Best NBA Free Agents of All Time

Unrestricted free agency changed the NBA forever.

Best NBA Free Agents of All Time

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant

The NBA wasn't always a league where players could determine their own futures via free agency. That didn't happen until 1988, when the first class of unrestricted free agents was able to sign with teams of their choice. It changed the NBA forever.

Some of those free-agent signings have defined the trajectory of the NBA over the last four decades, with NBA titles hanging in the balance. These are the best NBA free agent signings of all time, dating back to the first year unrestricted free agents could sign with other teams in 1988. We've also limited the list to only players who actually switched teams as free agents — re-signing doesn't count — and a player could only make the list once.

30. Tony Allen

Born: Jan. 11, 1982 (Chicago, Illinois)

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 14 seasons (2004-18)

Teams: Boston Celtics (2004-10), Memphis Grizzlies (2010-17), New Orleans Pelicans (2017-18)

Career highlights: NBA champion (2008), six-time NBA All-Defensive Team (2011-13, 2015-17)

Bottom line: Tony Allen was often overshadowed by his high-profile teammates on the Boston Celtics during his first six seasons in the NBA, although he won an NBA championship in 2008.

Allen became a free agent in 2010 and signed with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he came into his own as one of the league's best perimeter defenders. He made the NBA All-Defensive Team six times in the 2010s.

Even better for the Grizzlies? They made the playoffs six of the seven years Allen was with the franchise.

29. Jalen Brunson

Born: Aug. 31, 1996 (New Brunswick, New Jersey)

Position: Point guard

Career: 5 seasons (2018-present)

Teams: Dallas Mavericks (2018-22), New York Knicks (2022-present)

Career highlights: Two-time NCAA champion (2016, 2018), AP National College Player of the Year (2018), AP All-American (2018), Bob Cousy Award (2018), Big East Player of the Year (2018), two-time All-Big East (2017, 2018)

Bottom line: We didn't hesitate to include New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson to this list just one season into his tenure at Madison Square Garden — he's just that good.

Brunson, the son of former NBA guard Rick Brunson, reinvigorated the NBA's sleeping giant franchise in his first season in 2022-23 as he averaged 24.0 points and 6.2 assists and led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Brunson's first team, the Dallas Mavericks, watched an elite point guard walk out the door for the second generation in a row and floundered without him, not even making the play-in game.

28. Carlos Boozer

Born: Nov. 20, 1981 (Aschaffenburg, West Germany)

Position: Power forward

Career: 13 seasons (2002-15)

Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (2002-04), Utah Jazz (2004-10), Chicago Bulls (2010-14), Los Angeles Lakers (2014-15)

Career highlights: Two-time NBA All-Star (2007, 2008), All-NBA (2008), NBA All-Rookie Team (2003)

Bottom line: When the Utah Jazz signed power forward Carlos Boozer as a free agent in 2004, they were getting him in the prime of his career.

How he ended up in Utah is pretty interesting. Cleveland had the option of keeping him under contract for $695,000 in 2004-05 but allowed him to become a restricted free agent with the understanding he would sign a six-year, $39 million contract with the team. Instead, Boozer bounced to Utah for six years and $63 million, an offer the Cavs couldn't match.

The Cavs said Boozer went back on his word to them. Boozer said tough luck and made the All-Star team twice and the All-NBA Team once in six seasons in Utah.

27. Al Horford

Al Horford was a power forward free agent

Born: June 3, 1986 (Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic)

Position: Power forward

Career: 16 seasons (2007-present)

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (2007-16), Boston Celtics (2016-19, 2021-present), Philadelphia 76ers (2019-20), Oklahoma City Thunder (2020-21)

Career highlights: Five-time NBA All-Star (2010, 2011, 2015. 2016. 2018), All-NBA Team (2011), NBA All-Defensive Team (2018), NBA All-Rookie Team (2008)

Bottom line: Al Horford has been a steadying influence on every team he's every played on, dating back to when he won back-to-back NCAA championships in 2006 and 2007 at the University of Florida.

