2025 NBA Free Agents Who Will Be Flight Risks
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The 2025 NBA free-agency class could be one of the most interesting that we’ve had in a while, a combination of current stars (LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Brandon Ingram, Jamal Murray, Julius Randle), talented restricted free agents (Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Jalen Johnson) and quality starters (Aaron Gordon, Myles Turner, D’Angelo Russell).
While some like James, Murray and Şengün will almost certainly return to their teams, some real flight risks could explore new opportunities or be priced out of their current franchises.
The following five players will likely be spending their last seasons in their current homes.
Caris LeVert, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers
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Caris LeVert has been one of the better sixth men in basketball since he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2022 and averaged 14.0 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season.
In a perfect world, both LeVert and the Cavs would have interest in a new contract. With second apron luxury tax concerns now starting to creep in for Cleveland next season, it simply may not be able to afford to keep the 29-year-old around.
With Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell both agreeing to max extensions this summer, the Cavs already have $180.9 million on the payroll for 2025-26, or over $20 million more than the current roster is making. This isn’t factoring in a new deal for defensive ace Isaac Okoro, who remains a restricted free agent.
The Cavs are already projected to be just $26.9 million below the second apron with nine players on the roster. A new contract for Okoro could slash this by $10 million or more, with roughly $17 million left to sign four players with.
LeVert’s expiring $16.6 million contract is the only thing providing the Cavs with some financial relief next summer, especially as Mobley makes the jump from rookie deal to max contract.
Finances will likely force LeVert to look for a new home.
Dennis Schröder, PG, Brooklyn Nets
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Dennis Schröder played his usual Superman role with Germany in the Olympics, as the veteran point guard averaged 17.2 points and 7.5 assists.
When he comes back to his day job, however, things will be a little more bleak.
The Brooklyn Nets will be bad on purpose this season after trading Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks for a package that included five first-round picks and Bojan Bogdanović. Some talent remains on the roster (Cam Thomas, Nic Claxton, Cameron Johnson, Dorian Finney-Smith, etc.), although there will almost certainly be trades before the Feb. 6 deadline to assist in the team’s tanking efforts.
Schröder is in the final year of his contract, making $13.0 million. He is a prime trade candidate should a team need a point guard this season. The 30-year-old averaged 14.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists and shot 41.2 percent from three in 29 games following his trade to the Nets last year.
Even if Schröder makes it past the trade deadline, there’s little reason to believe this is a long-term fit in Brooklyn.
The Nets will have significant cap space next summer with $78.4 million worth of salary expiring from Ben Simmons, Bogdanović, Schröder and Ziaire Williams. However, this team is committed to rebuilding, with point guard likely at the top of its wish list in the 2025 draft.
Given Schröder’s age and likely desire to play for a contender, don’t expect him to remain a Net past this year.
Clint Capela, C, Atlanta Hawks
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Clint Capela has been a rock-solid starting center for the Atlanta Hawks the past four years, although future financial restrictions and the emergence of Onyeka Okongwu could be spelling the end for the veteran center in the ATL.
Capela is on an expiring $22.3 million contract and averaged 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.5 blocks and shot 57.1 percent overall last season, his seventh straight year with a double-double average. The Hawks are currently committing $51 million to the center position this season between Capela, Okongwu, Larry Nance Jr. and Cody Zeller, however, and are just $1.2 million below the luxury tax line.
At some point, Okongwu needs to become the starting center in Atlanta.
The 23-year-old put up 16.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks while shooting 7-of-15 (46.7 percent) from three in his eight starts last season and is beginning a team-friendly, four-year, $62 million contract that could look like one of the better deals in the NBA very soon.
An expensive extension for Jalen Johnson is likely going to be agreed upon and kick in next season, and the combination of Trae Young, De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanović will earn $85.3 million in 2025-26 alone.
Re-signing Capela, as good of a player as he is, no longer makes sense for the Hawks unless he takes a significant pay cut.
Expect the 30-year-old to pursue a starting job elsewhere.
D’Angelo Russell, PG, Los Angeles Lakers
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After disappointing in the playoffs yet again, there was some doubt that D’Angelo Russell would return to the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
Ultimately, the market must have told Russell to pick up his $18.7 million player option, especially since players like Tyus Jones and Gary Trent Jr. eventually had to settle for veteran minimum deals.
Russell and the Lakers have a complicated relationship.
After selecting the former Ohio State star with the No. 2 overall pick in 2015, trading him away in 2017 and then trading for him again in 2023, the Lakers have been rumored to want to swap Russell out for an upgrade, but have yet to do so.
Los Angeles also needs Russell during the regular season to take some scoring pressure off of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and the 28-year-old point guard did average 18.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists and shot 41.5 percent from three last year.
While Russell got to decide his future this summer, his return to the Lakers for the 2025-26 season will need to be a mutual decision.
It appears far more likely that Los Angeles will attempt to use his expiring deal to help orchestrate a trade at some point this season than the two sides agreeing to a new contract next summer.
Brandon Ingram, SF, New Orleans Pelicans
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After what seems like months of trade speculation, it now appears more likely that Brandon Ingram actually stays with the New Orleans Pelicans.
“I think the sense around New Orleans is that he’s going to be there. They are fully expecting Brandon Ingram to be part of the team going into next season,” Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on The Pat McAfee Show.
This isn’t going to end well for the Pelicans, a team that’s already over the luxury tax line and still doesn’t have a starting-caliber center on the roster. Moving Ingram for one while trimming $1.7 million off the payroll remains the best path forward for the franchise, especially when factoring in future contract trepidations.
Ingram is eligible to sign a four-year, $208 million extension at any time, something he’s almost certainly not going to get from New Orleans.
The Pelicans need to pay Trey Murphy III (currently extension-eligible) and still have Herbert Jones and Jordan Hawkins on the wing. There’s simply too many mouths to feed in New Orleans, especially with Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum and Dejounte Murray earning a combined $99.5 million this year.
Ingram isn’t going to get a max deal, not from the Pelicans or anyone else. He could sign at a discounted rate with a team projected to have cap space next summer (Brooklyn Nets, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs) or New Orleans could work out a sign-and-trade like the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings did this summer for DeMar DeRozan.
Even if Ingram makes it through this season with the Pelicans, he no longer looks like a long-term fit with the franchise.
