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Although the thrill and excitement of the 2025-26 NBA trade deadline are over, we can now look ahead at the buyout market to see which players, who could be solid contributors on contenders in the right situation, are going to be pry free from their teams and hit the open market.
Although the buyout market is an afterthought to the trade deadline, a fan favorite time of the year every NBA season, in the past, there have been some very good players who have had big playoff moments who were bought out of their contracts just months prior.
One good example came in February of 2016 when seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson was bought out by the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson would go on to join the Miami Heat, who'd finish out the regular season 16-8 before getting to Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs, in large part thanks to Iso Joe's addition.
French swingman Boris Diaw is another good example, as he joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2011-12 after being bought out by the Charlotte Hornets mid-season, and eventually helped the team capture the 2013-14 NBA championship. Diaw was a magnificent role player for those Spurs teams of the early '10s.
Below, check out some of the top buyout candidates for the 2025-26 NBA season following an eventful trade deadline.
There were conflicting reports as to the possibility of DeMar DeRozan hitting the buyout market, with SI's Chris Mannix saying that the six-time All-Star is a strong candidate to be bought out if he wasn't traded (spoiler alert: he wasn't), and ESPN's Anthony Slater reporting that the Sacramento Kings had "zero plans" to buy him out. Of course, those types of things can change quickly in the NBA - maybe DeRozan asks Sacramento to buy him out so he can join a team that's at least in the playoff picture - so DeRozan's situation is one we're keeping a close eye on.
The thing that makes DeRozan's prospects as a buyout candidate tricky is the fact that he's got another season left on his deal after this one. If his contract were expiring, we'd say it's likely he gets bought out. But with $50.3 million left on his contract between this season and next, he'd either need to be willing to give back a lot of that money, or the Kings would need to be fine with having a whole lot of dead cap space on their books.
Both options seem unlikely.
If DeRozan does get bought out, he'd be the best player available on the market by a mile. The Compton native is enjoying another strong campaign scoring the basketball, putting up 19.3 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting, while chipping in 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists nightly.
There's no doubt DeRozan would be a huge pickup for a playoff-level team looking for scoring. But there is a lot of doubt on whether he's actually bought out or not.
For the latest DeMar DeRozan rumors and contract information, click here.
A shocking development came after the trade deadline in 2025-26, as the Brooklyn Nets agreed to waive Cam Thomas and the roughly $6 million left on his contract, allowing Thomas to find a new home.
The bucket-getting guard has put up impressive numbers over the last three seasons, though he has missed a good amount of time in that span due to injury. Since 2023-24, Thomas has averaged 21.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on 35.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of market Thomas has.
Will a playoff team risk adding him, in hopes that his scoring prowess will provide a spark off the bench? In that role, the former LSU Tiger should be able to thrive. However, Thomas clearly did a whole lot of sulking this season in Brooklyn, seemingly due to his touches being down from 2024-25, and that was on one of the worst teams in the league. So how would he handle a potentially even smaller role on a more talented team?
Or will he end up on another rebuilding squad, which will allow him to better showcase his scoring skills ahead of free agency this summer?
We think the latter outcome is likelier, especially based on Thomas' apparent wants, but either way, we may not have to wait long to find out where the confident bucket-getter ends up.
For the latest Cam Thomas rumors and contract information, click here.
It's been a sad end to Chris Paul's magnificent time in the NBA, with the latest turn being that he was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors aren't requiring Paul to report to the team, and the latest reporting on the matter indicates that Paul is likely to be waived by Toronto.
Although historically, a player like Paul - a veteran with at least a little bit left in the tank - would be a clear-cut top option in the free-agent buyout market, there are doubts as to whether Paul will see another minute of NBA action in his illustrious career:
His reportedly being a heavy presence in the Clippers' locker room this season, and the fact that the team went on an absolute tear since sending him home, surely don't reflect that well on Paul and his ability to contribute at this point in his career. At the same time, he's a future Hall of Famer who could become a free agent soon, so he's someone who we still have to at least mention in this exercise.
Before being told to pack his bags by L.A., Paul was averaging just 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 nightly minutes of action. On the other hand, last season with San Antonio, Paul was still showing strong signs of life as an NBA player, putting up 8.8 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals without missing a game for the 2024-25 Spurs.
Maybe a team looks at those numbers from last year and believes Paul can still contribute at that level, and thus picks him up off the buyout market. We certainly can't rule that out.
