Jonathan Kuminga stands out as the biggest name still sitting on the unrestricted free agent board.
With Peyton Watson’s new deal with Cleveland now in place, the restricted market has been whittled down to just two players: Jalen Duren of the Pistons and Bennedict Mathurin of the Clippers. But the unrestricted side is still crowded, and Kuminga looks like the one with the best chance to land a fully guaranteed contract.
Where that deal comes from is still very much up in the air. There was reportedly mutual interest between the Cavs and Kuminga earlier this summer, but a Cleveland landing now looks highly unlikely after the team gave up multiple assets in a sign-and-trade to bring in Watson on a four-year, $88MM deal.
Elsewhere, the Kings and Timberwolves have both been tied to Kuminga, though neither team has much financial flexibility and can basically only get to the minimum, or something close to it. The Hawks are in the same boat, and that’s the team the 23-year-old finished last season with.
The Lakers have also stayed in the mix. The problem there is obvious: Los Angeles is dealing with both a cap crunch and a roster crunch, and any meaningful offer would have to come through a sign-and-trade with Atlanta. So far, the Hawks have reportedly been underwhelmed by what the Lakers have put on the table.
Beyond Kuminga, there are still plenty of unsigned names floating around the market, and some of them may be battling for the same limited openings. The list includes veterans such as Ochai Agbaji, Cam Thomas, Bruce Brown, Seth Curry, Doug McDermott, Jeff Green, Nicolas Batum, Bismack Biyombo and Drew Eubanks, among others.
There are also several free agents who haven’t generated much chatter at all. And for anyone keeping tabs on the offseason board, all of the deals agreed to so far can be found in the 2026 free agent tracker, while the full list of remaining free agents is available sorted either by team or by position/type.
In Other News...
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Against that backdrop, the projection only sharpens the scrutiny on where the Kings are headed compared with an older Western rival trying to manage health and banking on the rise of rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who was named 2026 Summer League MVP. Sacramentos path is still taking shape, but the message from ESPN was blunt: the Kings have a long climb ahead, and the margin for optimism is thin until the front office gives this rebuild more definition. [Read more 🡒]
Zach LaVine Just Put The Kings In An Awkward Spot
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His recent comments only sharpened the contrast. LaVine said he wants to compete for a championship, and that goal does not line up neatly with where Sacramento appears to be headed in the near future. Unless the Kings accelerate their plans or explore a trade, they may be stuck trying to balance a veteran with win-now ambitions against a rebuilding group still trying to find its footing. [Read more 🡒]
Darius Acuff Is Already Forcing A Big Kings Future Debate
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What makes the discussion more intriguing is how quickly Acuff has pushed the conversation beyond simple rookie evaluation. He has talked about wanting to keep improving and carve out his own place in the league, and projections for his future production have only added to the buzz. For a Kings team always weighing present urgency against the need for a lasting core, Acuff is already forcing a debate about how big his role could become. [Read more 🡒]