FA Tracker: Quick analysis on every 2025 free agent
The Jazz got creative when structuring Jordan Clarkson’s new deal. (Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune) " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/saltcityhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/clarksondrive.jpg?fit=300%2C189&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/saltcityhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/clarksondrive.jpg?fit=1024%2C645&ssl=1" src="https://i0.wp.com/saltcityhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/clarksondrive.jpg?resize=1024%2C645&ssl=1" alt width="1024" height="645" class="size-full wp-image-29776" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/saltcityhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/clarksondrive.jpg?w=1024&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/saltcityhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/clarksondrive.jpg?resize=300%2C189&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/saltcityhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/clarksondrive.jpg?resize=768%2C484&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/saltcityhoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/clarksondrive.jpg?resize=950%2C598&ssl=1 950w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px">
Jordan Clarkson joined the free agent class on Monday when he and the Jazz agreed to a buyout. (Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune)
Free agency isn’t what it used to be.
The NBA has addressed some gaps in in extension rules that have made it way easier for teams and players to continue their relationship without ever having to endure days of free agency pitches and chairs blocking doors. That’s probably a good thing as it relates to team continuity, but has taken some of the oomph out of the July 1 experience of watching guys fly off the shelf at the NBA’s talent superstore.
But that doesn’t mean we’ll ignore the possibility. As we’ve done for years now, we’ve packaged up a list of every single player who is (or could decide on his own to be) a free agent this summer. Alongside each name are some win math stats, key financial decisions, and a single sentence (in most cases) about the potential Jazz fit.
This will be updated throughout July as guys come on and off the market.
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Last updated: 6/30 at 2pm MDT
Quick analysis on every 2025 NBA free agent:
Malik Beasley: 7.2 wins, $6M last year – The former Jazzman spent this last season shimmying his way into Piston fans’ hearts, but now is being investigated as part of a gambling probe.
Brook Lopez: 6.6 wins, $23M last year – Lopez is still a defensive anchor, even at 37, but doesn’t align well with Utah’s youth movement.
Dorian Finney-Smith: 6.2 wins, declined $15.4M PO – The non-taxpayer MLE is lower than the option DFS declined, but he clearly thinks he can get a longer-term commitment somewhere… possibly Houston.
Ty Jerome: 6.1 wins, $2.6M last year – Jerome just exploded out of nowhere thanks to a 44% outside shooting season, and the Cavs are bracing for him to leave, which is why they locked up Sam Merrill and traded for Lonzo Ball.
Chris Paul: 5.9 wins, $10.5M last year – The Point God played and started all 82 last season, but the decline has inarguably started, with two straight single-digit scoring seasons (his first ever).
Josh Giddey (R): 5.6 wins, $8.4M last year – Giddey had his best shooting season yet (.570 TS%) after being traded to Chicago, but likely remains a priority for the Bulls, who have matching rights.
Myles Turner: 5.5 wins, $19.9M last year – What Indiana does with their 2015 lottery selection will determine whether they can use cap exceptions to stay plucky during Tyrese Haliburton’s yearlong rehab, but either way, Turner probably doesn’t fit a need for Utah unless there’s a Walker Kessler trade.
Luke Kornet: 4.9 wins, $2.1M last year – He’s only ever been a low-minute backup for five teams in eight years, but advanced stats love him.
Al Horford: 4.8 wins, $9.5M last year – He’s still a vital part of Boston’s defensive identity, but he’ll be 40 by the time Jayson Tatum is back from his injury, so he might not make sense there.
Dennis Schröder: 4.6 wins, $13M last year – The German guard is set to be a possibility for the Kings, and the Jazz probably don’t need to add another guard anyway unless it’s someone who totally changes their reality.
Santi Aldama (R): 4.5 wins, $4.0M last year – Aldama has quietly been really solid for Memphis as his role has increased: he’s averaged 12-6-3 (rounded) in 26 minutes per game over the two most recent seasons, with solid advanced stats.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker: 4.1 wins, $4.3 last year – NAW has solidified himself as a rotational piece since being included in Utah’s 2023 trade with Minnesota, but the reality is that he might have not had the same trajectory if he had stayed put, since Utah is swimming in guards.
