As is the case every year, several players enter the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season with something to prove. Whether it’s having a bounce-back campaign, overcoming injuries or playing for a new contract, every player in the league has something to prove as a new season approaches. We will focus on players hoping to win a new deal in the summer of 2025.
However, it is worth noting that we will not consider players with club or player options, as there is a specific form of control over those deals. That is why names like LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Fred VanVleet, Rudy Gobert, Kyrie Irving, Julius Randle and James Harden will not be listed. We also won’t consider restricted free agents, so players like Alperen Sengun, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Johnson are not included. Instead, we’ll focus on players who will be unrestricted free agents, meaning they’re ready to test the open market once the 2024-25 campaign is in the books.
These are the top five players who will play for their money in 2024-25:
Ingram’s future is extremely uncertain, but there haven’t been many developments regarding his immediate future. The star forward is scheduled to play the 2024-25 season for the Pelicans, but he wants to sign a new deal before training camp. Both parties don’t see eye to eye on the value of a new deal, so the Pelicans will likely try to trade Ingram if they can’t extend him. However, no team was willing to meet New Orleans’ asking price for the 27-year-old, who also wants to sign an extension when traded, so there are several hurdles to clear before he moves — if it happens at all. .
On the floor, there’s no question that Ingram brings value when healthy. However, that’s a big if, because Ingram hasn’t played more than 64 games in any of the last seven seasons. When he’s available, he’s a capable scorer who can also rebound and distribute the ball with ease. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2023-24, making it the third straight season in which he averaged at least 20 points, five boards and five assists per game. Ingram has scored at least 20 points per game in five consecutive seasons. If he can stay healthy, Ingram should be able to get the multi-year deal he’s been pushing for, although it could come from other teams and not the Pelicans. There is certainly a lot at stake for him in this upcoming campaign.
Capela was one of the best defensive centers in the NBA during his prime years with the Rockets, and while his offensive game always lagged behind his defensive value, the Swiss big man found a way to be a consistent scoring force in the NBA. One of the best two-way players at the position and a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor, Capela is entering the final year of the two-year, $45.4 million extension he signed with Atlanta in September of 2021. Since his chances to extend his tenure in Atlanta looking thin, Capela must bet on himself for the 2024-25 campaign.
Capela is a productive player. After all, he averaged 11.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24, making it the seventh consecutive season he averaged a double-double. He is an excellent lob finisher and makes his presence felt near the rim on both ends of the court, but he is stuck in a context that does not favor him. The Hawks are looking to get younger, and they appear to be one big trade away from entering a rebuilding process. Capela is 30 years old, and the Hawks also have Onyeka Okongwu on the roster, who is essentially a younger, more athletic version of Capela. If Capela can stay healthy and consistent in his production, someone will pay him the money he’s looking for, especially if he can average another double-double this year.
One of the best players in the NBA when comparing on-court production and the value of his contract, Caruso is set to play with the Thunder in the 2024-25 campaign after being traded by the Bulls in the offseason. He’s playing at $9.24 million, which seems like a bargain considering Caruso is an elite defender who can also make an impact with his three-point shooting. Don’t be surprised if the Thunder try to lock him up at some point before he’s allowed to test the open market, as he could be the veteran presence and defensive anchor this team needs to take the next step in the Western Conference.
Caruso projects to be a starter with the Thunder, a team that should be an absolute pest on the defensive end when pairing Caruso with some combination of Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort. All signs point to Caruso signing a lucrative new deal in the offseason, and if he can remain a consistent outside shooter, he’s in line to secure the best deal of his career. Caruso is definitely trending in the right direction, as he averaged a career-high 10.1 points per game in 2023-24 while also posting career-best numbers in rebounds (3.8), steals (1.7) and blocks (1.0) per game. He also shot an impressive 40.8 percent from three-point range while finishing in the Top 11 of the Defensive Player of the Year voting for the second consecutive year. Continuing that trend, Caruso will sign the most significant contract of his career next summer.
Turner has been heavily criticized for his below-average rebounding ability based on his size and frame, as he is listed at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds. However, he has averaged 7.2 rebounds per game over the past three seasons, and there are very few knocks on his game as he enters his 10th season in the league. Turner has also been a major reason for the recent success of the Pacers in the Eastern Conference, and there is an argument to say that he is one of the most skilled big men in the league, at least on the offensive end of the court. One would think that signing Turner to a new deal would be a no-brainer for the Pacers, but there are some complicating factors.
First, the Pacers are a small market team and tend to operate as such, so they might be reluctant to hand out another extension after giving new deals to Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard. The Nembhard deal could affect Turner’s chances of getting an extension outright, but the Pacers need to lock up their star players if they want to contend for years to come. The rebounding concerns are real with Turner, but even if that’s an issue that could conspire against his chances of securing an extension, he can offset those concerns with his elite shot-blocking ability, as Turner has averaged at least 1.8 blocks per game in eight. successive seasons. Additionally, very few centers are as productive as Turner on the offensive end of the court — he averaged at least 17 points per game while shooting at least 35 percent from deep in his last two campaigns. Turner has all the makings of being a player who can sign a new lucrative deal in the offseason, regardless of whether he signs it with the Pacers or another team.
D’Angelo Russell
Russell could be one of the biggest wild cards among impending unrestricted free agents. The floor general can deliver at an All-Star level when given the keys to an offense, but he’s relegated to a relatively secondary role in the Lakers’ offensive scheme. In most games, Russell will end up as the team’s fourth option behind LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, which doesn’t sit well with him. He exercised his player option worth $18.69 million for the 2024-25 season, when he could opt to hit the open market, meaning he’s definitely betting on himself to land a long-term deal in the summer of 2025.
Russell averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 2023–24 while appearing in 76 regular-season games. He has averaged at least 18 points per game in five of his last six seasons, so his ability as a proven scorer is not in any doubt. It appears that his new contract will depend on how involved he is in the offense in 2024-25, as other teams may view him as a starting point guard, as the Nets did in the 2018-19 campaign when he made the All-Star. Game, or some teams can only view him as a role player. The latter will undoubtedly limit his earning potential, although it could maximize his chances of staying with a rival team. In any case, the decision to pick up his player option this summer means Russell is betting on himself again in 2024-25, and when he’s done it in the past, he’s usually succeeded. His performances in the upcoming campaign will determine the type of deal he receives in free agency in the summer of 2025.
