2026 NBA free agency: The underrated and notable moves that caught our attention
As the 2026 NBA season winds down (until LeBron decides his next destination), it’s time to take a look at some of the more impressive deals made this summer.
This does not necessarily mean large or small contracts, but rather the expectation of costs, compared to reality, and other trade-offs.
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Let’s get into it.
Look, when I saw that touch on the news feed, I was 100% sure it was a typo, and that “4” should have been “6.”
Man, $15 million for Champagne, one of the better 3&D wings in the league, is cheap. He’s improved every single season, he’s become a better rebounder, and his ability to play without a star is Championship-caliber.
He’s the type of player you can easily see making clutch plays and winning a title despite being the fifth option on the first unit. His 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds may seem modest, but they are anything but.
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His impact is much higher than his raw line, and I wouldn’t comment if he was earning more than $20 million a year given his specific abilities.
Okay, so I’m doing something here that might be irresponsible, but I’m giving Chicago the benefit of the doubt — thanks to new leadership — and I’m approaching this from a creative perspective.
The Bulls are only taking money for those two, and since Powell is a solid scorer averaging just $22.5 million per year over the next two seasons, he will be easily removed before the trade deadline.
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Claxton is a solid seller, as he has been a good rebounder, but his defense has declined in recent years. But he’s still very variable on that end of the floor, and his contract is going down in value.
If good teams identify Powell and Claxton as difference makers, the Bulls may end up trading them for assets, which they will get for free, because they didn’t give up anything to get those players on the roster.
Kevin Huerter gets $27 million over three years
The last time Huerter was a good shooter, and thus showed some elite NBA skills, was in the 2022-2023 season, when he canned 40.2% of his 4.7 3-ball attempts per game.
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Since then? He shot 33.6% on 1,057 attempts from long range, below the league average.
Huerter also only played nine minutes per game in the playoffs for the Pistons, averaging 1.2 points per game, making this even more confusing.
Because he doesn’t have a single elite talent at this level, you have to wonder where the Pistons got their buys here. A $9 million salary in this new economy won’t break the bank, but still, there seems to be a lot of hope to give Huerter anything more than a small amount.
What an absolute steal for the Hawks. Wiggins, a fluid 6-foot-7 wing, can create his own offense, shoot off the catch and is generally an offensive player the Thunder should have used more of, especially on Lu Dort when their offense started to falter.
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He is now a Hawk at the price of a young second rounder and will give Atlanta a chance to come off the bench or as a starter.
His 9.4 points in less than 22 minutes may not be surprising, but he played on a deep team and didn’t get much exposure. In Atlanta, that could easily change — and arguably should.
We’ll see how the Hawks do this, but he’ll be a big boost to their offense.
