The upcoming free-agency period will bring headline names and nine-figure contracts, but role players and specialists often determine the difference between contenders and pretenders, according to the piece. The author notes the class includes under-the-radar options not listed among Bobby Marks’ top 20 free agents that could change a team’s rotation when the market opens at the end of the month.
Guard Collin Gillespie emerged as one of this season’s breakout contributors. Before the year he had appeared in 57 career games and scored 281 points; this season he played 80 more games and scored 1,012 points, nearly quadrupling his previous total. Gillespie posted strong efficiency numbers, averaging three assists for every turnover and ranking among six players who made at least 40% of their 3s while taking at least seven attempts per game, according to the piece.
Gillespie’s catch-and-shoot 3-point work stood out at 46%, third among 121 players with at least 200 attempts. The article adds that Phoenix was better with him on the floor on both ends, and that public advanced metrics such as xRAPM and estimated plus-minus place him in the 91st and 88th percentiles, respectively. Entering his age-27 season, the piece argues he merits an eight-figure annual salary and a supporting role on a contender.
Forward John Collins is also highlighted as a potential prize. After signing a five-year, $125 million contract with Atlanta in August 2021, his deal has expired and he will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time. The piece describes Collins as an efficient scorer who made 40% of his 3s over the past two seasons, an effective finisher at the rim and a solid, positionally flexible defender who should be able to fit in a playoff rotation.
Availability remains the chief concern for Collins; he has reached 70 games only once since his rookie season. The article notes he did not play a meaningful game in two seasons in Utah and joined the Clippers during their 2025-26 struggles, though he produced 11 points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block in 21 minutes in one appearance.
