With the NBA's offseason business mostly complete and the 2026-27 campaign a couple of months away, we're taking stock of how the league's stars measure up when it comes to trade value.
We've already broken down the Association's most valuable players and its worst contracts. To wrap up our three-part series, we're examining the league's biggest bargains.
To add an extra layer of intrigue and depth, we're excluding players on rookie-scale contracts or any form of max contract.
All contract figures courtesy of Spotrac. Asterisk denotes that the final year is a player option. Double asterisk denotes a team option. Age listed is as of Opening Night for the coming season. Percentage of cap is the projected average over the life of the contract.
Honorable mentions: Ryan Rollins (Bucks), Moussa Diabate (Hornets), Neemias Queta (Celtics), Julian Champagnie (Spurs), Isaiah Stewart (Grizzlies)
The bargains we've already covered
Jalen Brunson: Contract: 3 years*, $121.6M ($40.5M AAV, 23.3% of cap)
Jalen Johnson: Contract: 4 years, $120M ($30M AAV, 16.9% of cap)
Deni Avdija: Contract: 2 yrs, $25M ($12.5M AAV, 7.4% of cap)
Trey Murphy III: Contract: 3 yrs, $87M ($29M AAV, 16.7% of cap)
We covered the surplus value provided by these four stars in Part 1 of our series, with each of them ranking among the 30 players who'd command the biggest trade hauls. Read more about their value here.
The final 10
Age: 41
Contract: 2 years*, $7.9M ($4M AAV, 2.4% of cap)
In his prime, James was a bargain even on max contracts. Now, as he continues to extend his record-breaking career to lengths previously unheard of, he's become the NBA's biggest bargain on a veteran's minimum.
James thrived in more of a tertiary role alongside Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves last season, but he also reminded us what he's still capable of as a leading man when Doncic and Reaves were sidelined later in the year. James was one of four players to average at least 20 points, seven assists, and six rebounds last season. The other three (Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Jalen Johnson) will earn between $30 million and $59 million in 2026-27, while James will pocket less than $4 million.
Age: 28
Contract: 2 years, $16.1M ($8M AAV, 4.8% of cap)
Pritchard won Sixth Man of the Year in 2024-25, then averaged an efficient 17 points and five assists in his first season as a regular starter in 2025-26. He's a great shooter and offensive caretaker who only knows winning, and he's in the middle of his prime. Elite reserves and solid starters usually make double or triple what Pritchard is set to earn, if not more.
Age: 28
Contract: 3 years*, $45.5M ($15.2M AAV, 8.7% of cap)
Alexander-Walker exploded as a scorer in his first season as a full-time starter. The Canadian guard averaged 20.8 points per game while shooting 53% inside the arc, 40% from deep, and 90% from the free-throw line, earning Most Improved Player honors. The 13 other players who averaged at least 20 points on 61% true shooting last season have an average 2026-27 salary of $41.4 million. Meanwhile, Alexander-Walker will earn mid-level type money.
Age: 26
Contract: 3 years, $84M ($28M AAV, 16.1% of cap)
McDaniels nearly cracked our top-30 in overall trade value. Even though he's not an All-Star, the 26-year-old is a clear bargain at an average salary of $28 million per year. That says something about the NBA's booming business and salary cap, but it says more about McDaniels. He's a great defender with good size as a forward and is coming off a career year shooting the ball (41% from deep). McDaniels has slowly developed his offensive game, and he's emerged as one of the league's best two-way role players.
Age: 24
Contract: 2 years**, $5.7M ($2.9M AAV, 1.7% of cap)
Assuming the Thunder don't want Mitchell to reach unrestricted free agency in 2028, I wouldn't bet on them picking up his cheap team option in the final year of this deal. Instead, they're more likely to decline the option and extend him. Still, even if it's only for one more season, Mitchell should continue to provide some of the league's most surplus value relative to his salary. A second-round pick in 2024, Mitchell earned a fifth-place finish in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season. He's a solid two-way guard who can defend both backcourt positions and create for himself. Sam Presti's Thunder just keep doing it.
Age: 32
Contract: 3 years*, $97.8M ($32.6M AAV, 18.7% of cap)
A brutal shooting season last year took some of the shine off, and casual fans will be shocked to learn that a non-star making more than $30 million per year can be considered a bargain. But ask enough coaches and executives, and you'll learn that White is a star to the people making all the big decisions.
The veteran guard remains one of the league's best defenders - he just made an All-Defensive first team - and he still has a solid track record as a shooter (career 36.6% from deep). White's also a high-IQ, no-nonsense starter who's averaged at least 15 points per game in four of the last six seasons. He's the total package, and from an impact perspective, he's about as good as non-All-Stars get.
Age: 27
Contract: 4 years, $48M ($12M AAV, 6.7% of cap)
Even armed with a new contract, Gillespie is still a bargain. A former NCAA champion and two-time Big East Player of the Year, the undrafted guard took years to break through in the Association. Now that he has, Gillespie's got staying power. He's the perfect type of great-shooting, caretaking point guard who can play with star scoring guards (like Devin Booker), and he'll give you an honest effort on the defensive end. Gillespie was quietly a big part of the Suns' surprising 2025-26 campaign, and at less than 7% of the cap, he should remain a steal for Phoenix for the rest of his prime.
Age: 29
Contract: 4 years, $38,700,000 ($9.7M AAV, 5.4% of cap)
Given all the overwhelming talent, ego, and on-ball superstars the 76ers now employ, Philadelphia could desperately use a low-maintenance, 3-and-D role player. Enter Wade, who checks that box as well as any player in the league. The 6-foot-9 forward is comfortable coming off the bench or starting, takes more than 70% of his field-goal attempts from long range, and never forgets his role. Don't let the 5.3 points per game fool you. Wade is a legitimate rotation player and a solid two-way forward. Signing this type of player without having to go to an eight-figure AAV is good value.
Age: 26
Contract: 3 years**, $7.9M ($2.6M AAV, 1.5% of cap)
It went under the radar on a 25-win Grizzlies team, but Spencer emerged as one of the league's best shooters and reserve guards last season. In less than 24 minutes per game as an NBA sophomore, Spencer averaged 11.1 points and 5.6 assists, shooting 51% inside the arc, 45% from deep, and a league-leading 94% from the free-throw line. His sparkling 4.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio also highlights his efficiency. As a second-round pick without a rookie-scale contract, Spencer ended up on a wildly team-friendly deal in Memphis.
Age: 29
Contract: 4 years*, $24M ($6M AAV, 3.4% of cap)
After playing a key reserve role during the Knicks' championship run, Shamet earned himself a multi-year deal, but one that's still incredibly low-risk and team-friendly for New York. First and foremost, a 3% cap hit for a career 39% 3-point shooter who just helped you win a title - while playing the best defense of his life in the process - is a win for the team. Second, although the fourth year is a player option, only the first two years of this contract are fully guaranteed.
Essentially, if Shamet earns the final couple of years of the deal, it probably means he was one of the league's biggest bargains over the first two years. And if he completely falls out of New York's rotation over the first two seasons, the Knicks can walk away relatively unscathed, with less than $1.6 million guaranteed in Year 3.
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.
