НБА-гийн чөлөөт агентуудын зах зээл дэх төвийн тоглогчдын тойм

NBA free-agent market: Top 25 | shooting guards | small forwards | point guards | power forwards

The center market looks tempting, on paper, but probably less so in reality.

While several quality centers will technically hit free agency this summer, most are either restricted free agents or players on team options whose contracts will merely be reworked via a brief layover. The picture brightens as you go further down the depth chart, with several quality backups and third centers likely to be poachable unrestricted free agents. In theory, we could have eight free-agent centers worth more than the non-taxpayer midlevel exception, according to my BORD$ valuations. (More on the methodology here.)

As always, I’ve included all free agents and potential free agents due to player options, team options and non-guaranteed contracts, except for absurd cases where there is no chance of a player being waived and — importantly — also no chance for other cap shenanigans by declining options and signing new contracts. Utah’s Kyle Filipowski, Phoenix’s Oso Ighodaro and Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate are all on cheapo non-guaranteed minimum deals but have no chance of hitting free agency.

(PO = player option; TO = team option; NG = non-guaranteed; TONG = team option, non-guaranteed; PG = partial guarantee; POPG = player option, partial guarantee; R = restricted; R-2w = restricted two-way)

Tier 1: Max guys

1. Jalen Duren, Detroit (R): $44,200,295

BORD$ is based on regular-season production, so it does not include Duren’s playoff performance. I think we can all agree his spring was just a wee bit underwhelming, as both Wendell Carter Jr. and Jarrett Allen outplayed him, and the Pistons often played better with him off the court.

Duren’s playoff PER of 13.8 was barely half his regular-season mark (26.0, sixth in the league). Lowlights included a minus-1.7 BPM, a modest 55.3 true shooting percentage after leading the league at 68.8 in the regular season and ending up on the business end of a Jamal Cain murder dunk in the first round against the Orlando Magic.

Because of that, I’d say we can lower that $44 million estimate. Duren is supermax-eligible after making the All-NBA Third Team, but even getting the lower max (five years, $239 million) coming off his rookie deal will be a challenge after the postseason he had. On the other hand, Duren is only 22 and coming off an All-Star regular season, and as negotiations have stalled, cap-room teams like Brooklyn and Chicago will be circling with offer sheets or potential sign-and-trade scenarios.

Tier 2: More than MLE, less than max

2. Isaiah Hartenstein, Oklahoma City (TO): $32,092,088

Hartenstein’s team option is for $28.5 million, which means in a normal situation, the Thunder might just pick up the option, or maybe pick it up and extend his contract off that number.

The reality of Oklahoma City’s financial situation required a more delicate touch. The best option for the Thunder was to decline the option and re-sign Hartenstein to a longer deal that spreads out the money a bit to give the Thunder more wiggle room against the looming tax aprons. His agreed-upon three-year, $75 million extension sees him take a pay cut that slices millions from Oklahoma City’s cap number this season; I thought Oklahoma City would have to go further out on years to get this to the finish line, (say, four years and $110 million), but instead a player option on the third season lets Hartenstein get back in the market quickly in 2028.

3. Neemias Queta, Boston (TOPG): $25,638,207

The Celtics are in a similar situation to the one with Hartenstein above. Queta proved himself as a viable starting center and is worth several multiples of his $2.67 million salary, but the Celtics have an incentive to decline the option if they can get him to re-sign to a longer deal on good terms.

The only complication is that Boston likely wants to stay under the luxury tax in 2026-27 to take the repeater tax out of play for the next three years; if the Celtics also want to use their midlevel exception on frontcourt depth, that could get tricky. However, there may be a sweet spot around four years and $65 million to $70 million that lets Boston have its cake and eat it too.

Tier 3: MLE guys

4. Sandro Mamukelashivili, Toronto (PO): $19,419,741

Mamu is assuredly opting out of his deal for $2.8 million after he tore up the nets last season as a scoring, floor-spacing big man off the bench. He’s a tricky valuation because his defense likely prevents him from adding value as a starting center, so the question is how much teams want to pay for a prominent bench player.

