Six big-name stars who will become free agents next year, led by James and Harden

As the season progresses, the competition in the NBA becomes more and more intense, and through these 30 games or so, you can basically see what level each team or star in the league is at. So far, the league has not only played young people like Maxey and Shin Jing who have played career highlights, but also many young people like Simmons, For these people, their performance determines what price they can get in the future, especially for those players who will become free agents next year, their performance this season is particularly crucial, the following 6 players will become free agents next year, but for now, these people are also happy and worried.

6. Thompson

This season, he averaged 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game

In 2019, Thompson fought to rupture his cruciate ligament in order to help the team win the championship, and the team directly gave him a maximum salary contract in order to make up for him, and now 4 years have passed, Thompson has also come to the contract year again, after the last injury, his form has declined significantly compared to his peak, especially this season, his average points per game is not only a new low in the past decade, but even his best three-point shooting rate has been the lowest in his career.

Thompson's form this season can be described as quite inconsistent, in good times he still has eight three-pointers in a single game, but in bad times he has also shot 1-of-8 three-point percentage in three games. And if Thompson's defense can keep up, then the team can also allow him to be inaccurate, the key is that his defense is not in the state of his peak now, and as he gets older, it is basically impossible for him to regain the strength of his peak, so he is not thinking about a big contract now.

5. Harden

This season, he averaged 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game

After requesting a trade in the offseason, after a few months, Harden finally got his wish and joined the Clippers, but at the beginning there was a big problem with the run-in between him and the team, so the Clippers also played a wave of six consecutive defeats. During this period, Harden's personal strength also had a big problem, if you only look at those six games, his value is not even worth 10 million, but fortunately, his state has picked up later, and with his help, the Clippers' record has slowly begun to rise.

Although Harden's stats have declined compared to last season, his average performance of 17+7 per game is okay, especially considering that his ball-holding characteristics are so compatible with the Clippers, so his role in the team is far more important than his stats. Today's Harden is still worthy of his annual salary of 30 million, but it is estimated that it will be difficult for him to get a long-term contract at the age of 35 next year, and whether he can stay with the Clippers depends on how far they can go in the playoffs this season.

4. DeRozan

This season, he averaged 22.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game

When DeRozan joined the Bulls in 2021, he signed a very cost-effective contract with the team, with a specific amount of only 3 years and 81.9 million, and he played at the level of the best team in his first season with the Bulls. However, DeRozan has also declined this season, and because of him and LaVine, the Bulls' record at the beginning of the season is also difficult to say, but since LaVine's injury, the Bulls' record has improved.

However, DeRozan also joined the Bulls to compete for the championship, but now let alone compete for the championship, he has not even touched the floor of the Eastern Conference semifinals, and with the Bulls' lineup, he basically has no hope of winning the championship here. DeRozan will be 35 years old next year, and there is not much time left for him to compete for a championship, and for a star of his age, maybe that season will suddenly decline, so if DeRozan wants to change teams next year, he is likely to join a strong enough team with a contract that costs less than the current one.

3. Siakam

This season, he averaged 21.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game

Since winning the title in 2019, Siakam has completely risen to prominence, and his performances have since gotten better and better year by year. However, the results of the Raptors in recent seasons have not been good, and with the outbreak of Barnes this season, the team also has the idea of rebuilding, so in order to cultivate young people, Siakam's ball possession has also decreased, so he averaged 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game last season, and his statistics this season have shrunk comprehensively.

However, Siakam's strength is definitely still there, and the 29-year-old is now in the prime of his career, although he can no longer break the ceiling, but at least there is no problem in playing a three-leader in a strong team. There were rumors that the Hawks were interested in Siakam this offseason, but unfortunately the deal didn't take shape in the end, and if he hadn't been traded away before next year, he would probably have joined another team in the end, and there was no future for him to stay with the Raptors.

2. Maxi

This season, he averaged 25.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game

After Harden's departure, Maxey became the biggest beneficiary of the deal, because of Harden's departure, he had more balls, and Maxey did not live up to the trust that Nurse and the team put in him, he not only digested a lot of the ball, but also played the level of a star player on the court. Maxey has broken many career highs this season, and his explosion has successfully filled the void for Harden, and the 76ers have remained among the top teams in the East under his leadership.

If Maxey can continue his current form, then he has a good chance of being selected as an All-Star this season, and even have a chance to be named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career. However, it will also be a test for Maxey's team, whether they will choose to renew his contract early before the end of the season, or wait until after the selection of the best team to discuss a contract extension, the former is more secure, and the latter is likely to maximize the benefits.

James

This season, he averaged 25.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game

Unlike other players, James' contract for next season is a player option, meaning he has the right to decide whether he can become a free agent. For most players of this age, it is not easy to continue to play in the league, let alone the size of the contract. However, this situation obviously does not apply to James, who is about to be 39 years old and still plays at a very high level this season, which is definitely worthy of his maximum salary contract.

James' contract next season will have an annual salary of 50.43 million, which is not a small amount, but considering his form and commercial value, if he has the opportunity to get more money, I believe he will definitely jump out of the contract. And James has never said once before that he wants to compete with Bronny, so it is unknown whether Bronny can participate in the NBA draft next year and whether he will be selected, but if he is selected by other teams other than the Lakers, it is not ruled out that James will take the initiative to take a pay cut to join Bronny's team.