Grading Every Notable Signing From the First 24 Hours of NBA Free Agency 2026

NBA free agency officially opened at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday. After 24 hours of teams negotiating with the top players on the market, we’ve seen some significant developments around the league.

The biggest acquisitions often don’t take place in true free agency, of course. As teams are often loath to let a prime asset walk without getting anything back in return, and star players seek to avoid playing for teams without a true shot at a title, superstars are often traded and extended before they hit the open market. There are, of course, exceptions, and this offseason has a huge one: 41-year-old forward LeBron James, who remains a vital NBA star even if is no longer a No. 1 option.

James is still searching for his next NBA home, and may take some time to decide. However, numerous other notable players have landed with new teams in the first full day of free agency, and have the chance to change the fortunes of their franchises.

Without further ado, here are our grades for the most notable free agent signings from the first 24 hours of 2026 NBA free agency.

Player

Robert Williams III - Trail Blazers, 3 Years, $44 Million
Tim Hardaway Jr. - Heat, 1 Year, $6.5 Million
Luke Kennard - Suns, 2 Years, $13.5 Million
Zach Collins - Bulls, 2 Years, $17 Million
Dean Wade - 76ers, 4 Years, $39 Million
Bogdan Bogdanović - Rockets, 1 Year, $3.9 Million
John Collins - Pistons, 3 Years, $51 Million
Mike Conley - Celtics, 1 Year, Veteran minimum
Norman Powell - Bulls, 2 Years, $45 million
Nikola Vučević - Magic, 1 Year, $3.9 million
Marcus Smart - Rockets, 2 Years, $13 million
Mitchell Robinson - Celtics, 3 Years, $47.3 Million
Sandro Mamukelashvili - Lakers, 4 years, $52 million
Quentin Grimes - Lakers, 4 years, $60 million
Collin Sexton - Lakers, 2 years, $19 million
Kelly Oubre Jr. - Pacers, 2 years, $17 million
Tobias Harris - Spurs, 2 years, $31 million

Robert Williams III - Trail Blazers, 3 Years, $44 Million

Williams has been a tantalizing talent since the moment he entered the NBA, but staying on the court has been a major issue. The Trail Blazers are hoping they fixed that problem after he suited up for 59 games last season. He’s a great backup for Donovan Clingan and his contract is about the going price for rotation-caliber centers right now—but the injury issues mean there’s a risk this deal is a total wash. —Liam McKeone

Grade: C+

Tim Hardaway Jr. - Heat, 1 Year, $6.5 Million

Hello, cheap veteran contract to round out the newest superteam! Hardaway Jr. was one of the best role player signings from last year’s free agency period, missing only two games in the regular season for the Nuggets while shooting a clean 40.7% from three-point land. The 34-year-old isn’t going to carry his team to wins anymore but for a Miami team that desperately needs shooting at a cheap price (and reliable bodies given Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury issues) this is a home run. —L.M.

Grade: A

Luke Kennard - Suns, 2 Years, $13.5 Million

Kennard’s reputation as a sharpshooter is a little overrated given he only took three three-pointers per game last year between the Hawks and Lakers. But he definitely has a great shooting stroke and showed he wasn’t afraid of the spotlight in helping Los Angeles down the stretch last season. But he doesn’t really fit into the larger picture of Phoenix’s roster as a 30-year-old shooting guard who can’t play defense, even if his price point is entirely reasonable. —L.M.

Grade: C

Zach Collins - Bulls, 2 Years, $17 Million

Collins is not a productive NBA player and hasn’t been for quite some time. But the Bulls need the only two things he can provide: a veteran presence in the locker room and depth for a rather thin frontcourt rotation. Chicago also had money to spend and Collins isn’t blocking minutes from any developmental projects, so ultimately no harm done. That doesn’t mean it was wise money to spend. —L.M.

Grade: D

Dean Wade - 76ers, 4 Years, $39 Million

The 76ers found a big body to provide wing depth in Wade, who played something of a three-and-D role for the Cavaliers the last few seasons. He’s a smart defender positionally and drained 36% of his tries from beyond the arc. But he isn’t anything near a true lockdown defender and took only 3.2 attempts from three per game. Wade represents solid wing depth and the fourth year of the deal is a partial guarantee, but it’s a bit pricey given Oubre walked for much less money. —L.M.

Grade: C-

Bogdan Bogdanović - Rockets, 1 Year, $3.9 Million

Simply put, the Rockets needed more offensive depth, as was made very clear during their playoff series loss to the Lakers. Bogdanović has struggled with injuries in recent years, but when healthy, he’s a reliable bench scorer who can space the floor and take pressure off of Kevin Durant and Houston’s young shooters like Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard–and is taking a very affordable deal to join the Rockets. —Dan Lyons

Grade: B

John Collins - Pistons, 3 Years, $51 Million

Collins is, in theory, a more dynamic option at power forward than the departing Tobias Harris as an elite athlete who shot 40.6% from deep last season. But he isn’t a high-volume shooter from deep and his stats took a big hit upon leaving the tanking Jazz for a team trying to compete in the Clippers. Defense has also been a weak spot for him over the years. If everything breaks right this is a quality signing and it will make the Pistons’ offense more versatile. Given only the first year is guaranteed, this is effectively a one-season bet, and so it’s hard to knock it too hard—even if the chances of it failing seem high. —L.M.