Caris LeVert: 4.0 wins, $16.6M last year – Atlanta was said to be interested in retaining the 6-foot-6 wing, which they could do without winding up in the tax.
Tyus Jones: 3.8 wins, $2.1M last year – Jones is a steady presence at point, and could be an interesting mentor if other vet trades happen first.
Guerschon Yabusele (R): 3.7 wins, $2.1M last year – The former first-round pick parlayed a strong FIBA showing into an NBA return and gave Philly 11 points and almost six rebounds a game as a meaty combo forward.
Gary Trent Jr.: 3.6 wins, $2.1M last year – Trent is a young (26) veteran who just had his most efficient season yet (.591 TS%) and then played well in Milwaukee’s short playoff run.
Quentin Grimes (R): 3.4 wins, $4.3M last year – The Jazz have liked Grimes clear back to their negotiations with New York in 2022, but based on the breakout performance he had in half a season with Philly (22-5-5), his asking price is high.
Cameron Payne: 3.2 wins, $2.1M last year – The lefty guard with a peculiar shot was Jalen Brunson’s primary backup in New York, but the Jazz aren’t exactly shopping for more mid-tier bench guards, barring some other roster drama.
Kevon Looney: 3.1 wins, $8.0M last year – Looney is a workman style big and a good rebounder, but barring a trade, the Jazz probably envision most of their center minutes going to Kessler, Filipowski and new acquisition Jusuf Nurkic.
Tim Hardaway Jr.: 2.8 wins, $16.2M last year – He rightly got credit for aiding in Detroit’s remarkable turnaround after starting every game he played for them, but actually shot and scored less than in any of his Dallas seasons.
Gary Payton II: 2.8 wins, $9.1M last year – He has a solid defensive reputation (which should make his pop proud), but at just 6’2″ he’s a little positionally limited.
Duncan Robinson (ETO): 2.8 wins, used $19.9M ETO – For a bench shooting specialist who sometimes starts, we’ll see if there’s a $20M offer out there in this cap environment… or if Robinson triggered the ETO to lock in long-term money, quite possibly in Miami.
D’Angelo Russell: 2.6 wins, $18.7M last year – DLo is a talented scorer and an eccentric personality, and frankly it would be a bit surprising if the Jazz took that risk given their efforts to create a strong culture for the kiddos.
Luke Kennard (PO): 2.6 wins, $9.3M PO – Kennard is a career 44% outside shooter who does enough other stuff at a B-/C+ level to have been a rotation fixture in each of his three spots, and certainly jives with the Ainges’ pursuit of more shooting.
Cam Thomas (R): 2.4 wins, $4M last year – Thomas is a gunner with high usage and middling efficiency, but did a bit more passing last season as Brooklyn used him as more of a hub.
Russell Westbrook: 2.4 wins, $3.3M last year – Russ has passed through the Jazz franchise (at least on paper) twice, which seems to be good evidence that the basketball plans don’t line up.
Jaxson Hayes: 2.4 wins, $2.5M last year – He disappeared almost entirely from LA’s rotation in the playoffs, which is part of why Kessler remains connected to the Lakers, at least in the rumor mill.
Chris Boucher: 2.4 wins, $10.8M last year – He’s at least gotten back to taking and making more threes, but he’s broadly the same player he was early in his Toronto experience, and 32 now.
Jonathan Kuminga (R): 2.1 wins, $7.6M last year – It sounds likely that his time with GSW is nearly over, meaning he might be gettable… but he has yet to really put it all together at a level that has earned him the trust of Steve Kerr
Clint Capela: 2.0 wins, $22.3M last year – Capela might be a minimum signing at this point, which is a weird thing to write about someone who has started 88% of his NBA games.
Spencer Dinwiddie: 2.0 wins, $2.1M last year – His per-minute production has been fairly consistent across his career, but probably has too much of a profile to sign on as a mentor-type role.
