LeBron James dominated the conversation as 2026 NBA free agency officially began, and where the league’s all-time leading scorer decides to play next will continue to be the biggest storyline on Wednesday, July 1.
James isn’t the only one looking for a new team after making public his impending departure from the Lakers. The rumors, speculation and signings are heating up today now that several impactful trades happened even before free agency started this year.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, LaMelo Ball and Ja Morant will all be playing for new teams and now the rosters around the league’s stars need to be filled in. The Lakers, meanwhile, have a bunch of salary cap space to spend with James headed elsewhere. It’s shaping up to be another dramatic day in the NBA, with prominent restricted free agents like Jalen Duren of the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler being pursued by contenders.
USA TODAY Sports is tracking all of the latest news, signings, trades and rumors throughout July 1 with NBA free agency in full gear. Here’s what’s happening around the league at this moment:
Marvin Bagley III agreed to a one-year deal with the Denver Nuggets, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
He played with both the Washington Wizards and the Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 10.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 60 games played
The Memphis Grizzlies are trading Santi Aldama to the Dallas Mavericks for AJ Johnson, a protected 2030 first-round pick and two future second-round picks, according to ESPN.
The move continues Memphis’ teardown after a year that saw it move Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson and draft Cameron Boozer with the No.3 pick last month. Aldama was one of the last remaining pieces of the team’s core.
A 25-year-old forward, Aldama is coming off his best season. He averaged 14 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists, all career highs, and is signed to a team-friendly deal worth about $17.5 million a year with a club option.
Johnson, 21, was a 2024 first-round draft pick who landed in Dallas in the Anthony Davis trade last February.
The protected first-round pick in 2030 originally belonged to the Golden State Warriors.
The Boston Celtics were finally able to unload Jaylen Brown. They are sending him to the Philadelphia 76ers for Paul George, two first-round picks and two second-round picks, according to ESPN.
The Celtics had reportedly set a high price for Brown, this return seems to fall well short of that.
Brown, a five-time All-Star and the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, had three years left on his contract. He had also been at the center of trade talk all offseason. Boston began shopping him trying to land Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The blockbuster sends one of the league’s best two-way wings to the team that ended the Celtics’ season. The 76ers rallied to knock Boston out of the first round of the playoffs. Brown averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game this past season.
In Philadelphia, he gives the 76ers a new core alongside Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, assuming Embiid is healthy. Brown is a proven playoff scorer who fits next to both.
For Boston, the deal brings back George, a nine-time All Star who signed with the 76ers in 2024 after leaving the Los Angeles Clippers. George averaged 17.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season, but was limited to 37 games by injury.
The Utah Jazz got some reinforcements inside in the wake of their decision to trade center Walker Kessler to the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, July 1 … by plucking a player the the Lakers no longer needed with Kessler in the fold.
The Jazz have agreed to a 2-year, $12-million contract with center Jaxson Hayes, according to ESPN. The second season in the deal is expected to include a team option. Hayes spent the past three seasons mostly in a back-up role for the Lakers. He averaged 7.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 2025-25.
The Boston Celtics are still being aggressive in trying to trade Jaylen Brown, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania, and that the front office is “soliciting offers from eight to 10 teams.” The report states the Celtics could be seeking up to four first-round picks in certain deals.
“This is the Celtics actively engaging these conversations,” Charania said on ESPN’s NBA Today. “Jaylen Brown has not requested a trade or told the Celtics that he wants a trade.”
The San Antonio Spurs have made their first move to add a significant rotation player from outside the organization after their NBA Finals run. Tobias Harris is signing a 2-year, $31-million deal with the Spurs, according to multiple reports, to give San Antonio another offensive weapon to play alongside Victor Wembanyama.
Harris served as a veteran leader during his second stint with the Detroit Pistons, helping to orchestrate the franchise turnaround with Cade Cunningam in recent years. The Spurs will be his sixth team in 16 NBA seasons. He averaged 13.3 points and more than five rebounds per game during the 2025-26 season.
Rich Paul, LeBron James’ agent, said 12-14 teams expressed interest in his client after NBA free agency began, but he would only confirm that the Golden State Warriors reached out to him. It’s also safe to keep Nikola Jokic’s team on the list of potential suitors.
The Denver Nuggets are among the NBA teams to contact James and express interest in signing him, according to the Denver Post, after he announced his intention to play for someone other than the Los Angeles Lakers next season.
The Indiana Pacers grabbed a veteran wing on a reasonable deal as part of Wednesday’s NBA free agency signings. Oubre has agreed to a 2-year contract worth nearly $17 million to join the Pacers, according to multiple reports.
The 30-year-old played the past three seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and averaged more than 14 points and five rebounds mostly in a starting role over 50 games in 2025-26. He also shot a career-best 36% from 3-point range.
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, the longtime agent for LeBron James, said he spoke with “12 to 14” teams about James after NBA free agency negotiations officially began during an episode of The Ringer’s “Game Over” podcast featuring Paul and former ESPN commentator Max Kellerman released on Wednesday, July 1. Paul also confirmed the Golden State Warriors were one of the teams to contact him regarding James, but remained non-committal about any favorites to land his 41-year-old client.
James announced on Tuesday he plans to play elsewhere next season after spending the past eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers. Paul revealed negotiations with the Lakers never reached the point where the team’s front office made a formal contract offer to James.
Click here to read Paul’s complete thoughts about James’ free agency decision.
There are multiple reports suggesting the Detroit Pistons are resigned to losing veteran free agent Tobias Harris as they deal with coming to terms on a new deal for restricted free agent Jalen Duren. The Pistons are unlikely to be able to afford Harris unless he’s willing to take a below-market contract to remain in Detroit, according to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer.
