Zach KramJun 30, 2025, 08:00 AM ET
The top five NBA free agents in ESPN's rankings are All-Stars, but they've all either exercised a player option or already agreed to new contract terms with their current teams.
But after a Finals matchup between arguably the two deepest teams in the NBA, it's clear that teams need more than just stars to fulfill their most ambitious playoff dreams. They also need to surround those stars with a proper supporting cast, capable of filling in gaps, withstanding injuries and providing multiple strategic looks in a postseason series.
With that requirement in mind, here are seven under-the-radar free agents worth targeting as the frenzy begins this week. They won't change a team's fortune all by themselves, but they can boost a contender in need of that final bench piece.
Chris Paul
As the 12-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer winds down his career, his present-day value seems underrated.
Paul might be 40 years old now, but he's still in good shape, as evidenced by his playing all 82 games last season. He's still a pick-and-roll maestro: Among 52 ball handlers who received at least 1,500 screens last year, per GeniusIQ, Paul ranked ninth in points per play, one spot ahead of Jalen Brunson. And he can still make plays for his teammates, even if his own scoring and usage rate have dipped to career lows: Among qualified players, Paul ranked fourth in assists per 36 minutes, behind only Trae Young, Nikola Jokic and Tyrese Haliburton.
It's unlikely that Paul returns to San Antonio, which is set at point guard after trading for De'Aaron Fox and drafting Dylan Harper. But he's still capable of stabilizing any contender's bench unit. Would Paul be interested in a reunion with the LA Clippers? Might he go to the Los Angeles Lakers (without a commissioner veto this time) and finally team up with LeBron James? Could he make magic with Jokic for the Denver Nuggets? Would he sanction a move to Minnesota, where he might be a better starting option than Mike Conley at this point?
The point is that there are plenty of appealing options for Paul this summer, as he likely joins his fourth team in four seasons. He has still made just one Finals, which he lost, and after a year away from the spotlight in San Antonio, it's time for him to rejoin a contender in search of his ring.
Chris Boucher
Only two players with at least 800 minutes last season averaged at least 20 points, nine rebounds and 2.5 3-pointers per 36 minutes. One was Chris Boucher. The other was Victor Wembanyama.
No, I'm not saying that Boucher is anywhere near Wemby's talent level, and yes, I am cherry-picking stat minimums to make Boucher look good. But guess what -- he does look good!
Boucher is too slight to take on heavy minutes at center, but he brings a diverse and valuable skill set to the frontcourt: He can make 3s, rise for dunks and swat opponents' shots on the other end. He's also a prolific offensive rebounder, with 3.5 career offensive boards per 36 minutes, a top-25 mark among active players (minimum 5,000 minutes).
Boucher might be destined to re-sign with Toronto, where he's spent all but one game of his NBA career. But other teams should be interested in bringing Boucher stateside, where he could have an Obi Toppin-esque role as an energy big off the bench.
Bruce Brown
Remember him? Since playing a key role on the 2022-23 title-winning Denver Nuggets -- in the Finals clincher, Brown made the winning basket with 91 seconds left -- Brown has functionally acted as a walking contract, serving as matching salary in the Pascal Siakam and Brandon Ingram trades en route from Indiana to Toronto to New Orleans.
Earlier this decade, Brown thrived in Brooklyn and then Denver, playing next to the likes of Kevin Durant and Nikola Jokic. But without superstars by his side, his production plummeted, and now he's in line for a much smaller deal than the two-year, $45 million pact he signed two summers ago.
But in the right context, Brown could still make a difference. A reunion with the Nuggets would make a lot of sense for both sides. Jokic would bring out the best in Brown, a jack-of-all-trades with a high hoops IQ who developed a strong chemistry with Denver's starters. And for the Nuggets, Brown would offer cheap, veteran reliability amid the unproven youth brigade that makes up the rest of the bench.
Malcolm Brogdon
Like Brown, Brogdon played a central role on a contender in 2022-23, winning Sixth Man of the Year for Boston. Also like Brown, Brogdon has mainly served as matching salary in trades for better players since; in his case, he left Boston in exchange for Jrue Holiday, then went to Washington in the Deni Avdija deal. Brogdon has played only 63 total games for losing teams in the past two seasons.
But he's not that far removed from much more consistent production. For five straight seasons from 2018-19 through 2022-23, Brogdon's year-by-year PER ratings were 17.8, 17.7, 17.9, 18.0 and 18.2. (15 is an average PER.) In other words, he was almost the exact same above-average player every year.