Horford signed with the Boston Celtics as a free agent in 2016, inking a massive deal worth $113 million over four years. Horford almost delivered on the promise of a championship with the Celtics but came up just short, making it to the Eastern Conference finals in each of his first two seasons in Boston.

He also made an All-Star team and was named to an NBA All-Defensive Team with the Celtics.

26. DeMar DeRozan

DeMar DeRozan, top-ranked NBA free agent

Born: Aug. 7, 1989 (Compton, California)

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 14 seasons (2009-present)

Teams: Toronto Raptors (2009-18), San Antonio Spurs (2018-21), Chicago Bulls (2021-present)

Career highlights: Two-time All-NBA Team (2017, 2018), five-time NBA All-Star (2014, 2016-18, 2022)

Bottom line: DeMar DeRozan turned out to be a brilliant free-agent signing for the Chicago Bulls. Thought by many to be past his prime, DeRozan turned in arguably the best season of his 13-year career in 2021-22, when he averaged a career-high 27.9 points and shot 35.2 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

In one of the more compelling NBA sliding doors cases of all time, DeRozan wanted to return home to his native Los Angeles to play for the Lakers, but the team chose to pursue Russell Westbrook instead and didn't even make the NBA playoffs. Brutal.

25. Ron Harper

Born: Jan. 20, 1964 (Dayton, Ohio)

Position: Guard

Career: 15 seasons (1986-2001)

Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (1986-89), Los Angeles Clippers (1989-94), Chicago Bulls (1994-99), Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2001)

Career highlights: Five-time NBA champion (1996-98, 2000, 2001), NBA All-Rookie Team (1987)

Bottom line: Ron Harper crafted a reputation in NBA circles as a really good player on some really bad or mediocre teams throughout the first decade of his career, toiling away first on the Cleveland Cavaliers, then in basketball purgatory with the Los Angeles Clippers.

The latter part of Harper's NBA career would bring him face-to-face with greatness. He was a steadying force on three consecutive NBA championship teams with the Chicago Bulls from 1996 to 1998, then won two more NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers to close out his career in 2000 and 2001.

24. John Starks

Born: Aug. 10, 1965 (Tulsa, Oklahoma)

Position: Point guard

Career: 14 seasons (1988-2002)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1988-1989, 1999-2000), New York Knicks (1990-1998), Chicago Bulls (2000), Utah Jazz (2000-2002)

Career highlights: NBA All-Star (1994), NBA All-Defensive Team (1993), NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1997)

Bottom line: There wasn't much competition for John Starks as a free agent in 1990, when the New York Knicks signed him away from the Memphis Rockers of the World Basketball League.

Starks twisted his knee in his first training camp with the Knicks, which saved him from being cut, then went on to become one of the players that helped define the team in the 1990s, making an NBA All-Defensive Team in 1993, an NBA All-Star Team and earning NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors in 1997.

23. Metta Sandiford-Artest

Jason Richardson, Ron Artest, Kobe Bryant

Born: Nov. 13, 1979 (Queens, New York)

Position: Small forward

Career: 17 seasons (1999-2014, 2015-2017)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (1999-2002), Indiana Pacers (2002-06), Sacramento Kings (2006-08), Houston Rockets (2008-09), Los Angeles Lakers (2009-13, 2015-17), New York Knicks (2013-14)

Career highlights: NBA champion (2010), NBA All-Star (2004), All-NBA Team (2004), NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2004), four-time NBA All-Defensive Team (2003, 2004, 2006, 2009), NBA All-Rookie Team (2000)

Bottom line: There is no bigger testament to the late Kobe Bryant's influence on teammates than what happened after Metta Sandiford-Artest — then known as Ron Artest — signed a five-year, $33 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers before the 2009 season.

