Can t exchange contracts for scores? People on the edge of free market

When you can score stably in the free market, it should be the target of the league's teams. But from a realistic perspective, scoring players with obvious characteristics such as Grimes, Cameron Thomas, Curry Jr., Lonnie Walker are no longer interested in the free market this summer.

From the perspective of player value, they are not incapable, but more because they are in a league environment where scoring is no longer the main purpose. When teams have tightened resources and priority on rotational value, scoring becomes a questioned ability.

From a general perspective, this is not just the struggle situation faced by the above-mentioned people, but more like a process of reconstruction of free market, role positioning and player value.

Reviewed after the 2025 NBA free market opened, most signings were concentrated in the first two days, but there was an embarrassing phenomenon that some players with excellent scoring skills had not taken over.

Among the four mentioned above, Grimes and Thomas received more attention. The two came from the 76ers and the Nets. The two teams also had the right to match and had a higher degree of chips in the market. For other teams, most of them lack sufficient salary space to open prices, and this part of the reason also compresses the market bargaining power of Grimes and Thomas.

, Lonnie Walker and Curry Jr. are non-restricted free agents, and are also paid attention to by fans in the market because no one cares about it. Walker has no one to take over since the 76ers were abandoned. As for Curry, although he has a very high hit rate, he still has no confirmation of his next player.

Overall, many scoring players have not been able to obtain contracts as scheduled. Even though they have excellent data and team contributions, they are in a difficult situation between players and teams due to factors such as mismatch in salary structure, team strategy and contract structure.

Qentin Grimes entered the league as the 25th pick and has been running around in various teams for a long time. He was traded to the Pistons in 2024 and then moved to the Mavericks, joining 76ers in 2025. He played for four teams in succession, which made him unable to perform stably, but he still showed his scoring potential at the 76ers' burst.

As a restricted free agent, Grimes has not yet obtained a contract. Although the 76ers expressed their hope to keep him, they were optimistic about his future value and had the right to match any quotation. But what Grimes wants is a long-term contract with an annual salary of about 25 million yuan, but the salary of 76ers is approaching the luxury tax line, so he naturally does not want to easily accept the burden of excessive long-term contracts.

Personal prediction that although the negotiations are slow, Grimes should still have the opportunity to sign a three-year contract, which can at least guarantee its long-term value. But whether it is the total contract amount, annual salary and time point, it is necessary to consider the salary space of 76ers, as well as the contract structure of Embiid and George to operate.

Then there is 23-year-old Cameron Thomas, whose data reached a career-high of 24 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of 43.8%. The disadvantage is that only played 25 games last season, and his stability was affected by a leg injury.

Although he is the only restricted free agent with a salary space to renew, the negotiations are slow, and the Nets can only provide a contract of about two years and about 14 million in the first year, far below Thomas' self-estimated standard of 20 million to 25 million. As one of the few teams in the market that have obvious salary operation space, the Nets seem to be more inclined to use salary space for future assets rather than signing Thomas directly.

From an optimistic perspective, Thomas is likely to choose to accept the contract and make short-term compromises but retain the possibility of higher value in the future; and if he chooses to sign a short-term contract and bet on his future, he will once again become an important role in the free market in 2026.

Then Curry Jr., who played 68 games with the Hornets, averaged 15.6 minutes per game, contributed 6.5 points, and shot up to 45.6% of the three-point shooting percentage, ranking among the top scorers in the league. Although he performed well, he still has no contract signing at this stage. Recently, it has also been rumored that the Warriors may be interested in him and may recruit him to strengthen the rotation lineup.

From the perspective of player attributes, Curry is most suitable for serving as a substitute role rotation and providing external fire support, but most teams have determined the main players of long-term contracts and prefer to invest in young players. In addition, the salary structure, salary and contract length do not meet the expectations of some teams, which eventually led to his stagnation to this day.

If the Warriors or other playoff teams still have a salary balance, Curry may be able to receive a small contract of at least one or two years in the short term. He can also accept the veteran's basic salary to join the fight power rotation. Considering his three-point firepower, he is still a high-quality combat power on the bench.

The last Lonnie Walker played for the Spurs, Lakers, Nets and other teams. He was cut after joining the Celtics in the summer of 2024, and then signed with a Lithuanian team to win the championship. He transferred to the 76ers in February 2025. After the season, Walker became a restricted free agent. No NBA team has issued a contract offer so far.

Even though it was once regarded as a high-quality rotation, due to the team's salary space, even if it has rich game experience and physical conditions, the current market seems to prefer young reserve firepower. If there is no larger quotation plan, Walker will most likely return to the overseas league, or accept small contracts first to observe market changes.

Overall, the problems faced by Grimes, Thomas and others are not difficult to understand. Teams with priority matching rights are not in a hurry to offer high salaries, but other teams lack sufficient salary space, which leads to most high-quality players in the free market being stranded, which also leads to restricted free agents being at a completely disadvantage at the market negotiating table.

Many teams in the league have reached the second-level salary cap, or are unwilling to touch the luxury tax line. But for this type of scoring players, what they need is a certain guarantee of contracts and stability space, which ultimately leads to an embarrassing situation where neither side is willing to bow their heads.

This also reflects the current contradictions such as the rigid salary structure of the league, the compression of funds and the vague positioning of scoring players.

Grimes, Thomas and others are young scorers who may be the core in the future, but are affected by the rules and no one takes over; although Curry Jr., Walker and others have clear rotation value, it is natural to be ignored due to their surplus of similar roles and their market positioning does not conform to the capital contract.