While he’s valued at more than the $15 million non-taxpayer MLE, I think that price will effectively become his cap this summer. Note that a return to Toronto is still possible, but it would require the Raptors to use their exception money, as they have no Bird rights on Mamukelashvili.

5. Deandre Ayton, L.A. Lakers (PO): $19,305,583

OK, maybe not Dominayton, but how about Decently Productivayton?

Ayton signed a value deal in L.A. so he could get back out on the market for a better payday this summer. He did his part by spending less time front-rimming 15-footers and more time crashing the rim, giving the Lakers a solid starting center.

He’ll surely opt out of his $8.1 million deal, and the Lakers may not bring him back given their potential cap space maneuvers and the fact that they have no Bird rights on Ayton. That immediately makes him among the most gettable starting center candidates, and the presence of center-needy cap-room teams like the Bulls or Nets could push his price above the non-taxpayer MLE.

6. Kristaps Porziņģis, Golden State: $16,860,043

Porziņģis was quite good when he got on the floor in Atlanta. Unfortunately, that only happened about once every lunar eclipse, and the situation didn’t improve much in Golden State. At this point, teams need to value him as a ceiling-raiser who adds another dimension when healthy, but one who will be frustratingly unavailable for a big chunk of the schedule.

He’s likely looking at a one- or two-year deal at this point because of the health questions, and valuations around the non-taxpayer MLE. The Warriors have Bird rights on Porziņģis, and he seems to fit as well there as he would anywhere else; something in the area of two years and $25 million to $30 million seems fair and would put him on a similar timeline to the rest of the Warriors’ vets.

7. Mark Williams, Phoenix (R): $16,190,218

Williams helped answer questions about his durability by playing a career-high 60 games for the Suns, and now he’s set for a raise after agreeing to a three-year, $38 million deal. The non-taxpayer MLE seemed like a realistic ceiling.

The trick for Phoenix was to have enough room below the first apron to bring back both Williams and Collin Gillespie, which may require the Suns to trade one of their 19 shooting guards.

8. Walker Kessler, Utah (R): $15,795,301

BORD$ likely greatly undervalues Kessler because of Utah’s tanking the last two years; the Jazz shut him down after five games in 2025-26, and he only played 58 contests the year before. However, Kessler is one of the league’s best shot-blockers and rim finishers, with an 8.3 percent block rate for his career and the league’s leading offensive rebound rate in 2024-25. That season, 131 of his 272 2-point baskets were dunks, which explains how he shot 70.6 percent on 2s.

In short, Kessler is a really valuable player, and this figure is an extreme floor. I won’t be shocked at all if he’s paid almost double this amount on an annual basis, especially if offer-sheet sharks come after him in a bid to use cap space.

9. Mitchell Robinson, New York: $14,584,426

The Knicks might have a tough time keeping Robinson if they’re serious about staying below the second apron, as owner James Dolan insinuated.

Otherwise, the Knicks have full Bird rights on him and are positioned to meet the market that likely tops out at the non-taxpayer MLE for Robinson, a peculiar player with massive strengths (offensive rebounding, defensive mobility for his size) and ghastly weaknesses (foul shooting, most notably).

The question is whether New York is willing to pay a de facto premium (once you include the tax penalty) for a low-minutes postseason player when they might have viable, cheaper options. If not, Robinson is sure to have plenty of interest in the low eight figures.

10. Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn (TO): $14,209,605

Despite Brooklyn’s misery last season, Sharpe emerged as one of the best backup centers in the league. The Nets have an inexpensive team option on him for $6.25 million, but they have so much cap room that I expect them to rip it up and sign him to a new deal.

That could take two forms. In one, they sign him into the room exception for three years and $29 million to generate $5 million of extra cap space. The other scenario has them decline the option and re-sign Sharpe to a declining money deal that soaks up some of the cap space to increase the Nets’ flexibility in future seasons. For instance, a four-year, $45 million deal would use nearly $13 million in cap in 2026-27 but just $10 million by the last season in 2028-29.