Artest, with Bryant's influence, was brilliant for the Lakers in the 2009-10 season. Artest hit the game-winning shot in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals, then capped the year with the greatest performance of his career in Game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. He scored 20 points and hit the game-winning three-pointer to help the Lakers win back-to-back championships.

With future Hall of Famers Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce on the floor, it was Artest who Lakers head coach Phil Jackson called the MVP of Game 7.

22. Michael Finley

Michael Finley, Leandro Barbosa, Boris Diaw — Michael Finley was a proven NBA commodity when he came to the San Antonio Spurs in 2005.

Born: March 6, 1973 (Maywood, Illinois)

Position: Guard/forward

Career: 15 seasons (1995-2010)

Teams: Phoenix Suns (1995-96), Dallas Mavericks (1996-2005), San Antonio Spurs (2005-10), Boston Celtics (2010)

Career highlights: NBA champion (2007), two-time NBA All-Star (2000, 2001), NBA All-Rookie Team (1996)

Bottom line: Michael Finley was a proven NBA commodity when he came to the San Antonio Spurs in 2005, seeking an NBA title.

He helped the team deliver in 2007, when he averaged 11.4 points per game and shot 41 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

21. Steve Kerr

Steve Kerr, Michael Jordan — Steve Kerr signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent.

Born: Sept. 27, 1965 (Beirut, Lebanon)

Position: Point guard

Career: 15 seasons (1988-2003)

Teams: Phoenix Suns (1988-89), Cleveland Cavaliers (1989-92), Orlando Magic (1992-93), Chicago Bulls (1993-98), San Antonio Spurs (1998-2001, 2002-03), Portland Trail Blazers (2002-02)

Career highlights: Five-time NBA champion (1996-99), NBA Three-Point Contest champion (1997)

Bottom line: Steve Kerr signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent in 1993, following Michael Jordan's first retirement, and stayed with the team as Jordan returned from baseball full time and won three straight NBA championships with the Bulls from 1996 to 1998.

Kerr's defining moment with the Bulls came in the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz, when he hit the series-clinching shot with seconds left in Game 6 on a pass from Jordan.

Kerr won two more titles with the San Antonio Spurs as a player and has won three more as the head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

20. Kyle Lowry

Kyle Lowry, Bogdan Bogdanovic — Kyle Lowry spent nine seasons with the Toronto Raptors.

Born: March 25, 1986 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

Position: Point guard

Career: 17 seasons (2006-present)

Teams: Memphis Grizzlies (2006-09), Houston Rockets (2009-12), Toronto Raptors (2012-21), Miami Heat (2021-present)

Career highlights: NBA champion (2019), six-time NBA All-Star (2015-20), All-NBA Team (2016)

Bottom line: Widely viewed as the greatest Toronto Raptor of all time, Kyle Lowry spent nine seasons with the franchise, made all six of his All-Star appearances with the Raptors and led the team to its lone NBA title alongside Kawhi Leonard in 2019.

Lowry made an immediate impact in free agency following the 2020-21 season, when he came to the Miami Heat via a sign-and-trade and promptly led the franchise to the best record in the Eastern Conference in 2021-22.

19. Gilbert Arenas

Born: Jan. 6, 1982 (Tampa, Florida)

Position: Guard

Career: 11 seasons (2001-12)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (2001-03), Washington Wizards (2003-10), Orlando Magic (2010-11), Memphis Grizzlies (2012)

Career highlights: Three-time NBA All-Star (2005-07), three-time All-NBA (2005-07), NBA Most Improved Player (2003)

Bottom line: Before Gilbert Arenas became one of the most reviled and disliked players in NBA history, he was actually pretty well thought of.

Arenas was a great story when he signed with the Washington Wizards as a free agent in 2003 after being named NBA Most Improved Player with the Golden State Warriors, inking a six-year, $60 million contract. For the next five years, Arenas was worth every penny. He became one of the NBA's elite players and boosted the team back into the playoffs.

