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Here are the best NBA free agents still unsigned
The 2024 NBA free agency class was never particularly strong or deep to begin with. Within 24 hours of the market opening on Sunday evening, most of the top players available were already off the board.
Paul George signed with the 76ers, Isaiah Hartenstein joined the Thunder, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope inked a deal with the Magic at the start of the free agency period. Even second tier free agents like Naji Marshall (Mavericks), Derrick Jones Jr. (Clippers), Tobias Harris (Pistons), and Jonas Valanciunas (Wizards) have found new homes. When Klay Thompson agreed to a three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks, another big name in free agency came off the board.
While the headline stars of this year’s free agency class are almost all gone, there are still some good values to be had. Who’s still left on the NBA free agent market? Glad you asked. Here are the 11 best players still unsigned in 2024 NBA free agency right now. Also read our instant grades for NBA free agency, and check out our live NBA free agency tracker.
11. Spencer Dinwiddie
Dinwiddie’s three-point shot and rim finishing fell off a cliff this past year in stops with Brooklyn and the Lakers, but that might make him a good buy low candidate for a contender. The 31-year-old is a big guard with pull-up shooting ability and some playmaking skill, but he failed to score efficiently from any part of the floor last season that wasn’t the free throw line. Guards who shoot under 40 percent from the field aren’t going to have a big market, but there’s still some value in Dinwiddie’s foul baiting and shooting.
10. Kyle Anderson
Anderson is a big 6’9 forward who is still effective defensively, but is coming off a rough offensive season. Anderson’s 54 percent true shooting made him one of the least efficient scorers in the league. Still, he placed in the 93rd percentile of defensive EPM by leveraging his size and smarts. He’ll never hit an outside shot and he remains very slow, but Anderson’s feel for the game on both ends still has some utility in the league.
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9. Malik Beasley
Beasley is a knockdown shooter who doesn’t provide much else. Still, there’s also a home for a player who hit 41.3 percent of his three-pointers on 542 attempts on the season. He’d be a welcome addition back for the Bucks, but his lack of defense and playmaking means he’s better in a smaller role.
8. Gary Trent Jr.
Trent can really shoot it from deep. He hit 39.3 percent of his three-pointers on 6.4 attempts per game with the Toronto Raptors last season. He’s decent defensively at generating steals, but has a bad habit of finding himself out of position on that end. Trent is kind of a one-trick pony, but every team needs shooting. Stil only 25 years old, Trent will find a home somewhere eventually even if he doesn’t get the big payday he was looking for.
7. Isaac Okoro
Okoro developed slowly as the former No. 5 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he showed real improvement in his fourth pro season with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year. The 6’5 wing is a tenacious backcourt defender quick enough to stick with speedy guards and strong enough to handle bigger assignments. The gaping hole in Okoro’s game has always been his jump shot, but last season he hit 39 percent of his threes on low volume. Okoro needs to keep upping his volume from three because teams still refuse to guard him from the outside, but his point-of-attack defense is so valuable that he should land a nice deal from Cleveland eventually.
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6. Tyus Jones
Jones is a classic point guard who consistently posts a high assist rate and a low turnover rate. He made a major leap as a shooter last season for a terrible Washington Wizards team by knocking down 41.4 percent of the 256 three-pointers he attempted. Jones is a smaller guard without top-end athleticism, and that limits his effectiveness as a driver and defender. Still only 28 years old, Jones is a solid caretaker point guard who can set up teammates but won’t have as much of an impact as his numbers might indicate.
5. Caleb Martin
Martin was one of the breakout stars of the Heat’s shocking 2023 NBA Finals run, but he had trouble sustaining his momentum last season. The 28-year-old forward is still tough defensively and has a 35 percent three-point stroke on low volume. It’s too bad he didn’t hit free agency a year earlier, or he’d be looking at a much bigger deal.
4. Moritz Wagner
Franz Wagner’s older brother turned in a solid season last year for the Magic as a 6’11 big man with some versatility offensively. Wagner finished efficiently inside, put up decent rebounding numbers, and did a good job getting to the foul line. Wagner should have a real market after posting ridiculous 67.6 percent true shooting last year. He never became a real three-point threat and he’s limited defensively, but Wagner knows who he is and is willing to do some dirty work.
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3. Buddy Hield
Hield is one of the best three-point shooters in NBA history, a high-volume 40 percent sniper from deep for his career. The 31-year-old looked awesome to start the season in the Pacers’ ultra-fast offense, but his play declined after a midseason trade to the Philadelphia 76ers. After a disappointing run in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, Hield might not get the money he’s looking for. It might be in his best interest to accept a short-term deal and hope to cash in again a year from now.
2. Miles Bridges
No team should want Bridges after the horrifying domestic violence allegations he faced in 2022 and beyond. The Hornets brought him back last season, and were smoked in his minutes on the floor despite the 26-year-old putting up career-best scoring numbers. Read our James Dator on how keeping Bridges killed his Hornets fandom.
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1. DeMar DeRozan
DeRozan is still incredibly productive as he enters his age-35 season. He’s a hyper-efficient mid-range scorer, he rarely turns the ball over, and he’s consistently amazing in crunch-time. DeRozan just requires a very particular fit due to his weaknesses as a shoot three-point shooter and defender. The Chicago Bulls appear ready to move on from DeRozan after three tremendous seasons so the team can rebuild in a loaded 2025 draft class. That’s a wise move for Chicago, but it leaves DeRozan without a home despite some good years left in his career. It feels like DeRozan could get squeezed in free agency due to the lack of money available. While that’s unfortunate for him, some team is going to end up with a great bargain.
