Memphis Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome is averaging 28.2 points per game for one of the NBA’s most surprising teams, and he can become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The 29-year-old journeyman leads a 12-player Contract Year All-Stars roster of potential impact free agents, many of whom are searching for massive paydays in the 2027 offseason. The list also includes early predictions for each player’s next contract and the likelihood of being traded before the February deadline.
Jerome has a memorable background. He played for Virginia when the Cavaliers were stunned by UMBC in the first 16-1 upset in NCAA tournament history in 2018. Virginia went on to win the title the following season. Jerome also played two seasons with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City and one season with Stephen Curry in Golden State.
How the roster was selected
The list disqualified players who have previously made an All-NBA or All-Star team. That rule keeps out potential summer free agents such as Anthony Davis of the Washington Wizards, Karl-Anthony Towns of the New York Knicks, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Miami Heat, Tyler Herro of the Milwaukee Bucks and LeBron James of the Philadelphia 76ers, who holds a player option for 2027-28.
Players with team options in their current contracts were also excluded, including Josh Hart of the Knicks and Rui Hachimura of the LA Clippers. The reasoning is that a player who outplays his deal enough to be considered a Contract Year All-Star is unlikely to see his team decline the option. Potential 2027 restricted free agents, such as Daniss Jenkins of the Detroit Pistons, were left off as well.
Starters
Fred VanVleet, Rockets
VanVleet is averaging 12.2 points, 6.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game, and he is in the final year of his contract. His scoring is at its lowest per-game level since 2018-19, but he has steadied Houston’s offense. After missing all of last season with a torn ACL in his right knee, the 32-year-old guard is averaging 6.8 assists with only 1.0 turnovers per game. As a result, the Rockets’ assist rate has climbed from 27th in 2025-26 to 13th in the early going this season.
Prediction: The Rockets will advance deep into the playoffs and re-sign VanVleet in unrestricted free agency. He is not extension-eligible because he signed a two-year deal in 2025. Houston’s finances will help determine his future. With Year 1 of Amen Thompson’s and Tari Eason’s extensions beginning in 2027-28, the Rockets are projected to be $10 million below the luxury tax and $19 million below the first apron.
Ty Jerome, Grizzlies
Jerome is averaging 28.2 points, 5.7 assists and shooting 42.1% from 3-point range. He has a 2027 player option worth $9.7 million. He was not a candidate last season because he played just 15 games, but his first two weeks this season have made him an obvious choice for the starting 2-guard role. He is shattering previous career highs, and Memphis is plus-18.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, according to Cleaning the Glass.
Prediction: If he continues to play at a high level, Jerome will decline his $9.7 million player option and become an unrestricted free agent. Because he has accrued early Bird rights, the maximum he could sign with Memphis, or with another team if he is traded, is four years and $72.3 million. With eight teams projected to have cap space and 12 more with the $16 million non-tax mid-level exception, Jerome should have suitors outside of Memphis. If he opts in for next season, he becomes eligible to sign a four-year, $99.9 million extension.
Ryan Rollins, Bucks
Rollins is averaging 11.0 points, 4.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game, with a 2027 player option worth $4 million. His scoring is down about seven points per game from last season, and he is shooting 34.5% from the field and 26.3% on 3-pointers. Those numbers, along with Milwaukee’s 1-6 start, would normally keep a player off this list. However, the selection process weighs much more than the first two weeks of the season. Rollins posted career highs in points (17.6 per game), assists (5.6) and rebounds (4.6) in 2025-26, and Milwaukee was nearly six points better when he was on the court that season.
Prediction: Rollins declines the option and becomes an unrestricted free agent. He signed a three-year contract with the Bucks in 2025 and is not extension-eligible until summer 2027. To sign a long-term deal, he would need to decline his player option and re-sign with Milwaukee as a free agent. He could also opt in to his $4 million contract for 2027-28 and sign a four-year, $100 million extension.
Michael Porter Jr., Nets
Porter is averaging 20.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. He has averaged at least 20 points per game for the second straight season. The 28-year-old forward is doing more than scoring. His 1.6 steals per game, along with 2.5 deflections, are career highs, and Brooklyn’s defense is eight points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor.
Prediction: Porter gets traded to a contender before the Feb. 11 deadline. He has been eligible since July to sign a four-year, $236.5 million extension with Brooklyn. If the Nets move him, he would become eligible to sign for three years and $154 million with his new team. He can also elect to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2027, regardless of where he is playing after the deadline.
Paul Reed, Pistons
Reed is averaging 13.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and shooting a career-high 65.0% from the field. He is in the final year of a two-year contract. His minutes have surged from 13.9 per game last season to 26.9 this season, after starting center Jalen Duren suffered a hamstring strain. Reed has nearly doubled his points per game, and Detroit is plus-12.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the court.
Prediction: Reed, who is not extension-eligible because he signed a two-year deal with Detroit, will hit unrestricted free agency. His larger role should boost his stock as one of the top frontcourt options next summer. Nearly two-thirds of teams have at least $16 million to spend in free agency. The Pistons are $24.5 million below the luxury tax and have flexibility with the non-guaranteed contracts of Duncan Robinson, John Collins and Isaiah Joe.
