NBA Free Agency Rumors: Jalen Duren-Ausar Thompson, Ben Simmons & 20 Top Unsigned Players

We’ve hit the stage of the NBA free agency rumor period in which it looks as though the bottom of the barrel is all there is to scrape, but the fact is, there are still some big names left on the market. Now, in some cases, they’re old and tired names–Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love, Bradley Beal–but there is also DeMar DeRozan waiting for his next gig.

James Harden does not really count because he is staying in Cleveland. And Jonathan Kuminga is doing his usual thing. But beyond those players, there are still some names worth looking at on the free-agent market, even as roster spots have mostly dried up.

A new factor has emerged, though, as it appears that Ben Simmons is serious about making a comeback at 30 years old. Simmons is working out at the Australian national team’s minicamp, and is likely to return to the Boomers for a run at the 2028 Olympics in LA. There is, no doubt, interest in Simmons, but remember that in his final season in the NBA two years ago, he averaged 5.0 points in 22.0 minutes.

Simmons will get a training camp look, and have a good chance to make a roster this fall–but he is not going to get a guaranteed contract, wherever he lands.

Let’s get into it …

GettyBen Simmons

NBA Free-Agency Rumors: Jonathan Kuminga STILL Waiting

Start with Jonathan Kuminga, whose dream of landing as a starter for the Lakers is probably now dead. The Bucks and Cavaliers might be his best landing spots, though either place would be tricky to make happen. But Kuminga knows at this point what his choices are, he is likely just waiting to see what happens with restricted free agent Peyton Watson.

One NBA executive on Kuminga this week: “I think he would like to play for the Lakers and they’d like to have him, but I know they–and a lot of teams–have already told him, ‘Look, this is what we can do,’ so he has all the information. The money, the cap space, it has been spent. He’s not waiting for anything new out there, because there is nothing new that’s gonna happen. So, he is stuck. But he is entitled to take as much time as he wants.”

Tough Going for  Unsigned Restricted Free Agents

Jalen Duren, Pistons. If you want to know why the Pistons are bent on playing hardball with Duren, look around the NBA. Teams are terrified of sliding into the second apron, and we’ve seen the Celtics, the Thunder and the Knicks (soon the Nuggets, too) make significant roster decisions based on that barrier. The Pistons can’t pay Duren the max five-year, $287 million contract he is eligible for because that would be 30% of the salary cap. The Pistons are already paying Cade Cunningham more than 30% of the cap on his max contract, and estimates are that Ausar Thompson’s extension could be in the 20% range of the cap. Having three players make 80% of the cap is tough to do in today’s NBA–and it could mean Detroit plays hardball with Thompson as it is doing with Duren, maybe even going to restricted free agency.

Peyton Watson, Nuggets. There is movement in Watson’s situation, and he is the target for a continued Bucks push–Milwaukee has a traded player exception that could absorb a significant salary. They do not want to give up a first-round pick, however. The Clippers figure into this mess, too, as well as the Cavaliers. There is a chance that the Nuggets will try to keep Watson, but Denver would have to shed salary to make that happen and there aren’t many opportunities left for that.

Bennedict Mathurin, Clippers. There has been interest in Mathurin from a handful of teams, but any deal would need to be a sign-and-trade and that seems unlikely at this point. The Clippers might be more willing to move off of Mathurin if they knew what was happening with the Leonard trade, but even still, if they can get Mathurin at a bargain cost, they’d prefer to do that and trade him later.

NBA Free Agency Rumors: 20 Players Still Waiting to Sign

The Cavaliers are still working out what, exactly, they will pay James Harden, but his patience with the situation is an indication that the organization still thinks it can make a move on either Max Strus or Dennis Schroder, opening the way to add Peyton Watson or Jonathan Kuminga.

But there are other notable names on this list. Nick Richards remains the best unsigned big man despite the fact that several teams still need backup big men. Kelly Olynyk is one of the more coveted players, still at age 35.

The 20 best left:

1. James Harden.
2. DeMar DeRozan.
3. Jonathan Kuminga.
4. Nick Richards.
5. Bruce Brown.
6. Russell Westbrook.
7. Brandon Williams.
8. Kelly Olynyk.
9. Gabe Vincent.
10. Bradley Beal.
11. Ben Simmons.
12. Cam Thomas.
13. Kevin Love.
14. Nicolas Batum.
15. Vince Williams.
16. Aaron Holiday.
17. Seth Curry.
18. Doug McDermott.
19. Mason Plumlee.
20. Bismack Biyombo.
21. Jeff Green.

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