Alec Burks: 2.0 wins, $2.1M last year – Burks is going to be 34 in July, and has played for eight teams since being a Jazz lottery pick in 2011.
DeAndre Ayton: 1.9 wins, bought out from $35.6M guaranteed contract – Ayton is a surprise entrant into the free agent field, at a time when some high-profile teams are said to be seeking center help.
Kevin Porter Jr.: 1.8 wins, declined $2.5M PO – KPJ declined his player option, but is still expected to return to Milwaukee.
Taurean Prince: 1.7 wins, $2.1M last year – Once a rotation staple in Atlanta, Prince has bounced around to five teams in the past five seasons.
Jake LaRavia: 1.7 wins, $3.4M last year: He had his rookie contract team option declined, and then was traded midseason to the Kings, who only ran him 367 total minutes.
Tre Jones: 1.6 wins, $9.1M last year – Jones was at one point considered a bit of a piece when he was with San Antonio, but as detailed elsewhere on this list, the Jazz don’t need more tiny guards.
Mo Wagner: 1.5 wins, $11M TO declined – Magic declined his TO because $11M is a lot for that role, but they’re still interested in keeping him around to play next to his brother, Franz.
Ryan Rollins (R): 1.4 wins, prorated minimum last year – A late two-way conversion, Milwaukee now has the right to control his destiny.
Aaron Holiday: 1.4 wins, $4.9M TO declined – It’s already being reported that Holiday is as good as retained in Houston.
Jabari Walker (R): 1.3 wins, $2.0M last year – He made threes at a better clip last season, which is pretty much a prerequisite for success as a wiry wing.
Jae’Sean Tate: 1.2 wins, $7.6M last year – Houston plans to retain Tate, now the longest-tenured Rocket.
Sandro Mamukelashvili: 1.2 wins, $2.1M last year – The idea of “Mamu” is a big man with some skill in space, which definitely works better at least year’s .628 true shooting than at his prior .552.
Trendon Watford: 1.1 wins, $2.7M last year – Another 6’9″ wing who can shoot some is probably going to get a look somewhere.
Ben Simmons: 1.1 wins, prorated minimum after trade – He played sparingly for the Clippers as a midseason signing, but is the king of offseason workout videos.
Paul Reed: 1.0 wins, prorated minimum last year – The Jazz liked him enough to give him a creative offer sheet two summers ago, although he celebrated a bit when it got matched..
Thomas Bryant: 1.0 wins, $2.1M last year – He was pretty promising during his Washington years, but has averaged 41 games per season during his 8-year NBA career.
Dalano Banton: 1.0 wins, $2.2M last year – Mark Pereira dropped his name on our FA preview pod as a 6’9″ wing with some guard skills.
Jordan Clarkson: 0.9 wins, buyout on his $14M deal – After six highly entertaining years, the Clarkson era is over in Utah, as one of the vibiest Jazzmen ever looks for a role with a contender.
Talen Horton-Tucker: 0.9 wins, $2.1M last year – The Jazz probably won’t revisit the THT experiment with their current glut of guards.
Brandon Williams (R): 0.9 wins, prorated minimum last year – He was a late in-season signing who now Dallas can control via match rights.
Gary Harris: 0.9 wins, $7.5 TO declined – There was a point in time when Harris would have been the perfect complement for the Jazz as a 3-and-D wing.
Garrison Matthews: 0.8 wins, $2.2M last year – Matthews specializes as an off-ball shooting threat.
Seth Curry: 0.8 wins, $2.1M last year – He’s had a productive career with nine teams, but was sort of on the fringe of Charlotte’s rotation.
Javonte Green: 0.8 wins, prorated minimum last year – He did his best work in Chicago, but saw only 166 total minutes after teaming up with the Cavs midseason.
Amir Coffey: 0.7 wins, $3.9M last year – The 6-year Clipper has been a useful 3-and-D wing in limited minutes.
Kyle Lowry: 0.7 wins, $2.1M last year – The 6-time All-Star averaged just 3.9 point in Philly last season, and just turned 39.
