The 2025-26 NBA season is only three weeks old, and we are still more than six months away from the start of free agency. However, the early performances on the court are already highlighting 12 potential free agents who have significantly stood out and are poised for major contract discussions with their respective teams.
We established two main criteria for selecting this lineup of potential contract-year All-Stars:
- Players who have previously made an All-NBA or All-Star team were disqualified. This excludes prominent potential summer free agents such as Nikola Vucevic, James Harden, Zach LaVine, Trae Young, and LeBron James.
- Players with team options in their current contracts, such as Lu Dort and Isaiah Hartenstein, were also excluded. If a player is outperforming their deal, their team is highly unlikely to decline that option.
Although LeBron James does not feature on this roster, the Los Angeles Lakers are well represented, particularly by a key player who is flourishing in James’s absence and setting himself up for a massive payday in 2026 free agency.
- STARTERS
- Austin Reaves | Los Angeles Lakers
- Norman Powell | Miami Heat
- Quentin Grimes | Philadelphia 76ers
- Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles Lakers
- Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
- RESERVES
- Collin Sexton, Charlotte Hornets
- Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets
- Kelly Oubre Jr., Philadelphia 76ers
- Simone Fontecchio, Miami Heat
- Josh Okogie, Houston Rockets
- Harrison Barnes, San Antonio Spurs
- Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers
STARTERS
Austin Reaves | Los Angeles Lakers
2025-26: 31.1 PPG (48.9 FG%), 9.3 APG, 37.8 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Player Option ($14.9 million)
Reaves has maximized the early-season injuries to Doncic and James. His points per game have soared from 20.2 last season to a career-high 31.1, placing him sixth league-wide. Furthermore, his playmaking has been exceptional; in three games without Doncic, Reaves averaged 10 assists, including a career-best 16 against the Timberwolves.
Due to NBA extension rules, it is highly improbable Reaves will sign a new deal before June 30. The most likely outcome is that he declines his player option to become an unrestricted free agent. If he does, he will be eligible to sign for up to five years and $241 million with the Lakers, or four years and $178.5 million with rival teams that have cap space (currently projected to include Brooklyn, Chicago, Utah, and Washington).
Norman Powell | Miami Heat
2025-26: 23.3 PPG (46.7 FG%), 4.6 RPG, 29.9 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
If judged purely on the start of the season and his production before injuries last year, Powell would be a strong All-Star contender. Last season, he averaged 24.2 points on 49.6% shooting before the All-Star break, though injuries later slowed him. In his first six games with the Heat this year, Powell is averaging 23.3 points and shooting a career-high 46.2% from three.
Beginning January 7, the 32-year-old is eligible to sign a four-year, $128.5 million extension with Miami. If no agreement is reached, he will enter unrestricted free agency. Since his Bird rights transferred in his trade, the Heat can exceed the salary cap to retain him next summer.
Quentin Grimes | Philadelphia 76ers
2025-26: 17.2 PPG (47.0 FG%), 4.4 APG, 31.0 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
Grimes` role was initially questioned, but following his acquisition from Dallas at the 2025 trade deadline, he averaged career highs in minutes (33.7) and points (21.9) over 28 games. This season, he has shown no drop-off in production, providing significant impact off the bench with starter-level minutes and scoring.
Due to the 76ers facing cap pressures last summer, Grimes signed a one-year, $8.7 million qualifying offer. He will be an unrestricted free agent next offseason, and because Philadelphia holds his Bird rights, they retain the ability to re-sign him even while operating over the salary cap.
Rui Hachimura, Los Angeles Lakers
2025-26: 15.8 PPG (56.7 FG%), 3.7 RPG, 34.6 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
Hachimura has been a pillar of consistency for the Lakers, being one of only three players to appear in all nine games and the only one to start every game. He is posting career bests in minutes, points, and field goal percentage (59%). Since his 2023 trade from Washington, his three-point percentage has dramatically increased to 48.7%.
Head coach JJ Redick has particularly highlighted Hachimura’s defensive skills, noting his effectiveness in utilizing the “stick hand” technique to defend three-point shooters. Hachimura is eligible to sign a four-year, $114.5 million extension up until June 30.
Jalen Duren, Detroit Pistons
2025-26: 19.4 PPG (65.1 FG%), 11.8 RPG, 27.9 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Restricted Free Agent
Duren chose to forgo a rookie extension before the season, a decision that is currently paying dividends. He is on pace for his third consecutive season averaging a double-double, tying Shaquille O’Neal for the fourth-most career double-doubles before the age of 22.
