Memphis Grizzlies guard Ty Jerome, who is averaging 28.2 points per game, headlines a 12-player Contract Year All-Stars roster of players who could become impact free agents in the 2027 offseason. The list also includes early predictions for each player’s next contract and the likelihood of a move before the February trade deadline.
Jerome, 29, is a journeyman with an unusual résumé. He played in the first 16-1 upset in NCAA tournament history, when he and Virginia were beaten by UMBC in 2018. Virginia went on to win the title the following season. He later spent two seasons alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Oklahoma City and one season with Stephen Curry in Golden State. Front offices around the league will be well aware that Jerome can become an unrestricted free agent next summer.
How the roster was selected
The selection process excluded players who have previously made an All-NBA or All-Star team. That rule keeps off potential summer free agents such as Washington’s Anthony Davis, New York’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Miami’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee’s Tyler Herro and Philadelphia’s LeBron James, who holds a player option for 2027-28.
Players with team options in their current contracts were also excluded, including New York’s Josh Hart and LA Clippers’ Rui Hachimura. If a player is outplaying his deal enough to be considered a Contract Year All-Star, his team is unlikely to decline the option. Potential 2027 restricted free agents, such as Detroit’s Daniss Jenkins, were left off the list too.
Starters
Fred VanVleet, Rockets
2026-27 stats: 12.2 PTS | 6.8 AST | 1.7 STL
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
VanVleet is averaging his fewest points per game since 2018-19, but he has steadied Houston’s offence. The 32-year-old missed all of last season with a torn ACL in his right knee. He is now averaging 6.8 assists with only 1.0 turnovers per game, and the Rockets’ assist rate has risen from 27th in 2025-26 to 13th in the early going. Predictions suggest Houston will go deep into the playoffs and re-sign VanVleet in unrestricted free agency. He is not extension-eligible because he signed a two-year deal in 2025. Houston’s finances will shape his future, as the team is projected to be $10 million below the luxury tax and $19 million below the first apron once Amen Thompson and Tari Eason’s extensions begin in 2027-28.
Ty Jerome, Grizzlies
2026-27 stats: 28.2 PTS | 5.7 AST | 42.1 3P%
Contract status: 2027 player option ($9.7 million)
Jerome was not a candidate last season because he played just 15 games. The first two weeks of 2026-27 have made him the obvious choice for Memphis’s starting 2-guard role. He is shattering his previous career highs, and the Grizzlies are plus-18.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, according to Cleaning the Glass. Predictions suggest that if he keeps playing at this level, Jerome will decline his $9.7 million player option and become an unrestricted free agent. Because he has accrued early Bird rights, the most he could sign for with Memphis, or with another team if 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, he should attract suitors beyond Memphis. If he opts in for next season, he becomes eligible for a four-year, $99.9 million extension.
Ryan Rollins, Bucks
2026-27 stats: 11.0 PTS | 4.4 AST | 4.1 REB
Contract status: 2027 player option ($4 million)
Rollins is averaging seven fewer points per game than last year and is shooting 34.5% from the field and 26.3% from three. Those figures, along with Milwaukee’s 1-6 start, would normally rule him out. However, the selection process weighs far more than the first two weeks of a season. Rollins averaged career highs in points (17.6), assists (5.6) and rebounds (4.6) in 2025-26, when Milwaukee was nearly six points better with him on the court. Predictions suggest he will decline the option and become an unrestricted free agent. He signed a three-year contract in 2025 and is not extension-eligible until summer 2027. He could opt in to his $4 million deal for 2027-28 and then sign a four-year, $100 million extension.
Michael Porter Jr., Nets
2026-27 stats: 20.7 PTS | 7.0 REB | 1.6 STL
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Porter is averaging at least 20 points per game for the second consecutive season, and he is doing more than scoring. His 1.6 steals per game, with 2.5 deflections, are career highs, and Brooklyn’s defence is eight points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor. Predictions suggest the 28-year-old will be traded to a contender before the February 11 deadline. Since July, Porter has been eligible to sign a four-year, $236.5 million extension with Brooklyn. If the Nets move him, he would become eligible 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, whatever happens at the deadline.
Paul Reed, Pistons
2026-27 stats: 13.4 PTS | 6.7 REB | 65.0 FG%
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Reed has seized a larger role after starting centre Jalen Duren suffered a hamstring strain. His minutes have jumped from 13.9 per game last season to 26.9 this season. He has nearly doubled his points per game and is shooting a career-high 65% from the field. Detroit is plus-12.9 points per 100 possessions with him on the court. Because he signed a two-year contract, Reed is not extension-eligible and is expected to reach unrestricted free agency. His increased workload should boost his 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 are $24.5 million below the luxury tax and have flexibility with the non-guaranteed contracts of Duncan Robinson, John Collins and Isaiah Joe.