Tier 4: Less than MLE, more than minimum

11. Jaxson Hayes, L.A. Lakers: $11,973,072

Hayes is a valuable player now that he plays with Luka Dončić, feasting on rim runs and lobs enough to provide a plus option as an energy backup center.

He’s still only 26, and the Lakers have early Bird rights on him. Combined with his minimum cap hold, it means the Lakers are in a favorable position to use the rest of their cap space and then come back and sign Hayes to something close to market value. While the number above might be ambitious, something around two years and $15 million might be enough to keep the market at bay and the Lakers below the first apron.

12. Brook Lopez, LA Clippers (TO): $11,325,051

The Clippers have cap-room possibilities if they decline Lopez’s $9.2 million option, but even if they don’t go that route, they may choose to decline it just to open other possibilities.

For instance, LA could sign Lopez for less annual money over two years to smooth out their luxury tax management if it decided to re-sign both Bennedict Mathurin and John Collins. If the Clippers choose cap room, they could also decline the option to sign Lopez into their room exception for nearly the same amount (up to $9.4 million). Either way, it seems unlikely that he becomes a true free agent given the Clippers’ paucity of bigs.

13. Robert Williams, Portland: $11,260,332

Williams, when healthy, is a starting-caliber center who protects the rim, moves his feet and was a monstrous presence on the glass last season (22.3 percent rebound rate). He even made nine 3s last season in 2025-26 — increasing his career total to 10 — but the bulk of his value on offense comes from rim runs that produced a 72.2 true shooting percentage.

About that first part … he’s never played more than 61 games in a season and only played 85 over his last three seasons. That makes him a high-risk, high-reward signing, but one that contending teams should target with their non-taxpayer midlevel exception. Portland also has enough room below the tax line to bring him back and has full Bird rights on him.

14. Nikola Vučević, Boston: $10,690,647

Vučević wasn’t quite what the Celtics hoped, but with a full offseason, perhaps his floor-stretching game will fit better in Boston’s 3-point-happy system. While his defensive limitations make him unrealistic as a starting center for a playoff team, he can still hit perimeter shots and punish switches with his post game. He’ll also be 36 by opening day, so he may be at the point where he’s only signing one-year deals. With full Bird rights on Vučević, Boston’s cap situation can accommodate re-signing him if the Celtics are interested.

15. Al Horford, Golden State (PO): $9,326,606

The Warriors had non-Bird Rights on Horford, and he’s agreed to opt out of his contract and return on a two-year deal.

Horford was one of the most interesting players on the market. He’s a 55-game player in the regular season at this point (the 40-year-old never plays back-to-backs anymore) but one whose defensive switchability and offensive floor-spacing make him very well-suited to being a fifth option in a playoff game. One wondered if he’d consider a return to Boston, but alas, that wasn’t the case.

16. Jusuf Nurkić, Utah: $8,956,668

Nurkić wasn’t even close to the worst Jazz player to record a triple-double last season. In fact, he played 41 very solid games before suffering whatever malady was invented for him to miss the other 41.

Nurkić turns 32 this summer and would be coming back as a backup in a loaded Jazz frontcourt, but Utah has full Bird rights on him and a cap sheet that can easily absorb his return. Utah might even try giving him a one-year balloon deal, with a second non-guaranteed year to use as a trade chip, because the Jazz have enough room below the tax line to fit a relatively large number and still use their non-taxpayer MLE for wing help.

17. Jock Landale, Atlanta: $6,039,030

Landale was good enough in Memphis and Atlanta to earn a raise from last season’s minimum deal. The Hawks don’t have Bird rights on him because he was on a one-year minimum deal, but Atlanta might still elect to bring him back with a chunk of its non-taxpayer midlevel exception (or the room exception if the Hawks operate as a cap-room team).

If Landale’s market turns chilly, Atlanta also can re-sign him as a non-Bird free agent for up to $3.41 million without using exception money. Realistically, such a contract would likely be a one-plus-one with a player option.

18. Quinten Post, Golden State (R): $5,737,362

Post is a restricted free agent, but it’s not clear what his fit is on Golden State, especially if the Warriors bring back all three of Al Horford, Kristaps Porziņģis and Draymond Green.