The Pistons have been unwilling to engage in sign-and-trade discussions related to Duren, despite his willingness to meet with other teams.
While the Golden State Warriors wait on LeBron James’ free agency decision, they’ve locked up one of their own pending free agents to a new deal. Guard De’Anthony Melton has agreed to a new 2-year, $11-million contract to remain with the Warriors, according to ESPN. It includes a player option in the second season.
Melton averaged 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals over 47 games with the Warriors during the 2025-26 campaign. He’ll be entering his ninth NBA season.
The Lakers have been busy on Wednesday morning. After trading for Walker Kessler, the Lakers have also reportedly come to terms on contracts for three more new players as part of a supporting cast overhaul following the departure of LeBron James.
Sandro Mamukaleshvili, Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton have all agreed to sign multi-year deals with the Lakers, according to multiple reports. ESPN reported Mamukaleshvili agreed to a 4-year, $52-million contract after a breakthrough season with the Toronto Raptors. Grimes will sign a 4-year, $60-million contract after playing for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, while Sexton is set to sign a 2-year, $19-million deal.
One day after losing LeBron James, the Los Angeles Lakers made their first big NBA free agency splash.
The Lakers have agreed to sign restricted free agent Walker Kessler to a new 4-year, $130-million contract, according to ESPN, and it acquired his rights from the Utah Jazz via trade in exchange for two future first-round draft picks and two first-round draft swaps.
Kessler played just five games with the Jazz last season due to injury, but the 24-year-old center averaged a double-double (11.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks) over 54 games during the 2024-25 campaign.
The New York Knicks are losing a prominent member of their 2026 NBA championship team via free agency, and he’s joining one of the biggest Eastern Conference threats that will try to dethrone them.
Center Mitchell Robinson has agreed to a 3-year, $47-million contract with the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN. The deal includes a player option in the third season.
The market for big men continues to dwindle in NBA free agency after Nikola Vucevic and Moe Wagner agreed to smaller deals with new teams.
Wagner will sign a 2-year, $19-million deal with the Brooklyn Nets that includes an option for another contract discussion next offseason, according to ESPN. Wagner spent the past six seasons with the Orlando Magic, including four alongside his younger brother, Franz Wagner
Vucevic, meanwhile, is going to essentially take Wagner’s spot with the Magic after agreeing to a 1-year contract with Orlando, ESPN reported. The 15-year NBA veteran was traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Boston Celtics at the trade deadline last season. This marks a return for Vucevic to the team in which he played the first nine seasons of his NBA career.
Veteran point guard Mike Conley has agreed to a one-year contract with the Boston Celtics, according to multiple reports. The 2026-27 season will be his 20th year in the NBA. He spent four seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves after being dealt by the Utah Jazz at the trade deadline in 2023.
Conley averaged 4.5 points and 2.9 assists in 54 games last season and started five games in the playoffs. The 38-year-old played the first 12 seasons of his career with the Memphis Grizzlies, who drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft out of Ohio State.
Losing LeBron James also left the Los Angeles Lakers with about $52 million in cap space to work with and they’re in pursuit of a new starting center to team with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves moving forward.
The Lakers have been linked to Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren and Utah Jazz big man Walker Kessler, according to multiple reports, though both players are restricted free agents. How much the Lakers are willing to offer is among the more intriguing subplots to play out in free agency in the coming hours and days.
The Pistons have indicated they plan to retain Duren, despite recent meetings with the Lakers and Sacramento Kings. Kessler and the Jazz have been in extended negotiations on a contract extension and the Jazz similarly intend to keep their young center.
Here’s a sampling of the restricted and unrestricted NBA free agents still available as of 9:45 a.m. ET on Wednesday, July 1.
*restricted free agent
One of the few players available who appeared in the NBA All-Star game last year has a new home. Norman Powell has agreed to a 2-year, $45-million contract with the Chicago Bulls, according to ESPN.
The 33-year-old shooting guard had the most productive seasons of his career the past two years and averaged 21.7 points per game while shooting 38% from 3-point range in 2025-26 with the Miami Heat. The Bulls are one of the few teams in the NBA operating with legitimate salary cap space this offseason.
The Detroit Pistons have bolstered their frontcourt with the addition of free agent forward John Collins, who played last season with the Los Angeles Clippers.
ESPN reports Collins, 28, has agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal with the Central Division champs.
A nine-year NBA veteran, Collins averaged 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in his lone season with the Clippers.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Houston Rockets and Marcus Smart agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal.
The 12-year NBA veteran guard started 54 games for the Lakers last season, averaging 9.3 points, 3.0 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. The 2022 NBA Defensive Player of the Year links back up with Ime Udokoa, who coached Smart in Boston from 2021-23.
The next decision for LeBron James is here, and it could once again alter the NBA landscape. The league’s all-time leading scorer has informed the Los Angeles Lakers he plans to play elsewhere during the 2026-27 season, according to multiple reports on Tuesday, June 30 ahead of the start to the league’s free agency period.
James will be the most coveted free agent on the market despite entering his record 24th NBA season, especially if he’s willing to take a pay cut. So where are his most likely landing spots? The Golden State Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat are the teams mentioned the most, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t others that would be extremely interested in the four-time NBA MVP.
Aside from LeBron James, there are a handful of other big-name free agents that could be on the move. Some might re-sign with their current teams, some might opt to take their talents to a championship contender, and others might be looking for a huge payday.
Among the biggest names to keep an eye on: James Harden, who declined his $42.3 million player option with the Cavaliers for 2026-27 but seems to want to return to Cleveland; Jalen Duren, who’s a restricted free agent with the Pistons; and Rui Hachimura, who could see some big offers from teams that have more money under the salary cap.
▶ CLICK HERE to see where our NBA experts think those players and other big names in free agency will end up.
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