If you thought the 2025 NBA offseason was exciting, just wait another two years for a historically eventful summer. In that year, unlike this one, the free agent market will be ripe with talent, including some big names across several franchises.
In fact, with so many superstars potentially up for grabs, teams are already making an effort to free up their cap space and preserve their financial flexibility in the summer of 2027. For those teams who are patient and build a lucrative situation, they’ll be rewarded with star power that will shift their place in the NBA hierarchy.
As it stands, this is the current list of NBA free agents in 2027, barring any contract extensions that might take them off the market:
– Nikola Jokic
– Luka Doncic
– Giannis Antetokounmpo
– Donovan Mitchell
– Anthony Davis
– Trae Young
– Stephen Curry
– James Harden
– Kawhi Leonard
– Jimmy Butler
– Karl-Anthony Towns
– Kyrie Irving
– Zach LaVine
As arguably one of the best players in the NBA right now, Nikola Jokic’s loyalty is an important subject, and it will be a hot topic leading up to his free agency. The 3x MVP is still owed $176 million over the next three years, but he can opt out of that final year to either negotiate a new contract with the Nuggets or join a different team altogether. At 30 years old with a championship in the books, Jokic isn’t feeling any pressure to leave, but he could always opt for a change of scenery that would shake the balance of power.
In Los Angeles, Luka Doncic’s future is critical to the organization. Despite trading their franchise center to acquire Luka, the Lakers could lose him either next summer or in 2027 if he opts into his player option. If he chooses the latter, expect Doncic to consider a potential partnership with fellow European superstar Nikola Jokic, or even a new job on the Clippers. Of course, anywhere he goes that’s not the Lakers will have major implications on the Western Conference standings.
In the East, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been at the heart of countless trade rumors as the Bucks have struggled to stay competitive. As arguably a top-three player in the league (averages of 30.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game last season), any team that has Giannis has a path to the title, and he’ll be a top target for teams in 2027 if he opts out of his $62.7 million player option.
While those three superstars may be the most lucrative names on the market, they will be far from the only elite free agents available. Young superstar Donovan Mitchell could leave the Cavaliers and control his destiny for the first time in his career. There’s also Anthony Davis, whose departure from Dallas would cause an epic meltdown for the organization.
2027 could also come with a major decision for NBA legend Stephen Curry. He’ll be 39 by that summer and will either be ready to retire or preparing for his final season. If he ends up leaving the Warriors, it would mark the end of a historic and iconic era in the NBA. To a smaller degree, the same could be said for Kawhi Leonard, who has been with the Clippers since 2019.
It’s impossible to say for sure where these stars will end up, but we can be certain that teams across the league will be waiting to get in on that action. With the potential for seismic NBA activity, the summer of 2027 threatens to change everything for the league, and many teams (like the Los Angeles Lakers) are going out of their way to avoid any deals that might limit their cap space in a potentially historic offseason.
