Nearly all of the big names in NBA free agency are off the board, but DeMar DeRozan is sticking around for a while. The Chicago Bulls star is the best player left on the open market as he approaches his 35th birthday, and there doesn’t seem to be an obvious fit for him. With the Bulls seemingly ready to commit to a rebuild, DeRozan is there to be picked up as a veteran wing who can still perform at a near-All-Star level.
There’s been so much action in free agency. Paul George signed with the 76ers, Isaiah Hartenstein joined the Thunder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope signed with the Magic at the start of free agency. Even second-tier free agents like Naji Marshall (Mavericks), Derrick Jones Jr. (Clippers), Tobias Harris (Pistons) and Jonas Valanciunas (Wizards) have found new homes. Another big name came off the shelf in free agency when Klay Thompson agreed to a three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
While the stars of this year’s free agency class are mostly gone, there are still good values to be found. Who’s left on the NBA free agent market? Glad you asked. Here are the 11 best players still unsigned in 2024 NBA free agency. Plus, read our instant NBA free agency numbers , and check out our live NBA free agency tracker.
This list has been updated after the Warriors signed Buddy Hield, the Pistons signed Malik Beasley, and the 76ers signed Caleb Martin.
11. Saddiq Bey
Bey tore his ACL on March 11 and could be sidelined for the entire season. That’s a huge bonus for a player who could have gotten a nice payday on the open market this summer. The 25-year-old winger has always been a solid shooter, but his outside shot let him down last season with the Hawks, when he made just 31 percent of his 3-pointers. It could make sense for a team to sign him to a cheap, multi-year deal so he can rehab his knee and see if he can return to his pre-injury game for the 2025-26 season.
10. Kyle Lowry
Lowry can still be effective at 38, even if his play is rapidly declining. The veteran point guard played somewhere close to 30 minutes per game for the Philadelphia 76ers in their first-round series against the New York Knicks. He made 39 percent of his three-pointers in the season between Miami and Philadelphia, and he’s still an irritant on defense. Lowry will be a nice buy-low veteran addition to a team chasing a ring.
9. Markel Fultz
The former No. 1 overall pick still hasn’t mastered his broken jump shot, but he’s had some solid seasons as a downhill guard who can compete defensively. Unfortunately, Fultz had a terrible year for the Magic right before free agency, and likely won’t have much of a market now despite being just 26 years old. Fultz needs to find a way to start finishing at the rim again if he wants to salvage his NBA career. He can still be a solid playmaker, but his passing just isn’t the same without the threat of his own scoring.
8. Haywood Highsmith
Highsmith is one of the great success stories of the Heat’s developmental program, rising from a DII college program (Wheeling) to an eventual playoff contributor for the Heat a few years later. Now 27 years old, Highsmith is a forward who brings toughness, defensive versatility and spot-up shooting to the table. He made a career-best 39.6 percent of his three-pointers for the Heat last year. He lacks ideal size at 6’5, but Highsmith just knows how to play.
7. Spencer Dinwiddie
Dinwiddie’s three-point shot and rim finishing fell off a cliff during stops with Brooklyn and the Lakers last year, but that could make him a strong contender. The 31-year-old is a big guard with pull-up shooting ability and some playmaking ability, but he struggled to score effectively from any part of the court that wasn’t the free-throw line last season. Guards who shoot sub-40 percent from the field aren’t going to have much of a market, but there’s still some value in Dinwiddie’s foul baiting and shooting.
6. Lonnie Walker IV
Walker is a microwave scorer who can create his own offense in a pinch. The 25-year-old guard can get hot as a volume three-point shooter and is also an athletic finisher in transition. He’s had enough good games this year — including a pair in the playoffs for the Lakers — that it feels like a bigger breakthrough could happen in a larger role. The 6’4 guard is the best pure scorer left on the market after DeRozan.
5. Gary Trent Jr.
Trent can really shoot from deep. He made 39.3 percent of his three-pointers on 6.4 attempts per game with the Toronto Raptors last season. He’s decent defensively in generating steals, but has a bad habit of finding himself out of position when doing so. Trent is a bit of a one-trick pony, but every team needs shooting. Trent is only 25 years old, but he’ll find a home eventually, even if he doesn’t get the big payday he’s been hoping for.
4. Isaak Okoro
Okoro was a slow-moving prospect as a 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 tough backcourt defender who’s quick enough to keep up with speedy guards and strong enough to handle big assignments. The gaping hole in Okoro’s game has always been his jump shot, but he made 39 percent of his three-pointers on low volume last season. Okoro will need to continue to increase his volume from three as teams continue to refuse to guard him from the outside, but his point-of-attack defense is so valuable that Cleveland should eventually give him a nice deal.
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Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
3. Tyus Jones
Jones is a classic point guard who consistently puts up a high assist rate and a low turnover rate. He made a huge leap as a shooter for a terrible Washington Wizards team last season, making 41.4 percent of the 256 three-pointers he attempted. Jones is a smaller guard without top-end athleticism, which limits his effectiveness as a driver and defender. At just 28 years old, Jones is a solid interim point guard who can set up teammates but won’t have as much of an impact as his numbers suggest.
2. Milestones
No team would want Bridges after the horrific domestic abuse allegations he faced in 2022 and beyond. The Hornets brought him back last season and were crushed in his minutes on the court, despite the 26-year-old posting the best scoring numbers of his career. Read our James Dator on how keeping Bridges killed his Hornets fandom.
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Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images
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 loses the ball, and he’s consistently great in crunch time. DeRozan simply needs a very specific fit due to his weaknesses as a three-point shooter and defender. The Chicago Bulls appear ready to move on from DeRozan after three stellar seasons so the team can rebuild with a loaded 2025 draft class. It’s a smart move for Chicago, but it leaves DeRozan without a home despite several solid years left in his career. It feels like DeRozan could be squeezed into free agency due to the lack of available capital. While that’s unfortunate for him, some team will end up with a great buy.