For the latest Chris Paul rumors and contract information, click here.
Veteran swingman Kyle Anderson put up solid numbers with the Utah Jazz this season, averaging 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 52.3 percent shooting from the floor. Recently, Anderson was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the shocking blockbuster that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz.
Now in Memphis, Anderson may be on the move again soon, as the team looks fully ready to tear it all down and build for the future. A 32-year-old like Anderson certainly doesn't fit that timeline, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see his contract, which will pay him $9.2 million this season and $9.7 million next season, get bought out, allowing him to hit the free-agent market.
Anderson can still contribute in a winning situation, as exemplified by his half-season with Miami in 2024-25. The former UCLA native put up 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists with the Heat, making the team 4.8 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor, so we think he'd be a sneaky good pickup if he were to hit the buyout market this year.
For the latest Kyle Anderson rumors and contract information, click here.
On an expiring $33.4 mllion contract and recently traded to a very young Dallas Mavericks team, Khris Middleton is about as clear a buyout candidate as we have on the market. Of course, that could also come down to how much interest there is in Middleton around the league, because he is clearly levels below his former All-Star self.
There are questions as to how much he can even contribute as a role player at this point, as Middleton is averaging just 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season on 33.3 percent shooting from three. On the other hand, Middleton is still making a positive impact deeper on the stat sheet, as, according to swing rating, the 34-year-old has made his teams 4.3 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor over the last two seasons.
Middleton's outside shooting is down, but he can still score off the dribble from the midrange, as well as rebound and create a bit. Off the bench as a lead option while facing second units, Middleton could be a sneaky good option for teams with championship aspirations this season if he were to get bought out. Plus, he's won a title before and has a cool, veteran savvy to him, so he'd definitely be a good locker-room addition as well.
For the latest Khris Middleton rumors and contract information, click here.
Now 38, Mike Conley is very clearly in the twilight of his career. And his play this season reflects that, as the former Ohio State Buckeye is putting up 4.4 points and 2.9 assists on the year, prior to the Minnesota Timberwolves trading him to the Chicago Bulls this week. Chicago then flipped Conley to the Charlotte Hornets, who are likely to buy out his expiring $10.8 million contract, opening the door for Conley to return to Minnesota.
According to a report, the Timberwolves are considering doing just that:
Team superstar Anthony Edwardspublicly said that the Timberwolves want Conley back, so a lot of the momentum here is with Conley ending back up in square one, where he'll continue to help as a locker-room leader and with spot minutes here and there.
For the latest Mike Conley rumors and contract information, click here.
This season, former No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball has looked like a shell of his former self, which is understandable considering his brutal injury luck since getting to the NBA. This season, Ball has put up 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 30.1 percent shooting from the floor. The Cavaliers threw in the towel on the experiment already, trading Ball to the Utah Jazz, who are expected to waive the veteran guard and the remaining $20 million on his deal.
It's very much in question how much Ball has left in the tank, which is unfortunate considering he's just 28 years old. But the injuries seem to have sapped a lot of his athleticism and confidence, and he's already missed a lot of time due to more lingering injuries this season.
Even so, Ball is a solid veteran, and teams might cling to the hope that he can at least return to 2024-25 form (Ball put up 7.6 points and 3.3 assists in his final Bulls stint, and actually had a +9.7 swing rating on the campaign), so he could have suitors on the open market. It just speaks to the weakness of this buyout class that Ball could be one of the top candidates on the board.
For the latest Lonzo Ball rumors and contract information, click here.
Big man Chris Boucher was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Jazz in what was a salary dump. Boucher has just this season left on his current contract, which owes him $3.3 million, a very palatable number to buy him out if you were Utah.
Boucher hasn't played much this season, amassing just 94 total minutes of action, and putting up 21 total points and 18 rebounds in that span. Still, the veteran is just one campaign removed from a strong showing with the Raptors in 2024-25, a league year that saw him put up 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game, while shooting a respectable 36.3 percent from three.
A team in search of an off-the-bench big man who can space the floor on one end and block shots on the other could certainly take an interest in Boucher if Utah does go through with buying out the remainder of his contract.
For the latest Chris Boucher rumors and contract information, click here.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: 2026 NBA buyout season: Who are the candidates?
Continue reading...
Although the buyout market is an afterthought to the trade deadline, a fan favorite time of the year every NBA season, in the past, there have been some very good players who have had big playoff moments who were bought out of their contracts just months prior.