As a result, an interested team might be able to poach the stretch five with even a relatively meek offer sheet (say, three years and $15 million), especially given the tight needle the Warriors are trying to thread with the tax aprons and other, higher-priority free agents.

19. Marvin Bagley, Dallas: $5,269,061

Bagley restored some of his value around the league with a solid half-season in Washington before he was sent to Dallas as salary-matching flotsam in the Anthony Davis trade. He doesn’t seem a fit for the Mavs’ current roster but can add value as a fifth big who toggles between power forward and center and provides some offensive juice off the bench.

20. Thomas Bryant, Cleveland: $5,165,203

Bryant has defensive limitations, but he plays so hard that he retains a lot of regular-season value as a backup center. That value tends to diminish in a playoff environment when it’s easier to hunt his slow feet on defense, but as a minimum guy who gets you through 82 games as a fifth big, you could do a lot worse. Note that Cleveland likely can’t afford to go above a minimum contract on Bryant given the Cavs’ tax issues. I’m not sure his market will be much beyond that anywhere else either, but he’ll have a landing spot somewhere.

If you’re looking for a backup big, you can do a lot worse than Thomas Bryant. (Ken Blaze / Imagn Images)

21. Karlo Matković, New Orleans (TO): $4,973,768

Matković is a little too small to start at center but not quite skilled enough to play at the forward spots. However, he provides athletic pop and energy off the bench and is useful enough as a fifth big to warrant a roster spot for a team to see if the 25-year-old can take another step forward.

Given that his team option for this year is for only $2.3 million — even less than the veteran minimum — and that the Pelicans will have a difficult time keeping its roster below the tax line, the Pels’ best move is likely to pick up the option. Note that Matković would also be eligible for an extension off that number, but New Orleans shouldn’t be in a big rush to ink something.

22. Jonas Valančiūnas, Denver (PG): $4,801,937

Valančiūnas has a $10 million deal for this year but only $2 million of it is guaranteed. Given the Nuggets’ precarious tax apron situation, I expect Denver to waive-and-stretch him, producing a cap hit of just $666,667 and making him a free agent.

If so, Valančiūnas would likely have interest for the minimum exception or even a bit more. However, he also has had strong interest from European squads, and his power game might play better overseas at this point. Don’t be surprised if the next time you see him stateside is playing for Lithuania at the 2028 Olympics in L.A.

23. Micah Potter, Indiana (TONG): $4,187,130

Potter has a non-guaranteed team option for $2.8 million and did enough in Indiana’s otherwise lost 2025-26 season that the Pacers should probably keep him around. The best move for Indy would be to pick up the option, see if it needs his non-guaranteed money to use in a trade and, if not, start the year with him as the third center.

24. Kevon Looney, New Orleans (TO): $4,179,174

New Orleans seems likely to decline Looney’s $8 million team option given the Pelicans’ other choices at center and their proximity to the tax line. Looney barely got in the mix last season, playing only 21 games between injuries and ineffectiveness, and is probably looking at a minimum deal to keep his career going at 30.

Tier 5: Good minimums

25. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Toronto (TONG)

Jackson-Davis is good enough to warrant the Raptors picking up the option and keeping him around, especially because they don’t have to decide on his contract guarantee until Jan. 10. He’s an undersized third center who seems to have lost some athletic pop since his impactful rookie season, but Toronto’s tax situation is such that having a $2.4 million salary that is easily vaporized at any time of need is a fairly valuable asset.

26. Andre Drummond, Philadelphia

After shooting 18 of 140 from 3 in his first 13 NBA seasons, Drummond rather suddenly shot 35.6 percent last season while nearly doubling his career total. For good measure, he made a dagger corner 3 in the Play-In Tournament win over Orlando.

Entering camp at age 33, Drummond is firmly on the one-year-at-a-time portion of his career, but he remains a voracious rebounder (23.6 percent rebound rate last season) who moves better than you think on the perimeter. Whether in Philly or somewhere else, there’s a spot for him in a backup role.