Reserves
Kris Dunn, Clippers
Dunn is averaging 9.0 points, 4.7 assists and a career-high 2.9 steals per game. This is his third season with the Clippers, and he is playing the second-most minutes of his career, at 29.7 per game. The 32-year-old trails only Dyson Daniels for the most deflections this season. Last season, Dunn ranked fourth in steals, behind only Cason Wallace, Dyson Daniels and Ausar Thompson, and fifth in deflections.
Prediction: The Clippers trade Dunn at the deadline and recoup one of the five future first-round picks docked after the NBA’s salary cap circumvention investigation. Dunn then signs a two-year, $37 million extension with his new team to bypass free agency.
Davion Mitchell, Heat
Mitchell is averaging 16.0 points, 8.0 assists and 45.7% from 3-point range. Despite Miami’s 2-5 start, he is having a career year in minutes (33.5 per game), points, assists (third in the league) and field goal percentage (51.8%). He recorded double-digit assists in nine games last season and already has four this season.
Prediction: This may be too early to call, but Mitchell appears to have found a permanent home in Miami after three seasons with the Sacramento Kings and half a season with the Toronto Raptors. His next contract will depend on Miami’s cap flexibility. With Year 1 of Pelle Larsson’s extension beginning in 2027-28, the Heat are projected to be $23 million below the tax and $32 million below the first apron. If Mitchell signs in the $15 million to $16 million range per season, Miami is unlikely to have the full $16 million non-tax mid-level exception available next summer. Because he signed a two-year contract with Miami, he is not extension-eligible this season.
RJ Barrett, Raptors
Barrett is averaging 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. The writers were initially hesitant to include him, since he is in the final year of a $107 million rookie extension he signed with the Knicks in 2022. Still, he has had three and a half impactful seasons since Toronto acquired him in December 2023, averaging at least 19.2 points per game in each season since. With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely, Barrett is expected to carry most of the scoring load, just as he did when Brandon Ingram was injured during Toronto’s first-round series this past postseason.
Prediction: Despite being eligible to sign an extension since July, Barrett will become an unrestricted free agent. The Raptors can exceed the salary cap because of his Bird rights, but they face a financial crunch next season. With the first year of Leonard’s and Jakob Poeltl’s extensions beginning, Toronto is projected to be $23 million below the luxury tax and $29 million below the first apron.
Jonathan Kuminga, Timberwolves
Kuminga is averaging 12.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and shooting 44.1% from 3-point range. He has a 2027 player option worth $6.4 million. The 24-year-old forward has started all eight of Minnesota’s games this season, with career highs in minutes (30.8 per game) and 3-point percentage. With Anthony Edwards out for an extended period, Kuminga is expected to play a significant role. He is averaging 1.3 steals and 2.8 deflections, and Minnesota has a defensive rating of 99.5 when he is on the floor. Two stats bear watching: he is attempting 1.4 more 3-pointers per game than last season, and his free throw percentage is a career-low 55%.
Prediction: Kuminga declines his player option to become a free agent for the third straight offseason. Because he has non-Bird rights and Minnesota is close to the first apron, the most the team can offer him in a first-year salary is $7.2 million. That amount will be a non-starter in negotiations, and Kuminga will sign elsewhere.
Kenrich Williams, Thunder
Williams is averaging 6.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and shooting 47.4% from 3-point range. He is an unrestricted free agent after this season. He likely would not make the list if Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace were healthy. However, both starters will miss most, if not all, of the season, so his minutes should soar. In the 37 games he played as part of the rotation last season, he averaged 8.2 points and shot 36.3% from the floor.
Prediction: With another financial crunch looming in Oklahoma City, Williams becomes an unrestricted free agent and signs elsewhere in the offseason. His salary next season would start at $6 million, comparable to the tax mid-level exception.
Keldon Johnson, Spurs
Johnson is averaging 9.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. The reigning Sixth Man of the Year appeared in every game last season and broke the record for points by a reserve. In the playoffs, however, he scored double digits in just five of San Antonio’s 16 games. This season, his touches are down nearly 20%, and he is attempting 2.5 fewer 3-pointers per game. He is making a more concerted effort to attack the basket, and through six games, 79% of his points came in the paint.
Prediction: Until there is more clarity on the financial situation next season, San Antonio will table extension talks with Johnson. With Year 1 of Victor Wembanyama’s extension beginning in 2027-28, the Spurs are projected to be $11 million below the luxury tax and $18 million below the first apron. Even without Johnson re-signing, San Antonio is likely to be a luxury tax team once the 2027 first-round pick from Atlanta and a filled-out roster are factored in.
Moussa Diabate, Hornets
Diabate is averaging 9.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He has grown from a two-way player into perhaps the best offensive rebounder in the NBA, averaging a league-best 5.4 offensive boards per game. Thanks to him, Charlotte ranks sixth in offensive rebounds and 11th in second-chance points. Over the past two seasons, the Hornets are 37-16 when Diabate starts.
Prediction: Diabate signs a four-year, $64 million extension on Feb. 8, his first day of eligibility. The $16 million first-year salary is comparable to the non-tax mid-level exception next season. Even with extensions for Brandon Miller and Diabate kicking in for 2027-28, Charlotte would still have flexibility below the luxury tax and apron.