Now 32 years old with a lengthy injury history, Brogdon probably won't win any more awards in his career. But as a 39% 3-point shooter with a strong assist-to-turnover ratio, plus the ability to play both point guard and shooting guard, he should still be able to run an offense. Brogdon would be a strong fit for a host of contenders in need of a third guard; he could also start for half a season for the Dallas Mavericks, then move to the bench after Kyrie Irving returns.
Luke Kornet
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Luke Kornet's block and slam ignites crowd in closing minutes
Luke Kornet is unstoppable as he elevates for a block then a big-time Celtics slam.
The advanced stats darling of the 2025 free agent class is a backup center who has never averaged more than 7 points per game in a season. But check out some of these rankings.
According to regularized adjusted plus-minus (xRAPM), which measures a player's on/off impact and adjusts for his teammates and opponents, Kornet is top-20 among active players on a per-possession basis, sandwiched between Ivica Zubac and Chet Holmgren. LEBRON says Kornet had a top-35 per-possession impact last season, this time sandwiched between Alperen Sengun and Holmgren. Estimated plus-minus places Kornet in the 92nd percentile among active players.
Kornet rates so well in advanced stats, despite unremarkable box-score numbers, because he does so many little things right. He's a very good rebounder, especially on offense. He draws fouls and rarely commits turnovers. He's also a solid screener: According to GeniusIQ's classifications, Kornet ranked second among high-volume screeners last season in his proportion of "die on contact" screens, which take the ball handler's defender completely out of the play. Only the burly Steven Adams had a higher "die on contact" rate.
Most of all, Kornet is a stout interior defender. Among 99 players with at least 200 shots defended at the rim last season, he allowed the ninth-lowest field goal percentage (52%). For context, Kornet was sandwiched between Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr., two of the last three Defensive Player of the Year winners.
Kornet is favored to re-sign with the Celtics, who have a gaping hole at center after trading Kristaps Porzingis, and who saw his subtle skills up close over the past few seasons. But other contenders who want to solidify their frontcourt should give Kornet a call, too. At the very least, after making just $2.8 million last season, Kornet deserves a raise.
De'Anthony Melton
Melton was an under-the-radar free agent last summer, too, and he's back in that category after a truncated 2024-25 campaign. The combo guard was off to a hot start in Golden State but tore his ACL six games in; the Warriors then sent him to Brooklyn in exchange for Dennis Schroder.
The silver lining for Melton's injury is that it came early enough (in mid-November 2024) that he should be back relatively soon, as compared to the flurry of stars who all suffered terrible leg injuries at the end of the season.
That will be a boon for whatever team is fortunate enough to land his services this summer. Melton can shoot (38% from distance over the past five seasons), play opportunistic defense (career 1.4 steals per game) and generally stuff the stat sheet. He's just a winning player; in six of his seven seasons, Melton's team has been better with him on the court.
Uncertainty around Melton's post-injury athleticism should dampen his market, but at 27 years old, he should make a full recovery. Although Melton would fit on any team in need of backcourt depth, at just 6-foot-2 and not a pure point guard, he might be best suited as a balance for a bigger, offensively oriented lead guard. He'd look great next to Luka Doncic on the Lakers or Cade Cunningham on the Pistons (where, ironically, he'd replace free agent Schroder).
Gary Trent Jr.
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Gary Trent Jr. hits 4 straight 3s for Bucks in OT
Gary Trent Jr. drills four consecutive treys for the Bucks in OT vs. the Pacers.
For the purposes of this list, Trent is a stand-in for an entire player type that has flooded the market. Knockdown shooters are readily available this summer, including Trent, Malik Beasley, Luke Kennard, Landry Shamet, Seth Curry, Garrison Mathews, Alec Burks, Taurean Prince and Duncan Robinson.
But other than Beasley -- whose immediate future is murky due to a federal gambling investigation -- Trent is the best of the bunch, a career 39% 3-point shooter set for a meaningful raise after signing a minimum contract with Milwaukee last year.
Several factors align in Trent's favor, beyond his elite shooting ability. He's less of a defensive liability than players like Kennard. He's still young at 26 years old. And he has a strong track record, with double-digit points per game five years in a row and several strong postseason performances (including games with 37 and 33 points in the first round this spring) on his résumé.
But in general, all of these seventh, eighth and ninth men with pure jumpers will prove attractive targets this summer, because in the modern NBA, essentially every team needs more perimeter shooting. The Pacers almost won the title because of their depth, and because they led the league with a 39% 3-point mark in the playoffs. This crop of free agent shooters would check both boxes.