27. Zach Collins, Chicago

Collins’ wildly optimistic contract extension, signed in 2023, has finally come to an end, and he’ll likely be on the market for minimum deals going forward.

Collins only played 10 games for the Bulls last season but scored at a career-high rate and is still only 28. He’s obviously not worth what the Spurs paid him, and his injury-proneness is an issue, but as a big who both stretches the floor and blocks shots, he has utility and should deliver on a minimum deal.

28. Mo Wagner, Orlando

Wagner came back from an ACL tear at midseason but wasn’t quite his former self. Most notably, he blocked only two shots in 427 minutes and shot just 48.8 percent on his 2s.

At his best, Wagner is a tough stretch five who can score inside and out and may show more of that one year removed from the injury. The Magic have a crowded frontcourt, but the fact that his brother is one of Orlando’s key players could lend itself to Wagner rejoining on another minimum deal and trying to get paid again next summer.

29. Tolu Smith, Detroit (TO)

Smith’s deal seems set up for the classic decline-and-re-sign, as his team option for $2.4 million could be declined by the Pistons as a means to ink him to a longer-term deal for minimum or minimum-ish money that has non-guaranteed years, a team option or both. Smith only played 137 minutes last season due to Detroit’s deep center rotation but looked the part whenever he played (and in summer league, for what that’s worth). At worst, he seems a viable third center.

30. Branden Carlson, Oklahoma City (R-2w)

Carlson played last season on a two-way deal, and the Thunder’s bursting-at-the-seams roster likely can’t handle promoting him, which could make him a good poaching target for a team hunting cheap frontcourt help. The 7-foot Carlson posted a 17.7 PER last season and shot 36.0 percent from 3 on solid volume. He’s already 27 but seems overdue for some real minutes.

31. Nick Richards, Chicago

Richards wasn’t quite what the Suns hoped after Phoenix overpaid for him and won’t be part of a rebuilding Chicago team’s plans either. However, he should be a target for teams in need of a third center due to his plus size, rebounding and shot blocking.

32. Dwight Powell, Dallas

Powell turns 35 this summer and hasn’t played more than 1,000 minutes since 2022-23, but I presume he will continue signing short-term deals in Dallas until he’s 87. Also, his minutes last season were halfway decent, even if his scoring rate has dropped and his turnover rate has increased. Powell shot 67.0 percent with a career-high rebound rate last season.

Dwight Powell has been with the Mavericks since 2014. (Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)

33. Drew Eubanks, Sacramento

Eubanks failed to make an impact in 42 games for the Kings last season and might have lost some bounce from his peak, producing just a 12.9 percent rebound rate in 2025-26. The Kings likely will move on from him, and he probably won’t open the year in a rotation, but as a third center, he’s still a solid option.

34. Jericho Sims, Milwaukee (PO)

I don’t really understand why the Bucks gave Sims a player option worth $2.8 million last summer, but he would get the same amount of money if he declined it and then signed a one-year deal with the Bucks for the veteran minimum. That would be in the Bucks’ interest because it lowers their cap number, and in Sims’ interest because he could refuse a trade to another team.

35. Kelly Olynyk, San Antonio

The least untalented of San Antonio’s surfeit of surplus centers at the end of the bench last season, Olynyk slumped to just 25.5 percent from 3 in 2025-26, but that’s an outlier. The 35-year-old’s ability to come in and knock down some shots makes him roster-viable in a way that most lumbering veteran bigs are not.

Tier 6: Fringe guys, two-ways

36. Ariel Hukporti, New York (R)

A serviceable, no-frills big with a phenomenally high turnover rate for a player of his type, Hukporti would be a restricted free agent if the Knicks make a qualifying offer, but it seems like it wouldn’t be worth their trouble. New York might even be able to bring him back on a two-way deal, for which he is still eligible, although a roster deal as a minimum-contract third big also seems possible after he gave the Knicks some decent minutes in the NBA Finals.

