Who are the best remaining NBA free agents?

NBA free agency comes and goes during a long offseason for 30 teams. The 2026 free agency period began on June 30th and is nearing its end as the month of August begins. Often times front office plot and prepare for their offseason in advance. Free agency is a long process and each team must decide if their own free agents are worth keeping or moving on from. With that said, there are still several free agents available as the calendar flips to August. When discussing free agency, it's worth mentioning the type of free agents available. There are restricted and unrestricted free agents. Restricted free agents are able to sign for a new team with the former team allowed to match their new contract. This situation occurs when a restricted player signs an offer sheet. Unrestricted free agents have the power to sign with any team without any involvement from their former team. Unrestricted free agency benefits the free agents because it eliminates the process of a sign and trade. It's time to reflect on the best restricted and unrestricted free agents available. Starting with the restricted free agents, there's Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren, Denver Nuggets forward Peyton Watson and Clippers forward Benedict Mathurin. All three young players offer special talents that could impact several contending teams. Jalen Duren had a career regular season, averaging 19 points per game, making his first All-star team and third team All-NBA. Duren struggled in the NBA playoffs and saw his opportunity to gain a max contract dwindle. He is still only 23 years old and has a lot of upsides as a first-time all-star. Peyton Watson had a breakout season for the Nuggets, averaging nearly 15 points one year after averaging just 8 points in the previous season. Watson was given an opportunity for an increased role, and he made the most of his role before suffering a season-ending injury that cost him the first round of the NBA playoffs. Lastly, there's Benedict Mathurin, who has played the most playoff games out of the three restricted free agents. Mathurin was part of the Indiana Pacers' 2025 Finals run, which saw them one win shy of an NBA championship. He averaged 17 points per game during the 2025-2026 season and has a lot of ways to grow as a bench scorer. Shifting to the best unrestricted free agents, it would make sense to look at former stars who are no longer in their primes but can still make a difference for a contending team. These former stars include forward Demar Derozan, guard Russell Westbrook and guard Bradley Beal. Derozan, a former 6-time all-star, was recently waved by the Kings as a rebuild in Sacremento became more clear and obvious. During the 2025-26 season, Derozan averaged 18 points per game, a decline from his career 21 points per game stat line. It's worth noting his drop in usage following a Kings youth movement and season-ending tank. Russell Westbrook was teammates with Demar Derozan on the rebuilding Kings. Westbrook, a former 9-time all-star, averaged 15 points per game as the Kings veteran point guard. He mentored many of the young Kings players as the rebuild became in full force after the trade deadline. Lastly, there is Bradley Beal, a former three-time All-star, who suffered an injury-shortened 2025-2026 season. Beal appeared in just 8 total games for the Los Angeles Clippers and put up career lows in points per game, minutes played and shot attempts. Beal was hampered by injuries and will look for a healthy bounce-back season. Beal is a career 21 points per game scorer and should still generate interest in his scoring output throughout the league. So who are the best remaining free agents? Will these free agents listed have an impact on the 2026-2027 season. While the biggest free agents have signed, there is still plenty of talent on the market that could change up the league.