2025 Free Agency: 8 potentially pivotal players

The peak of 2024 free agency is past, but many teams are already maneuvering to prepare for next year’s offseason options.
Here’s a look at some of the most intriguing players that could draw significant attention next summer (listed alphabetically by last name):
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Unrestricted free agent (player option)
After extension talks hit a dead end in Miami, Butler’s potential free agency looms over the Heat and the league. Team president Pat Riley said he wanted to see Butler be “available every single night” after an injury-riddled and disappointing finish to 2023-24. A six-time All-Star, Butler has missed at least 15 games in six of the last seven seasons. Butler will turn 35 on Sept. 14, but he remains a dependable all-around force that injects an extra dose of fear into opponents at playoff time.
Aaron Gordon, Denver Nuggets
Unrestricted free agent (player option)
For Nuggets fans, it may be depressing to contemplate a third straight summer of the team losing a key piece of its championship rotation. Gordon, however, could very well eye a pay raise after proving to be one of the most versatile defenders in the league. Under an ever-increasing salary cap, Gordon would make an approximate and relatively modest $24 million in 2025-26 if he does not enter free agency via player option. For context, former teammate Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is slated to average $22 million over the next three seasons after signing his new deal with Orlando.
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans
Unrestricted free agent (extension-eligible)
New Orleans’ recent trade for Dejounte Murray, combined with the always tantalizing prospect of a healthy Zion Williamson, has left Ingram’s long-term future with New Orleans up for debate. He’ll be 27 when he hits unrestricted free agency, boasting a combination of age, choice and talent that usually yields an enormous payday. Team fit — and a bounce-back season from 3-point range — will play a large role in his not-so-distant future.
Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Unrestricted free agent (player option)
Irving’s first steady season in years coincided with Dallas’ unexpected NBA Finals run. If he follows up last season with an equivalent-or-better outing in 2024-25, he could be tempted to use his player option to enter free agency for long-term contract security. Such a move could see the eight-time All-Star join his fifth team in nine seasons, or Dallas keep intact arguably the most talented duo in franchise history.
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors
Restricted free agent
Golden State’s fading present clashes with a tantalizing future when it comes to Kuminga. The former No. 7 overall pick in 2021, Kuminga averaged 11.3 points per game in November, 14.3 ppg in December and 20.6 ppg in January before his up-and-down end marked the Warriors’ Play-In Tournament elimination. Still just 21 years old, Kuminga could be extended if the Warriors want to keep him long-term … and if that extension meets Kuminga’s asking price. If the 6-foot-8 forward reaches restricted free agency, teams with cap space could force the Warriors to choose between matching a large contract or letting him walk for nothing.
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
Unrestricted free agent (extension-eligible)
Markkanen, the most-clicked name in everyone’s imaginary trade machine, poses an enormous pivot point. As John Schuhmann details here, Markkanen is up for an extension on Aug. 6. He signed an extension a day later as that date doubled as the last day he could be extended and still be dealt by the February trade deadline. As such, he’s free from trade chatter in 2024-25 but could be an offseason target in 2025. The versatile 27-year-old forward represents elite shooting and All-Star-level improvement for whatever team employs him long-term.
Jalen Green & Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
Restricted free agents
A year ago, Houston was so far below the salary floor that it shelled out above-market contracts for veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Those days are essentially done as Houston faces upcoming pay-days for its young, home-grown talent. Sengun’s production and playmaking at center had him as a fringe All-Star last season. Green, meanwhile, spearheaded the Rockets’ midseason turnaround that nearly led to a Play-In Tournament berth. Teams with cap space could draw up an offer sheet (which the Rockets can match) for either young player if Houston is reluctant to meet their asking price.