making $30.7 million final season, McCollum’s wage will drop to $21 million in 2026-27. That quantity maintains the Hawks’ offseason flexibility, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks wrote in his offseason guide that “Atlanta is in as good a financial shape as any playoff team.” And it consists of virtually no draw back, as a result of the Hawks aren’t committing to pay McCollum into his late 30s, when his gradual (up to now) decline ought to develop extra pronounced.
June 20 & 21: Suns comply with offers to convey again two guards
g Collin Gillespie
Terms: Four years, $48 million
Grade: TO-
g Jordan Goodwin
Terms: Three years, $19 million
Grade: B+
When I ranked the most underrated free agents of this class, Gillespie topped the checklist. He loved a breakout 2025-26 season, averaging 12.7 factors per recreation and sinking 40% of his 3-pointers. His 46% mark on catch-and-shoot 3s ranked third amongst 121 gamers with not less than 200 makes an attempt (behind Luke Kennard and Jamal Murray). And he charges properly by superior stats.
For Gillespie, who went undrafted out of school and performed three consecutive seasons on a two-way deal earlier than 2025-26, a $48 million pact represents life-changing cash.
For Phoenix, Gillespie fills a much-needed function as a ball handler subsequent to Devin Bookerwho led the Suns with 6.0 assists per recreation however is not the kind of playmaker who ought to dominate the ball on each possession. A four-year deal will cowl the remainder of Gillespie’s prime (he celebrates his twenty seventh birthday this week) and tie him to Phoenix at a good value.
Goodwin can be a 27-year-old level guard, however he is a way more unorthodox participant for the place than Gillespie: He’s not a outstanding scorer or creator (though his improved 3-point share, as much as 37% final season, is notable), however he is a powerful defender and — most remarkably — an unimaginable offensive rebounder.
One of probably the most unimaginable statistics of final season is that the 6-foot-3 Goodwin ranked fifteenth amongst certified gamers with a 9.4% offensive rebounding fee. All 14 gamers forward of him had been facilities.
In a vacuum, the Suns did properly to re-sign each Gillespie and Goodwin for cheap charges.
The potential complication is how these offers have an effect on the remainder of the Suns’ offseason plans, with beginning middle Mark Williams additionally due for a brand new contract as he enters restricted free company. They entered the offseason simply $18 million shy of the luxurious tax line and $26 million shy of the primary apron.
And though the Suns enormously exceeded expectations final common season, successful 45 video games with a feel-good group and touchdown the West’s No. 8 seed, they had been uncompetitive in a first-round sweep towards Oklahoma City and have no clear pathways to higher competition. Is Phoenix content material to run it again whereas additionally accepting the penalties that include exceeding the luxurious tax and first apron?