One good example came in February of 2016 when seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson was bought out by the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson would go on to join the Miami Heat, who'd finish out the regular season 16-8 before getting to Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs, in large part thanks to Iso Joe's addition.
French swingman Boris Diaw is another good example, as he joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2011-12 after being bought out by the Charlotte Hornets mid-season, and eventually helped the team capture the 2013-14 NBA championship. Diaw was a magnificent role player for those Spurs teams of the early '10s.
Below, check out some of the top buyout candidates for the 2025-26 NBA season following an eventful trade deadline.
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DeMar DeRozan
There were conflicting reports as to the possibility of DeMar DeRozan hitting the buyout market, with SI's Chris Mannix saying that the six-time All-Star is a strong candidate to be bought out if he wasn't traded (spoiler alert: he wasn't), and ESPN's Anthony Slater reporting that the Sacramento Kings had "zero plans" to buy him out. Of course, those types of things can change quickly in the NBA - maybe DeRozan asks Sacramento to buy him out so he can join a team that's at least in the playoff picture - so DeRozan's situation is one we're keeping a close eye on.
The thing that makes DeRozan's prospects as a buyout candidate tricky is the fact that he's got another season left on his deal after this one. If his contract were expiring, we'd say it's likely he gets bought out. But with $50.3 million left on his contract between this season and next, he'd either need to be willing to give back a lot of that money, or the Kings would need to be fine with having a whole lot of dead cap space on their books.
Both options seem unlikely.
If DeRozan does get bought out, he'd be the best player available on the market by a mile. The Compton native is enjoying another strong campaign scoring the basketball, putting up 19.3 points per game on 50.7 percent shooting, while chipping in 3.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists nightly.
There's no doubt DeRozan would be a huge pickup for a playoff-level team looking for scoring. But there is a lot of doubt on whether he's actually bought out or not.
For the latest DeMar DeRozan rumors and contract information, click here.
Cam Thomas
A shocking development came after the trade deadline in 2025-26, as the Brooklyn Nets agreed to waive Cam Thomas and the roughly $6 million left on his contract, allowing Thomas to find a new home.
The bucket-getting guard has put up impressive numbers over the last three seasons, though he has missed a good amount of time in that span due to injury. Since 2023-24, Thomas has averaged 21.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game on 35.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of market Thomas has.
Will a playoff team risk adding him, in hopes that his scoring prowess will provide a spark off the bench? In that role, the former LSU Tiger should be able to thrive. However, Thomas clearly did a whole lot of sulking this season in Brooklyn, seemingly due to his touches being down from 2024-25, and that was on one of the worst teams in the league. So how would he handle a potentially even smaller role on a more talented team?
Or will he end up on another rebuilding squad, which will allow him to better showcase his scoring skills ahead of free agency this summer?
We think the latter outcome is likelier, especially based on Thomas' apparent wants, but either way, we may not have to wait long to find out where the confident bucket-getter ends up.
For the latest Cam Thomas rumors and contract information, click here.
Chris Paul
It's been a sad end to Chris Paul's magnificent time in the NBA, with the latest turn being that he was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors aren't requiring Paul to report to the team, and the latest reporting on the matter indicates that Paul is likely to be waived by Toronto.
Although historically, a player like Paul - a veteran with at least a little bit left in the tank - would be a clear-cut top option in the free-agent buyout market, there are doubts as to whether Paul will see another minute of NBA action in his illustrious career:
His reportedly being a heavy presence in the Clippers' locker room this season, and the fact that the team went on an absolute tear since sending him home, surely don't reflect that well on Paul and his ability to contribute at this point in his career. At the same time, he's a future Hall of Famer who could become a free agent soon, so he's someone who we still have to at least mention in this exercise.
Before being told to pack his bags by L.A., Paul was averaging just 2.9 points and 3.3 assists in 14.3 nightly minutes of action. On the other hand, last season with San Antonio, Paul was still showing strong signs of life as an NBA player, putting up 8.8 points, 7.4 assists and 1.3 steals without missing a game for the 2024-25 Spurs.
Maybe a team looks at those numbers from last year and believes Paul can still contribute at that level, and thus picks him up off the buyout market. We certainly can't rule that out.
For the latest Chris Paul rumors and contract information, click here.
