Things you might not know about Memphis Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome, the 29-year-old journeyman averaging 28 points per game for one of the NBA’s most surprising teams:
Jerome played in the first 16-1 upset in NCAA tournament history, when he and Virginia were stunned by UMBC in 2018. (Jerome and the Cavaliers would win the title the next season.) He played two seasons with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City. He played one season with Stephen Curry in Golden State.
Something front offices around the league are surely aware of by now: Jerome can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Jerome, a starting guard for ESPN’s Contract Year All-Stars, headlines a 12-player roster full of potential impact free agents, many of whom are searching for massive paydays in the 2027 offseason. We’re also providing early predictions on each player’s next contract and the likelihood of getting moved by the February trade deadline.
Let’s run down the roster.
How we selected the roster
We disqualified players who have previously made an All-NBA or All-Star team. That means you won’t see potential summer free agents such as the Washington Wizards‘ Anthony Davis, New York Knicks‘ Karl-Anthony Towns, Miami Heat‘s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks‘ Tyler Herro — or even Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James, who holds a player option for 2027-28 — on this list.
Players with team options in their current contracts, such as the Knicks’ Josh Hart and LA Clippers‘ Rui Hachimura, also were not considered. After all, if a player is outplaying his deal enough to be considered a Contract Year All-Star, it is highly unlikely his team will decline the option.
Finally, we have kept off potential 2027 restricted free agents, such as the Detroit Pistons‘ Daniss Jenkins.
STARTERS
2026-27 stats: 12.2 PTS | 6.8 AST | 1.7 STL
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: VanVleet is averaging his fewest points per game since 2018-19 but has steadied the Rockets’ 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, Houston’s assist rate has improved 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.
Despite being in the final year of his contract, VanVleet is not extension-eligible because he signed a two-year deal in 2025. How VanVleet factors into Houston’s future could be determined by the franchise’s finances. With Year 1 of Amen Thompson and Tari Eason‘s extensions beginning in 2027-28, Houston is projected to be $10 million below the luxury tax and $19 million below the first apron.
2026-27 stats: 28.2 PTS | 5.7 AST | 42.1 3P%
Contract status: 2027 player option ($9.7 million)
Impact this season: Jerome was not a candidate last season because he played just 15 games, but the first two weeks of 2026-27 has made the 29-year-old an obvious choice for the starting 2-guard role. Jerome is shattering previous career highs, and Memphis is plus-18.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, per 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 early Bird rights have been accrued, the maximum Jerome 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 another 12 with the $16 million non-tax mid-level exception, Jerome should have suitors outside of Memphis. If Jerome chooses to opt-in for next season, he becomes eligible to sign a four-year, $99.9 million extension.
2026-27 stats: 11.0 PTS | 4.4 AST | 4.1 REB
Contract status: 2027 player option ($4 million)
Impact this season: Rollins is averaging seven fewer points per game than last year and is shooting 34.5% from the field and 26.3% on 3-pointers. Those down numbers, plus the fact that the retooling Bucks are 1-6, would normally preclude a player from this list.
But the Contract Year All-Star selection process factors in much more than the first two weeks of the season. With Rollins averaging career highs in points (17.6 per game), assists (5.6) and rebounds (4.6), Milwaukee was nearly six points better when he was on the court in 2025-26.
Prediction: Rollins declines the option and becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Rollins signed a three-year contract with the Bucks in 2025 but is not extension-eligible until the summer of 2027; to sign a long-term pact, Rollins would need to first opt in to his $4 million contract for 2027-28. Similar to Jerome, Rollins will be eligible to sign a four-year, $72 million deal.
2026-27 stats: 20.7 PTS | 7.0 REB | 1.6 STL
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: Porter is averaging at least 20 points per game for the second consecutive season, but the 28-year-old forward is doing more than just scoring: His 1.6 steals per game (with 2.5 deflections) is a career high, and Brooklyn’s defense is eight points per 100 possessions better with Porter on the court.
Prediction: Porter gets traded to a contender before the Feb. 11 deadline.
Since July, Porter has been eligible to sign a four-year, $236.5 million extension with Brooklyn. If the Nets move him, Porter 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 his post-deadline future.
2026-27 stats: 13.4 PTS | 6.7 REB | 65.0 FG%
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: Reed has taken advantage of a surge in minutes (13.9 per game last season to 26.9 in 2026-27) following starting center Jalen Duren‘s hamstring strain. Reed has nearly doubled his points per game and is shooting a career-high 65% from the field. The Pistons are plus-12.9 points per 100 possessions with Reed on the court.