Bol Bol: 0.7 wins, $2.1M last year – Few things match the joy of when Bol Bol randomly does a preposterous thing, but he has only cracked 13 mpg once.
Monte Morris: 0.7 wins, $2.1M last year – Once a productive guard for Denver and then Washington, lately Morris has mostly been drawing spot duty.
Cory Joseph: 0.6 wins, $3.5M TO declined – You don’t often see guys go from “playoff starter” to “team option declined” in a couple of months, but Orlando’s guard situation has changed with health and the Bane trade.
Trey Lyles: 0.6 wins, $8M last year – That’s now a 10-year career for the Jazz’s 2015 draft pick.
Malcolm Brogdon: 0.6 wins, $22.5M last year – Brogdon has never failed to reach a double-figure scoring average, although his outside shot did abandon him last year in the capital (<29%).
Torrey Craig: 0.5 wins, prorated minimum last year – His calling card is wing defense, although the spot-up shooting comes and goes.
Dante Exum: 0.5 wins, $3.2M last year, restricted – The former Jazz lottery pick has been pretty productive for Dallas when healthy… but injuries have limited him throughout his now 11-year career.
DeAndre Jordan: 0.5 wins, $2.1M last year – With his 37th birthday looming, expect Jordan to sign again at the minimum, possibly to remain as Nikola Jokic’s backup.
Eric Gordon (PO): 0.5 wins, declined $3.5M PO – Gordon is also approaching 37 (on Christmas Day), and opted out of his deal with the Sixers.
Mason Plumlee: 0.5 wins, $2.1M last year – The savvy-but-limited big might need to look elsewhere after Phoenix added multiple centers.
Doug McDermott: 0.5 wins, $2.1M last year – His 11-year career is a testament that if you can shoot (41.1% career 3FG), you can hang around this league.
Larry Nance: 0.4 wins, $11.2M last year – It’s been a tough few years health-wise for Nance, who only saw the court 24 times last season.
Caleb Houstan: 0.4 wins, $2.2M TO declined – The low-usage bench wing had his option declined.
De’Anthony Melton: 0.3 wins, $12.8M last year – He has a reputation as a plus defender at guard who can also run the offense in stretches.
Tre Mann: 0.3 wins, $4.9M last year – Mann averaged a dozen points on pretty good shooting since joining Charlotte midway through the 2023-24 season, but didn’t get a QO.
Linday Waters III: 0.3 wins, $2.2M last year – So far, the best version of Waters has been as a low-minute spot shooter.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: 0.3 wins, $2.2M last year – He’s 6’9″ with decent touch, which makes him sound like a modern wing, except that teams have mostly used him as a combo big so far.
Dominick Barlow: 0.3 wins, $2.3M TO declined- It’s no surprise Atlanta declined the option since they only found 3765 minutes for him all last season.
Luka Garza: 0.3 wins, $2.3M TO declined – He’s had some useful stretches, but mostly has been buried on a Minnesota team with a lot of high-quality big men.
Jeff Green: 0.2 wins, $8M last year – The glorious Jeff Green Jazz era lasted all of a half season, although that was under a different coaching staff.
Landry Shamet: 0.2 wins, prorated minimum last year – He’s 28 and a very consistent shooter, but also a 6’4″ guard, which the Jazz don’t need more of.
Jordan McLaughlin: 0.2 wins, $2.1M last year – Speaking of tiny guards, McLaughlin’s minutes have tapered down.
Josh Minott: 0.2 wins, $2.32 TO declined – There’s not a huge body of work to go off of here: just 463 total minutes over three NBA seasons.
Isaiah Jackson (R): 0.1 wins, $4.4M last year – An Achilles injury kept him out most of last season, but there’s some talent there.
Patty Mills: 0.1 wins, $2.1M last year – Signed last summer to be a mentor to the young guards, Mills once again finds himself as a free agent.
Delon Wright: 0.1 wins, $2.1M last year – The former Ute is a combo guard who at his peak was a pretty solid defender.
Damion Lee: 0.1 wins, $2.1M last year -He has played just 25 games over the last two seasons due to injury.
