NBA Free Agency 2025: the 7 best summer contracts, including a jewel of an agreement for Lakers
We brought you the seven worst contracts of the NBA offseason and we know that you may not feel complete without the seven best summer contracts. Don’t be afraid, my friends. Here we complete you.
Congratulations to the General Directors for once again that they have not distributed dozens of too expensive agreements in the free agency. Obviously, it helps that only a team, Brooklyn’s networks, entered in July with a significant space for the salary limit, and were more interested in accumulating negative money of other teams in exchange for more capital.
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Instead, the leaders of the NBA mainly had medium level exceptions and minimum contracts to meet their needs, and this served well in the open market, where some of them were able to identify some gems.
The 7 best contracts for offseason 2025
1. Dorian Finney-Smith, Houston Rockets ($ 13.2 million AAV)
Contract: 4 years, $ 52.7 million ($ 26 million guaranteed)
Percentage of the salary limit 2025-26: 8.21%
2024-25 (63 games): 8.7 Points (45/41/67), 3.9 Reb, 1.4 AST
The Rockets made a great oscillation to the Oklahoma City Thunder champion, exchanging Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and a handful of Picks for Kevin Durant, all going in their research to win the Western Conference. Durant’s score represents a massive update from Green, but the trade has left a whole on the wing, where Brooks was a high -level defender who could break down the blows in the open space.
(Joseph Raines/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
Hence, the Rockets have targeted Finney-Smith, one of the best 3-ed players available on the market. He joins Amen Thompson and Tari Eason for what should be a fierce rotation of the defensive wing.
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In the trial, Houston hindered the Los Angeles Lakers, a rival of the conference, which distributed D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis and three choices of the second round for Finney-Smith in December. The Lakers must have made that move with the intention of re-divirprising Finney-Smith, whose story with Luka Dončić dates back to their days on the Dallas Mavericks. But the Rockets made a more compelling offer: a blow to win a title.
According to reports, the Lakers did not offer Finney-Smith a two-year contract, and in the end it is the one for which Rockets got him, since none of the last two years of the Finney-Smith agreement is guaranteed.
2. Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Atlanta Hawks ($ 15.2 million AAV)
Contract: 4 years, $ 60.7 million (player option in 2028-29)
Percentage of the salary limit 2025-26: 9.8%
Advertisements2024-25 (82 games): 9.4 Points (44/04/78), 3.2 Reb, 2.7 AST
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The other best player from 3 and D on the market, Alexander-Walker, has ensured a money even more guaranteed by the Hawks, who will add the 26-year-old to a rotation of the wing that includes the nascent star Jalen Johnson, the most improved player Dyson Daniels and 2024 n. 1 number 1 overall Zaccharie Roseacher.
Alexander-Walker, cousin of the Superstar Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, was a launch for a three-team trade in February 2023 between Lakers, Timberwolves and Utah Jazz. In Minnesota, he has silently built his value as a reliable reserve for a team that has made consecutive appearances of the Western Conference.
The Hawks hope to do the same in the East, building the guard of All-Star around four times, Tree Young and the recently acquired center Kristaps Porzingis. Between a questionable young defensive and Porzingis, it is often wise to stack as many two -way wings as possible, and Naw is one of these.
3. Guerschon Yabusele, New York Knicks ($ 5.6 million AAV)
Contract: 2 years, $ 11.3 million (player option in 2026-27)
Percentage of the salary limit 2025-26: 3.56%
2024-25 (70 games): 11 Points (50/38/73), 5.6 Reb, 2.1 AST
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Once a choice of the first round for the Boston Celtics in 2016, Yabusele required years of seasoning abroad to restore himself as a collaborator of the NBA. Following an impressive exception to the 2024 Olympics, the Philadelphia 76ers gave Yabusele the possibility of redemption and the French grabbed him.
By playing for a terrible team of Sixers, Yabusele had many opportunities to show his skills as a commutable shooter and defender, especially in the frontcourt, where he can play a center -ball.
It should extend the rotation for the Knicks, who have reached the Eastern Conference finals with Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson only – and none on the wings in the middle – to leave the bench. New York also intelligently added the score of Jordan Clarkson to his reserve unit with a minimum agreement of a veteran.
4. Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers ($ 8.1 million AAV)
Contract: 2 years, $ 16.2 million (player option in 2026-27)
Percentage of the salary limit 2025-26: 5.24%
2024-25 (40 games): 14.4 Points (57/19/67), 10.2 Reb, 1.6 AST
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The Lakers entered this offseason in desperate need for a center, since the post-don attempts desired last season to force Jaxson Hayes to a starting role did not fail miserably in the first round of the playoffs. And for at least a week of free agency it seemed that the Lakers could hit entirely in this sense.
They avoided the disaster, reaching Patti with Ayton, who negotiated a buyout by Portland Trail’s blazers to be available. The Lakers could have made much worse than a former 26 -year -old former levy that made a double double in each of its first seven seasons in the NBA.
I understand that the blazers paid him $ 25.6 million so as not to play for them this season. I understand that it has disappointed as a recent choice n. 1 in general, often showing a lack of commitment to his team. But if it may recommend to the basketball brand that made it an invaluable member of the race of the NBA 2021 finals of Phoenix Suns-Protestling the edge, run in transition, end up around the basket and fix hard screens in the pick-and-roll for the three best Lakers-Moving players would easily exceed its value.
5. Ty Jerome, Memphis Grizzlies ($ 9.2 million AAV)
Contract: 3 years, $ 27.7 million (player option in 2027-28)
Percentage of the salary limit 2025-26: 5.68%
2024-25 (74 games): 12.5 points (52/44/87), 2.5 Reb, 3.4 AST
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Ty Jerome was a serious sixth man candidate for the year last season, leaving the bench to check the offense of Cleveland Cavaliers in the absence of all-stars guards Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. He performed that duty better than most of anyone who has ever waited. After all, the Cavs were a team of 64 wins.
Cleveland disappointed the playoffs and Jerome was not a small part of this. His defensive limitations became more evident and his shot abandoned him against the Indian Pacers in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference, where Jerome did only 30% of his goals attempts on the field (including 25% of his 3 -point shots).
But as a backup to Ja Morant in Memphis, it is perfectly suitable. Morant is not always healthy and Grizzlies are best when a backup guard can play capable instead of their all-nba superstar.
6. Bruce Brown Jr., Denver Nuggets ($ 3.1 million AAV)
Contract: 1 year, $ 3.1 million
Percentage of the wage cap 2025-26: 1.48%
2024-25 (74 games): 8.3 points (42/33/82), 4 Reb, 2 AST
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Brown was an beloved member of the NBA champion of 2023 Nuggets, acting as a two -way Dinamo from the bench. Its cut has particularly intertwined with the passage of the passage of Denver Superstar Nikola Jokić.
Brown left the Nugget for the Pacer, accepting a 45 million dollar two -year agreement that Denver could not be equal. Since then it has been a tortuous road to Brown, while he faced injuries and a trade in the Toronto Raptors in the meantime. Despite some struggles, there is still the belief that 28 -year -old Brown can rediscover what made him so great on the pepper and, with a minimum agreement not less.
7. Gary Trent Jr., Milwaukee Bucks ($ 3.8 million AAV)
Contract: 2 years, $ 7.6 million
Percentage of the salary limit 2025-26: 2.39%
2024-25 (74 games): 11.1 Points (43/42/85), 2.3 Reb, 1.2 AST
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The Bucks gave Trent a modest increase in preserving the services of one of the most underestimated wings of the NBA. Trent is not the greatest defender, but makes a great effort and shot at a career distance from 42% last season-cose rather important when you play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Trent is a boy who has an average of 18.3 points per game and has earned up to $ 18.6 million in the 2023-24 campaign. Last summer he was unable to find large offers, when few teams held space for the salary limit, then he opted to reconstruct his value in Milwaukee, where he presented one of his best seasons, even twice, dropping more than 30 points in a couple of playoff games in the first round against Indiana.
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The money was not yet there for Trent this summer, so the Bucks scored him in a deal … again. It could be the best example of how role players are crushed according to the new collective agreement of the NBA, since the high -level superstars eat most of the cap, leaving the waste for anyone else.