37. Moussa Cissé, Dallas (R-2w)

Aside from Carlson above, Cissé might be my favorite two-way player who didn’t earn a promotion last season. He is an undersized ball of energy at center who posted a 21.6 percent rebound rate and 7.2 percent block rate in his 38 games. He’s not going to stretch the floor or wow you with his decision-making, but as a play-hard third center who runs rim-to-rim, he looks like a really solid option. Dallas will have matching rights if it makes a qualifying offer, which in this case is merely another two-way deal, so the Mavs have a strong advantage here.

38. Charles Bassey, Golden State

Everyone’s first phone call when they’re desperate for a big man in-season, Bassey played 13 games for four different teams last season, with his career operating almost entirely in 10-day increments. He’s mostly an unremarkable rebound-and-rim-running five from central casting, but his 20.8 percent career rebound rate is notable, and he’s still only 25. I wouldn’t be surprised if he earned a more permanent roster spot this season.

39. Mason Plumlee, San Antonio

Everyone’s favorite reverse-dunking converted lefty, Plumlee’s playing time vanished last season as Charlotte found better options, and his most notable contribution was flagrantly fouling Jared McCain at the end of Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. I don’t really understand San Antonio’s strategy of filling the end of the bench with washed bigs and don’t expect Plumlee to be back, but the 36-year-old could still fill a niche as a third big somewhere.

40. Larry Nance Jr., Cleveland

Now locked firmly into the veteran-locker-room-guy part of his career, Nance only played 35 games last season and wasn’t all that effective when he did, finishing with a 9.5 PER and minus-3.4 BPM with career lows in rebound rate, block rate and true shooting percentage. The 33-year-old’s return in Cleveland is likely contingent on other factors with the Cavs’ roster, especially given the Cavs’ tax situation.

41. Xavier Tillman Sr., Charlotte

Tillman is only 27 but blessed with the knees of a much older man, one reason he only played 30 games between two teams last season, and he’s reportedly headed to Turkey next season. At his best, he’s a smart, if undersized, five who can defend pick-and-roll and make good decisions on offense, but even in good health, his severe limitations as a scorer put a hard cap on what kind of role he can fill.

42. Amari Williams, Boston (TONG)

Williams signed a roster contract late last season because his “draft rookie” status helped Boston slither beneath the luxury-tax line, but the Celtics seem more likely to decline his $2.15 million team option and bring him back on a two-way. That way, the Celtics can use his roster spot on players who have more win-now viability.

43. Bismack Biyombo, San Antonio

Biyombo posted a 4.5 PER in 25 games last season. Yikes! His job, of course, was to serve as veteran counsel to the Spurs’ young stars, and he’s well-liked enough in that role that he might be back for an encore.

44. DeAndre Jordan, New Orleans

The veteran OG only appeared in a dozen games for the Pelicans, with his role mostly being to serve as a veteran sage for young bigs like Derik Queen and Yves Missi. Whether he returns likely depends on other roster decisions further up the food chain.

45. Tony Bradley, Atlanta

Bradley had an underwhelming 38-game stint in Indiana before the Pacers released him and finished his year in Atlanta when the Hawks signed him off his couch in April. He’s only 28, so you wouldn’t exactly call him finished, but he’s not two-way eligible, and last season was pretty rough. He’d likely have to play his way back in through the G League.

46. Taj Gibson, Memphis (NG)

Gibson is technically under contract this season for $3.8 million after the Grizzlies signed him at the end of 2025-26, but Memphis will either use this deal as money in a trade or waive him before the season starts. Even if the Grizzlies wanted to bring Gibson back, they would be better off cutting him and signing him to a new deal for the veteran minimum.

47. James Wiseman, last with Indiana

Wiseman came back from a torn Achilles last fall but only played four games before he was waived again and didn’t resurface in the second half of the season. He’s 25 and showed some flashes in the 2024 preseason for Indiana, but the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft might need to familiarize himself with the Cyrillic alphabet to continue his career.

48. Dario Šarić, last with Detroit

Traded and then waived after proving utterly unable to fill backup center minutes in Denver and Sacramento the past two seasons, Šarić’s next step is presumably a return to Europe.