Grade: C+

Mike Conley - Celtics, 1 Year, Veteran minimum

Conley heads to a new destination for his 20th NBA season, becoming just the 14th player to reach two decades in the league. At this stage of his career, he’s more of a depth piece as opposed to a significant contributor, but he’s a solid addition in Boston’s guard room behind Payton Pritchard and Derrick White. He started every season of his career until he transitioned to a bench role in Minnesota last year. Now, he joins Boston on a cheap one-year deal as a player who can handle the ball and knock down shots off the bench. The Celtics needed ballhandlers even before Jaylen Brown was traded to the 76ers and Conley is a solid veteran for the locker room at an affordable price. —Blake Silverman

Grade: B

Norman Powell - Bulls, 2 Years, $45 million

After Powell received the first All-Star nod of his 11-year career last year with the Heat, he gets a pay day to head to Chicago and add some scoring oomph. Although it’s a pricey deal on the surface, Powell signed a team-friendly contract with the Bulls that includes a team option on the second season. He brings shooting and scoring to the developing Bulls, coming off a standout season in Miami where he averaged 21.7 points per game and connected on 38% of his 7.1 three-point attempts per game. Chicago pounced on the opportunity to bring in the veteran scorer as the Heat dealt with a cap-crunch situation which made it unrealistic to retain Powell. The Bulls’ roster still isn’t talented enough to compete, but he raises the floor and will be a great locker-room presence for the young core of Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey, Caleb Wilson and Dailyn Swain. —B.S.

Grade: A-

Nikola Vučević - Magic, 1 Year, $3.9 million

Vučević began a nine-year run in Orlando after he spent his rookie season in Philadelphia. He was traded to the Bulls in 2021 in exchange for a package that included Wendell Carter Jr., who he will now back up off the Magic bench as his career winds down. The Magic needed rim protection help since that isn’t Carter’s strong suit. Goga Bitadze blocks shots, but his minutes took a hit last year. Vučević won’t help on that front, but this signing is about a reunion as he took a discount to return to Orlando. He struggled with health after he was traded to the Celtics at last season’s trade deadline, but as long as he stays healthy, he’s a low-pressure big man who can space the floor in a limited role. And, most notably, he’s thrilled to be there. —B.S.

Grade: C+

Marcus Smart - Rockets, 2 Years, $13 million

The days of Marcus Smart being a game-changing, Defensive Player of the Year-caliber guard are long over, but Houston badly needs some guard depth and could use a veteran presence like this in the backcourt after trying to piece together the point guard position following the preseason injury to Fred VanVleet a year ago. Smart joins VanVleet and young guards Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson in the backcourt, and as the Rockets saw first hand against the Lakers, he can still give quality minutes in big moments. As long as his former Celtics coach Ime Udoka doesn’t use him in ways that stall the development of his 20-something guards, this is a solid signing. —D.L.

Grade: B-

Mitchell Robinson - Celtics, 3 Years, $47.3 Million

Two of the Celtics’ biggest issues last season were interior size behind Neemis Queta and rebounding. So they went out and got the best rebounding big man available in Robinson, coming off an excellent season as a supersub for the champion Knicks. The free throw shooting is an obvious flaw and Boston will likely be forced to limit Robinson to roughly 20 minutes per game like New York did to manage his career-long nagging injury issues. But as far as the intersection of need and price, the Celtics did well here. —L.M.

Grade: B+

Sandro Mamukelashvili - Lakers, 4 years, $52 million

Other than the Walker Kessler deal, this might be the highest-upside move the Lakers made in free agency. Mamukelashvili is a versatile offensive big man who can shoot, drive, handle the ball and possesses an excellent basketball IQ.His faults come on the defensive end, where he is energetic but struggles against bigger, quicker opponents. His best fit is with a rim-protecting center like Kessler, so this could be a great fit. He should stretch the floor and expand the Lakers' offensive profile. —Ryan Phillips

Grade: B

Quentin Grimes - Lakers, 4 years, $60 million

Grimes is a two-way guard entering his prime, so the price here fits the value. He’s a career 36.6% three-point shooter who can defend, though at 6’4" he’s undersized as a classic three-and-D wing. His defensive metrics were down in 2025-26, as was his shooting (33.4% from deep). Still, he’s a 26-year-old who can score and has been a quality defender in the past. —R.P.

Grade: B

Collin Sexton - Lakers, 2 years, $19 million

This feels like a bargain for a scorer like Sexton, who can get downhill and finish, but also shot 40.1% from three-point range last season. He should provide some legit scoring punch off the bench for the Lakers and be the true backup point guard they were missing last season. When he does see the floor with Dončić, he’ll be a reliable floor spacer, as he hit 44.5% of his catch-and-shoot threes during the 2025-26 campaign. —R.P.

Grade: B+

Kelly Oubre Jr. - Pacers, 2 years, $17 million

Oubre is a solid signing for Indy. He showed he can keep up with a speedy backcourt playing alongside Tyrese Maxey and V.J. Edgecombe, as well as the ability to play a connecting role on a contending team. The Pacers will gladly take any wings they can find who can shoot and defend, which Oubre can definitely do. And at an annual salary of less than $10 million, it feels like just the right place for a player of Oubre’s talent. —L.M.

Grade: B

Tobias Harris - Spurs, 2 years, $31 million

Two years ago, Harris signed a deal with the Pistons, joining a team on the rise as a veteran floor-spacing forward alongside Cade Cunningham. When most of Detroit’s roster withered in the playoffs, Harris was one of the few Pistons to elevate his game in the postseason, acting as a de facto No. 2 option for Cunningham. Detroit opted to sign John Collins, effectively bumping Harris into the open market, and he will join a Spurs team even farther along on the championship path. Harris should see plenty of open looks playing with the likes of Victor Wembanyama, Dylan Harper and Stephon Castle, and he’s a rock-solid signing at this price. —D.L.

Grade: A-

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