Arenas career eventually unraveled thanks to one of the scarier incidents in NBA history — a Wild West-style showdown, guns and all, with former teammate and convicted murderer Javaris Crittenton in the Wizards' locker room in 2009.

18. Bruce Bowen

Born: June 14, 1971 (Merced, California)

Position: Small forward

Career: 12 seasons (1997-2009)

Teams: Miami Heat (1997), Boston Celtics (1997-99), Philadelphia 76ers (1999-2000), Miami Heat (2000-01), San Antonio Spurs (2001-09)

Career highlights: Three-time NBA champion (2003, 2005, 2007), seven-time NBA All-Defensive Team (2001-08)

Bottom line: Bruce Bowen's path to NBA stardom was unlike few in league history. He played professional basketball for four seasons before signing his first 10-day contract with the Miami Heat in 1997.

Bowen didn't become a full-time player until he joined the Spurs in 2001 as a free agent, where he won three NBA championships and made seven consecutive NBA All-Defensive Teams.

17. Horace Grant

Horace Grant, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen

Born: July 4, 1965 (Augusta, Georgia)

Position: Power forward

Career: 15 seasons (1987-2002)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (1987-94), Orlando Magic (1994-99, 2001-02), Seattle SuperSonics (1999-2000), Los Angeles Lakers (2000-01, 2003-04), Orlando Magic (2001-02)

Career highlights: Four-time NBA champion (1991-93, 2001), NBA All-Star (1994), four-time NBA All-Defensive Team (1993-96)

Bottom line: Horace Grant won three NBA titles alongside Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on the Chicago Bulls in the early 1990s, then bounced to play for the Orlando Magic one year after Jordan retired to play professional baseball.

During his first few seasons with the Magic, Grant was still in his prime and proved to be the team's missing link, paired with young superstars in Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O'Neal.

Grant's best moment with the Magic came when they defeated Jordan and the Bulls in the 1995 Eastern Conference finals, although they lost to the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals.

16. Tim Hardaway

Born: Sept. 1, 1966 (Chicago, Illinois)

Position: Point guard

Career: 14 seasons (1989-2003)

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1989-96), Miami Heat (1996-2001), Dallas Mavericks (2001-02), Denver Nuggets (2002), Indiana Pacers (2003)

Career highlights: Five-time NBA All-Star (1991-93, 1997, 1998), five-time All-NBA Team (1992, 1993, 1997-99), NBA All-Rookie Team (1990)

Bottom line: Tim Hardaway hit his prime after he signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent in 1996 following seven seasons with the Golden State Warriors.

How good was Hardaway in Miami? He actually finished fourth in the NBA Most Valuable Player voting in 1996-97 after leading Miami to a franchise-record 61 wins when he averaged 20.3 points, 8.6 assists and 1.9 steals.

15. Avery Johnson

Born: March 25, 1965 (New Orleans, Louisiana)

Position: Point guard

Career: 15 seasons (1988-2003)

Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (1988-90), Denver Nuggets (1990, 2001-02), San Antonio Spurs (1991, 1992-93, 1994-2001), Houston Rockets (1992), Golden State Warriors (1993-94, 2003-04), Dallas Mavericks (2002-03)

Bottom line: Avery Johnson jumped on the basketball map when he became the first player in NCAA Division history to average double figures in points and assists in 1987-88, when he averaged 11.6 points and led the nation with 13.3 assists.

Johnson made the Seattle SuperSonics as an undrafted free agent in 1988 and bounced between teams for several years before finding his footing with the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent, where he eventually won an NBA championship in 1999.

14. Tracy McGrady

Born: May 24, 1979 (Bartow, Florida)

Position: Forward

Career: 16 seasons (1997-2013)

Teams: Toronto Raptors (1997-2000), Orlando Magic (2000-04), Houston Rockets (2004-10), New York Knicks (2010), Detroit Pistons (2010-11), Atlanta Hawks (2011-12), San Antonio Spurs (2013)

Career highlights: Seven-time NBA All-Star (2001-07), seven-time All-NBA Team (2001-05, 2007, 2008), NBA Most Improved Player (2001)

Bottom line: When Tracy McGrady signed with the Orlando Magic as a free agent in 2000, the pairing of him and fellow All-Star Grant Hill was set up to bring an NBA championship to Orlando.