Chuma Okeke: 0.1 wins, $2.5M TO declined – The former No. 16 pick just hasn’t really held onto steady minutes in any of his three spots.
Pat Spencer (R): 0.0 wins, prorated minimum last year – He gave GSW some filler minutes during injury stretches, but is 5-for-24 in his career from deep.
Kevin Knox II: 0.0 wins, prorated minimum last year – The Jazz briefly employed Knox once before and opted not to continue the relationship.
Lamar Stevenson: 0.0 wins, prorated minimum last year – Stevenson was a legit rotation player in Cleveland, but played only 17 total games last season, party due to injury.
Lonnie Walker IV: 0.0 wins, $2.9M TO declined – Good example here of why “6’4″ scoring guard with middling efficiency” is a pretty replaceable archetype.
Jae Crowder: 0.0 wins, prorated minimum last year – JUST 103 MINUTES FOR JAE DURING HIS SACTO STINT IN HIS 13TH YEAR IN THE LEAGUE.
Johnny Juzang: 0.0 wins, waived off $2.9M non-guaranteed – Juzang saw some real growth over his three Jazz years, but the front office is clearly trying to create more opportunities for young guards.
Markieff Morris: –0.1 wins, $2.1M last year – Neither Dallas nor L.A. needed a ton from Morris, who has now played just 23 games per season over the last four years.
Markelle Fultz: -0.1 wins, prorated minimum last year – Orlando might have wished they still had Fultz amid all their guard injuries, but instead he was busy barely getting off the Kings’ bench.
Elfrid Payton: -0.1 wins, $3.2M TO declined – Payton started each of the last three seasons NOT on a roster.
Taj Gibson: -0.2 wins, $2.1M last year – Gibson just turned 40, so we’ll see who could use a camp counselor type veteran.
Vlatko Cancar: -0.2 wins, $2.1M last year – He’s been healthy for parts of five seasons, and still hasn’t made himself a rotation regular in Denver.
Jericho Sims: -0.2 wins, $2.1M last year – Sims is high-energy, but doesn’t really shoot, score or block shots.
Charles Bassey: -0.3 wins, $2.1M last year – A second-round pick who hasn’t really ensconced himself in a rotation, despite showing momentary flashes early on in San Antonio.
Maxwell Lewis: -0.3 wins, waived from $2.2M NG – Maxwell got a little more run for the tanking Nets toward the end of the season, but they decided not to bring him back.
Anthony Gill: -0.3 wins, waived from $2.5M NG – Sub-30% outside shooting isn’t a great recipe for success as a 6’7″ wing.
Bruce Brown: -0.4 wins, $23M last year – He was pretty valuable after helping Denver with the ’22 championship, but has underperformed on this contract.
Jordan Miller: -0.5 wins, prorated minimum last year – Miller wasn’t converted from his two-way contract until March, and only played spot minutes for the Clips.
Tristan Thompson: -0.6 wins, $2.1M last year – The veteran big man’s games played over the last three seasons: 40, 49, 0.
Alex Len: -1.0 wins, prorated minimum last year – He hasn’t averaged 8ppg since before the bubble, but hangs around because he’s an interior bruiser.
Braxton Key: not enough minutes, prorated minimum last year – The 6’8″ wing has never played more than 20 games in a season.
James Johnson: not enough minutes, $2.1M last year – The expectation is that the Wyoming native might be close to unlacing his sneakers for good.
Terence Davis: not enough minutes, prorated minimum last year – He was signed at the very end of the season after being out of the league in 2023-24, and only appeared in one game.