Reserves
Kris Dunn, Clippers
2026-27 stats: 9.0 PTS | 4.7 AST | 2.9 STL
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Dunn ranked fourth in steals last season, trailing only Cason Wallace, Dyson Daniels and Ausar Thompson, and he ranked fifth in deflections. In his third season with the Clippers, he is averaging the second-most minutes of his career (29.7 per game) and a career-high 2.9 steals per game. The 32-year-old trails only Daniels in deflections this season. Predictions suggest the Clippers will 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 would then sign a two-year, $37 million extension with his new team to bypass free agency.
Davion Mitchell, Heat
2026-27 stats: 16.0 PTS | 8.0 AST | 45.7 3P%
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Despite Miami’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%). He recorded double-digit assists in nine games last season and already has four this season. Predictions suggest this may be too early to judge, but Mitchell appears to have found a permanent home in Miami after three seasons with Sacramento and half a season with Toronto. His next contract will depend on Miami’s cap flexibility. With Year 1 of Pelle Larsson’s extension starting in 2027-28, Miami is projected to be $23 million below the tax and $32 million below the first apron. If Mitchell signs for $15-16 million a season, Miami is unlikely to have the full $16 million non-tax mid-level exception available next summer. He is not extension-eligible this season because he signed a two-year contract.
RJ Barrett, Raptors
2026-27 stats: 20.7 PTS | 6.1 REB | 4.0 AST
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
The list hesitated over Barrett, who is in the final year of a $107 million rookie extension he signed with New York in 2022. Even so, he has had three and a half impactful seasons since Toronto acquired him in December 2023, and he has averaged at least 19.2 points per game in each season since. With Kawhi Leonard out indefinitely, Barrett is expected to carry most of the scoring load, as he did when Brandon Ingram was injured during the Raptors’ first-round series this past postseason. Predictions suggest he will become an unrestricted free agent despite being eligible to sign an extension since July. Toronto can exceed the salary cap because of Barrett’s Bird rights, but it faces a financial squeeze. With the first year of Leonard’s and Jakob Poeltl‘s extensions beginning, the Raptors are projected to be $23 million below the luxury tax and $29 million below the first apron.
Jonathan Kuminga, Timberwolves
2026-27 stats: 12.3 PTS | 5.4 REB | 44.1 3P%
Contract status: 2027 player option ($6.4 million)
Kuminga is expected to play a significant role while Anthony Edwards is 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 three-point percentage. He is also averaging 1.3 steals and 2.8 deflections, and Minnesota has a defensive rating of 99.5 when he is on the floor. Two areas to watch are his three-point attempts, up 1.4 per game on last season, and his free throw percentage, which is a career-low 55% this season. Predictions suggest Kuminga will decline his player option and become a free agent for the third straight offseason. Because he has non-Bird rights and Minnesota is close to the first apron, the most it can offer in his first season is $7.2 million. That is expected to be a non-starter, and Kuminga is likely to sign elsewhere.
Kenrich Williams, Thunder
2026-27 stats: 6.0 PTS | 3.4 REB | 47.4 3P%
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Williams would probably not make the list if Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace were healthy. With both starters expected to miss most, if not all, of the season, his minutes should rise sharply. Last season, he averaged 8.2 points in 37 games as part of the rotation and shot 36.3% from the floor. Predictions suggest Oklahoma City’s financial squeeze will push Williams into unrestricted free agency, where he will sign elsewhere. His salary next season would start at $6 million, comparable to the tax mid-level exception.
Keldon Johnson, Spurs
2026-27 stats: 9.3 PTS | 5.6 REB | 1.1 AST
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
The reigning Sixth Man of the Year appeared in every game last season and set a record for points by a reserve. In the playoffs, however, he scored double-digits in just five of San Antonio’s 16 games. This season his touches are down nearly 20%, and he is attempting 2.5 fewer three-pointers per game, but he is making a more concerted effort to attack the basket. Through six games, 79% of his points had come in the paint. Predictions suggest San Antonio will table extension talks until the financial picture is clearer. With Year 1 of Victor Wembanyama‘s extension beginning in 2027-28, the Spurs are projected to be $11 million below the luxury tax and $18 million below the first apron. Even without Johnson re-signing, they are likely to be a luxury tax team once the 2027 first-round pick from Atlanta and a full roster are factored in.
Moussa Diabate, Hornets
2026-27 stats: 9.1 PTS | 9.5 REB | 1.8 STL
Contract status: 2027 unrestricted free agent
Diabate has developed from a two-way player into perhaps the best offensive rebounder in the NBA. His league-best 5.4 offensive boards per game help Charlotte rank sixth in that category and 11th in second-chance points. Across the past two seasons, the Hornets are 37-16 when he starts. Predictions suggest Diabate will sign a four-year, $64 million extension on February 8, his first day of eligibility. 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 starting in 2027-28, Charlotte would still have flexibility below the luxury tax and apron.