Kyle Anderson
Veteran swingman Kyle Anderson put up solid numbers with the Utah Jazz this season, averaging 7.1 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 52.3 percent shooting from the floor. Recently, Anderson was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies as part of the shocking blockbuster that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz.
Now in Memphis, Anderson may be on the move again soon, as the team looks fully ready to tear it all down and build for the future. A 32-year-old like Anderson certainly doesn't fit that timeline, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see his contract, which will pay him $9.2 million this season and $9.7 million next season, get bought out, allowing him to hit the free-agent market.
Anderson can still contribute in a winning situation, as exemplified by his half-season with Miami in 2024-25. The former UCLA native put up 6.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists with the Heat, making the team 4.8 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor, so we think he'd be a sneaky good pickup if he were to hit the buyout market this year.
For the latest Kyle Anderson rumors and contract information, click here.
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Khris Middleton
On an expiring $33.4 mllion contract and recently traded to a very young Dallas Mavericks team, Khris Middleton is about as clear a buyout candidate as we have on the market. Of course, that could also come down to how much interest there is in Middleton around the league, because he is clearly levels below his former All-Star self.
There are questions as to how much he can even contribute as a role player at this point, as Middleton is averaging just 10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists this season on 33.3 percent shooting from three. On the other hand, Middleton is still making a positive impact deeper on the stat sheet, as, according to swing rating, the 34-year-old has made his teams 4.3 points per 100 possessions better during his time on the floor over the last two seasons.
Middleton's outside shooting is down, but he can still score off the dribble from the midrange, as well as rebound and create a bit. Off the bench as a lead option while facing second units, Middleton could be a sneaky good option for teams with championship aspirations this season if he were to get bought out. Plus, he's won a title before and has a cool, veteran savvy to him, so he'd definitely be a good locker-room addition as well.
For the latest Khris Middleton rumors and contract information, click here.
Mike Conley
Now 38, Mike Conley is very clearly in the twilight of his career. And his play this season reflects that, as the former Ohio State Buckeye is putting up 4.4 points and 2.9 assists on the year, prior to the Minnesota Timberwolves trading him to the Chicago Bulls this week. Chicago then flipped Conley to the Charlotte Hornets, who are likely to buy out his expiring $10.8 million contract, opening the door for Conley to return to Minnesota.
According to a report, the Timberwolves are considering doing just that:
Team superstar Anthony Edwardspublicly said that the Timberwolves want Conley back, so a lot of the momentum here is with Conley ending back up in square one, where he'll continue to help as a locker-room leader and with spot minutes here and there.
For the latest Mike Conley rumors and contract information, click here.
Lonzo Ball
This season, former No. 2 overall pick Lonzo Ball has looked like a shell of his former self, which is understandable considering his brutal injury luck since getting to the NBA. This season, Ball has put up 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists on 30.1 percent shooting from the floor. The Cavaliers threw in the towel on the experiment already, trading Ball to the Utah Jazz, who are expected to waive the veteran guard and the remaining $20 million on his deal.
It's very much in question how much Ball has left in the tank, which is unfortunate considering he's just 28 years old. But the injuries seem to have sapped a lot of his athleticism and confidence, and he's already missed a lot of time due to more lingering injuries this season.
Even so, Ball is a solid veteran, and teams might cling to the hope that he can at least return to 2024-25 form (Ball put up 7.6 points and 3.3 assists in his final Bulls stint, and actually had a +9.7 swing rating on the campaign), so he could have suitors on the open market. It just speaks to the weakness of this buyout class that Ball could be one of the top candidates on the board.
For the latest Lonzo Ball rumors and contract information, click here.
Chris Boucher
Big man Chris Boucher was traded from the Boston Celtics to the Jazz in what was a salary dump. Boucher has just this season left on his current contract, which owes him $3.3 million, a very palatable number to buy him out if you were Utah.
Boucher hasn't played much this season, amassing just 94 total minutes of action, and putting up 21 total points and 18 rebounds in that span. Still, the veteran is just one campaign removed from a strong showing with the Raptors in 2024-25, a league year that saw him put up 10.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game, while shooting a respectable 36.3 percent from three.
A team in search of an off-the-bench big man who can space the floor on one end and block shots on the other could certainly take an interest in Boucher if Utah does go through with buying out the remainder of his contract.
For the latest Chris Boucher rumors and contract information, click here.
This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: 2026 NBA buyout season: Who are the candidates?
Continue reading...