Most notably, Duren has dramatically improved his free throw shooting, raising his percentage from 66.9% last year to 83.9% this season, while increasing his attempts. Duren will be a restricted free agent next summer, allowing the Pistons to match any offer he receives.
RESERVES
Collin Sexton, Charlotte Hornets
2025-26: 16.1 PPG (51.2 FG%), 5.2 APG, 26.4 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
Hornets coach Charles Lee praised Sexton’s seamless transition following the trade that brought him to Charlotte. Sexton is enjoying career bests across the board: 51% from the field, 44% from three, and 5.3 assists per game. He is eligible to sign an extension (up to four years, $119 million starting December 29) but will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if no deal is reached.
Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets
2025-26: 21.4 PPG (40.2 FG%), 2.6 APG, 28.3 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
Although Thomas is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, his scoring output during his healthy games cannot be ignored. He scored 74 points combined in two late-October contests and tallied at least 25 points in four games. Thomas, who previously declined multiple contract offers from the Nets, signed a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer, electing to bet on himself and hit unrestricted free agency next summer.
Kelly Oubre Jr., Philadelphia 76ers
2025-26: 18.6 PPG (51.1 FG%), 5.3 RPG, 37.2 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
Oubre`s decision to sign a veteran minimum contract in 2023, followed by a two-year, $16.8 million deal with the 76ers, has led to a career resurgence. For the Sixers, he is averaging 18.6 points on a career-best 51% shooting from the field and 38% from three. Coach Nick Nurse highlighted Oubre’s physical and consistent defense, often tasking him with guarding the opposition’s best perimeter scorer. Since he signed a two-year contract in 2024, Oubre is not extension-eligible and will become an unrestricted free agent in June.
Simone Fontecchio, Miami Heat
2025-26: 11.2 PPG (50.0 FG%), 2.3 RPG, 19.6 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was familiar with Fontecchio’s scoring prowess from his time scouting in Europe. In his first season in Miami following a trade, the 29-year-old is shooting a career-high 51.2% from beyond the arc. Additionally, Fontecchio has provided unexpected defensive impact, ranking highly among defenders in opponent field goal percentage. Fontecchio is not extension-eligible due to his contract terms and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Josh Okogie, Houston Rockets
2025-26: 8.6 PPG (50.0 FG%), 1.3 SPG, 22.6 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
Okogie was an under-the-radar signing this offseason, joining the Rockets on a one-year, $3.1 million veteran minimum contract. Following injuries to Fred VanVleet and Dorian Finney-Smith, Okogie entered the starting lineup and has since helped Houston win five out of six games. Offensively, he’s posting career highs in field goal percentage (50%) and three-point percentage (50%). Defensively, Okogie ranks 19th among high-volume defenders in opponent field goal percentage allowed since the start of last season.
Harrison Barnes, San Antonio Spurs
2025-26: 12.4 PPG (55.2 FG%), 2.8 RPG, 30.5 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Unrestricted Free Agent
Barnes had a very slow start, shooting poorly in his first three games. However, he has completely turned things around over his past five contests, shooting 63% from the field and 59% from three, averaging 15.8 points. The 33-year-old is on pace for his second consecutive season hitting the elite shooting marks of 50/40/80 (FG%/3P%/FT%). Barnes is eligible to sign a four-year, $119.1 million extension with the Spurs.
Deandre Ayton, Los Angeles Lakers
2025-26: 16.8 PPG (67.3 FG%), 8 RPG, 30.2 MPG
Contract status: 2026 Player Option ($8.1 million)
After a buyout with Portland reduced the remaining money owed to him, Ayton signed a two-year, $16.2 million contract with the Lakers. This season, his $8.1 million salary ranks 34th among centers, a dramatic drop from his previous max contract earnings. However, playing alongside star guard Luka Doncic, Ayton now closely resembles the impactful player Phoenix drafted first overall in 2018.
Ayton currently leads the NBA in on-ball screens. The Lakers generate 1.12 points per direct pick when he is the screener (eighth best in the league), and his 66% field goal percentage is a career high. This rediscovered rhythm, if sustained, will likely result in Ayton declining his player option next summer in pursuit of a far more lucrative deal.