Coming off 2-way deals (restricted if qualifying offer tendered): Kai Jones (0.9), Quenton Jackson (0.7), Jeff Dowtin (0.7), Dru Smith (0.5), Bones Hyland (0.5), Branden Carlsen (0.5), Cam Spencer (0.4), Keaton Wallace (0.3), Oscar Tshiebwe (0.3), Drew Peterson (0.2), Trevelin Queen (0.2), Daeqwon Plowden (0.1), Emoni Bates (0.1), PJ Hall (0.1), N’Faly Dante (0.1), Yuki Kawamura (0.1), Tristan Vukcevic (0.1), Jacob Toppin (0.0), Tyson Etienne (0.0), EJ Liddell (0.0), Kessler Edwards (0.0), Kelon Brooks Jr. (0.0), MarJon Beauchamp (0.0), Alex Ducas (0.0), TyTy Washington (0,0), Spencer Jones (-0.1), Enrique Freeman (-0.1), Christian Koloko (-0.1), Josh Christopher (-0.1), Stanley Umude (-0.1), Adam Flagler (-0.1), Justin Minaya (-0.1), Sidy Cissoko (-0.1), JT Thor (-0.1), Luke Travers (-0.2), Trey Alexander (-0.2), Jamal Cain (-0.2), Jaylen Martin (-0.3), Jalen Hood-Schifino (-0.4), Reece Beekman (-0.5), Wendell Moore Jr. (-0.5), Micah Potter (-0.5), Marques Bolden (did not play), Seth Lundy (did not play), Mac McClund (not enough minutes), Mason Jones (not enough minutes), David Duke Jr. (not enough minutes)
Off the Market
James Harden: 11.6 EPM wins added, Agreed to 2/$81.5M (w/ PO) after PO decline – Most expect Harden to stay in Clipperland, and even if he didn’t, the Jazz adding a 36-year-old who has to have the ball all the time would be a curious way to manage development of all their young guards/wings.
Fred VanVleet: 8.4 wins – Agreed to new 2/$50M deal with Houston
Kyrie Irving: 8.0 wins – Agreed to new 3/$119M deal (with PO) in Dallas
Julius Randle (PO): 6.4 wins, $30.9M PO – Agreed to new 3/$100M (w/ PO) after declining option – Randle just had his deepest and best playoff run ever and may opt out to capitalize — but if he does, he’ll be out of Utah’s price range.
Naz Reid (PO): 5.4 wins, 5/$125M after opting out – He’s a very different type of center from Kessler, but it’s not crazy to think Reid could look for a bigger role elsewhere, especially if Randle opts in.
Davion Mitchell (R): 4.3 wins, – Agreed to new 2/$24M deal in Miami; Mitchell shot lights out from deep after arriving in Miami midseason (44.7%), but mostly is still thought of as a change-of-pace, sparkplug type of guard who.
Sam Merrill: 3.5 wins, $2.2M last year – Agreed to 4/$38M deal to stay in Cleveland; Win math stats love efficient shooters, so the placement here might be overvaluing him some — but it would be fun to see the USU product keep sniping way at the NBA level.
Bobby Portis (PO): 2.8 wins, Agreed to 3/$44M after $13.4M PO declined– A lengthy suspension cut into an otherwise productive season, but in each of the previous two seasons he was a 6MOY finalist.
Nicolas Batum (PO): 2.4 wins**, $4.9M PO – Agreed to 2/$11.5M (with a TO) to stay with Clippers after declining option –** He’s 36 now, and it’s been six years since he turned in a double-digit season, but at this point the value proposition here is mostly built around his veteran know-how and spot shooting.
Ziaire Williams: 2.1 wins, $6.1M last year – Agreed to 2/$12M (w/ TO) to stay in Brooklyn– The NBA loves 6’9″ wings, and Williams finally got enough minutes in Brooklyn to average 10 & 5, but he probably isn’t changing anybody’s reality, and he didn’t get a QO.
Day’Ron Sharpe: 1.8 wins, $4.0M last year – Agreed to 2/$12M to stay in Brooklyn
Justin Edwards: 0.3 wins – Agreed to new 3-yr deal with Philadelphia after TO declined
Garrett Temple: 0.1 wins – Agreed to 1-yr minimum deal with Toronto
Joe Ingles: -0.1 wins, $2.1M last year: Agreed to 1-year minimum with Minnesota
Former two-way players off the market:
Collin Gillespie: 1.2 wins – Agreed to 1-yr deal with Phoenix
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