Prediction: Reed, not extension-eligible because he signed a two-year contract with Detroit, will hit unrestricted free agency.
Reed’s increased role should only boost his free agent 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, meanwhile, are $24.5 million below the luxury tax but do have flexibility with the non-guaranteed contracts of Duncan Robinson, John Collins and Isaiah Joe.
RESERVES
2026-27 stats: 9.0 PTS | 4.7 AST | 2.9 STL
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: Dunn ranked fourth in steals last season (trailing only Cason Wallace, Dyson Daniels and Ausar Thompson) and fifth in deflections. This season, his third with the Clippers, Dunn is averaging the second-most minutes in his career (29.7 per game) with a career-high 2.9 steals per game. The 32-year-old trails only Daniels for the most deflections this season.
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.
2026-27 stats: 16.0 PTS | 8.0 AST | 45.7 3P%
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: Despite the Heat’s 2-5 record, Mitchell is having a career year in minutes (33.5 per game), points (16.0), assists (8.0, third in the league) and field goal percentage (51.8%). And after recording double-digit assists in nine games last season, Mitchell is already up to four.
Prediction: This truly could be too early. After three seasons with the Sacramento Kings and half a season with the Toronto Raptors, Mitchell seems to have found a permanent home in Miami. His next contract, however, will depend on Miami’s cap flexibility. With Year 1 of Pelle Larsson‘s extension beginning in 2027-28, Miami is projected to be $23 million below the tax and $32 million below the first apron. If Mitchell signs in the $15-16 million range per season, it is unlikely Miami has the full $16 million non-tax mid-level exception available to use next summer. (Because Mitchell signed a two-year contract with Miami, he is not extension-eligible during this season.)
2026-27 stats: 20.7 PTS | 6.1 REB | 4.0 AST
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: We were hesitant including Barrett, considering he is in the final year of a $107 million rookie extension signed in 2022 with the Knicks. Finances aside, Barrett has had three and a half impactful seasons since Toronto traded for him in December 2023. Barrett has averaged at least 19.2 points per game in the seasons since. Just as he did when Brandon Ingram was injured during the Raptors’ first-round series this past postseason, expect Barrett to pick up most of the scoring load with Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely.
Prediction: Despite being eligible to sign an extension since July, Barrett will become an unrestricted free agent. The Raptors are allowed to exceed the salary cap because of Barrett’s Bird rights but 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.
2026-27 stats: 12.3 PTS | 5.4 REB | 44.1 3P%
Contract status: 2027 player option ($6.4 million)
Impact this season: Expect Kuminga to play a significant role with Anthony Edwards out for an extended period. The 24-year-old forward has started all eight games this season, averaging career highs in minutes (30.8 per game) and 3-point percentage. Defensively, Kuminga is averaging 1.3 steals and 2.8 deflections, and Minnesota boasts a defensive rating of 99.5 when the forward is on the floor. Two stats to monitor all season: Kuminga’s 3-pointers (1.4 more attempts per game than last season) and free throw percentage (a career-low 55% this season).
Prediction: Kuminga declines his player option to become a free agent for the third straight offseason. Because Kuminga has non-Bird rights and Minnesota is close to the first apron, the maximum first-year salary it can offer is just $7.2 million. That will be a non-starter in contract negotiations, with Kuminga signing elsewhere.
2026-27 stats: 6.0 PTS | 3.4 REB | 47.4 3P%
Contract status: 2027 Unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: Williams likely does not make the list if Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace were healthy. But because the two starters will miss most (if not all) of the season, expect Williams’ minutes to soar. In the 37 games 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 starts at $6 million, comparable to the tax midlevel exception.
2026-27 stats: 9.3 PTS | 5.6 REB | 1.1 AST
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: The reigning Sixth Man of the Year appeared in every game last season, breaking the record for points by a reserve. But in the playoffs, Johnson scored double-digits in just five of the Spurs’ 16 games. This season, Johnson’s touches are down nearly 20% and he is shooting 2.5 fewer 3-pointers per game, but he is making a more concerted effort to attack the basket. Through six games, Johnson had scored 79% of his points 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, San Antonio is projected to be $11 million below the luxury tax and $18 million below the first apron. Even without Johnson re-signing, the Spurs are likely a luxury tax team when factoring in the 2027 first-round pick from Atlanta and a filled-out roster.
2026-27 stats: 9.1 PTS | 9.5 REB | 1.8 STL
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Impact this season: Diabate has transformed from two-way player to perhaps the best offensive rebounder in the NBA. Thanks to Diabate’s league-best 5.4 offensive boards per game, Charlotte ranks sixth in that category and 11th in second-chance points. Across 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 eligible. (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.