Injuries to Hill never made that a reality, but on his own, McGrady became one of the NBA's best players. He was virtually unstoppable when he was with the Magic for four seasons. He became a perennial NBA All-Star and averaged 28.1 points, including leading the NBA in scoring in 2003 and 2004.

13. Dikembe Mutombo

Born: June 25, 1966 (Leopoldville, Republic of Congo, Africa)

Position: Center

Career: 18 seasons (1981-2009)

Teams: Denver Nuggets (1991-96), Atlanta Hawks (1996-2001), Philadelphia 76ers (2001-02), New Jersey Nets (2002-03), New York Knicks (2003-04), Houston Rockets (2004-09)

Career highlights: Eight-time NBA All-Star (1992, 1995-98, 2000-02), three-time All-NBA (1998, 2001, 2002), four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1995, 1997, 1998, 2001), six-time NBA All-Defensive Team (1995, 1997-2002), NBA All-Rookie Team (1992)

Bottom line: Few NBA centers in history could defend and rebound with the laser focus of Dikembe Mutombo. Although the counterargument to that is his offensive skills were so limited, he had no choice.

Mutombo's greatest years came with the Atlanta Hawks, where he won two NBA rebounding titles and three out of his record-tying four NBA Defensive Player of the Year trophies after he signed a five-year, $55 million free-agent contract with the team before the 1995-96 season.

Mutombo averaged a staggering 3.2 blocks per game during his time with the Hawks — numbers that drastically fell off once he left the team.

12. Vlade Divac

Born: Feb. 3, 1968 (Prijepolje, Serbia, Yugoslavia)

Position: Center

Career: 16 seasons (1989-2005)

Teams: Los Angeles Lakers (1989-96, 2004-05), Charlotte Hornets (1996-98), Sacramento Kings (1998-2004)

Career highlights: NBA All-Star (2001), NBA All-Rookie Team (1990)

Bottom line: Vlade Divac was the first piece of the puzzle for the Sacramento Kings becoming one of the NBA's best teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when he signed a six-year, $62.5 million contract with the franchise in 1999.

Divac was brilliant after teaming with Chris Webber in the frontcourt and playing alongside Peja Stojakovic, Mike Bibby, Hedo Turkoglu and Jason Williams. Together, they brought the Kings to within one game of winning perhaps the most memorable Western Conference finals of all time — a seven-game series against the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers in 2002.

11. Jimmy Butler

Born: Sept. 14, 1989 (Houston, Texas)

Position: Small forward

Career: 13 seasons (2011-present)

Teams: Chicago Bulls (2011-17), Minnesota Timberwolves (2017-18), Philadelphia 76ers (2018-19), Miami Heat (2019-present)

Career highlights: Five-time NBA All-Star (2015-18), four-time All-NBA Team (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021), five-time NBA All-Defensive Team (2014-16, 2018, 2021), NBA Most Improved Player (2015)

Bottom line: We are making a slight exception to our hard line on free agency with Jimmy Butler, who actually ended up with the Miami Heat via a sign-and-trade from the Philadelphia 76ers following the 2019 season — a deal that only happened because Butler approved it.

Butler changed the fortunes of the Heat in his first season, leading them on a surprise run to the NBA Finals. In 2021-22, Butler was the star on a team that secured the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. In 2022-23, he led the team back to the NBA Finals.

10. Ray Allen

Born: July 20, 1975 (Merced, California)

Position: Shooting guard

Career: 18 seasons (1996-2014)

Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (1996-2003), Seattle SuperSonics (2003-07), Boston Celtics (2007-12), Miami Heat (2012-14)

Career highlights: Two-time NBA champion (2008, 2013), 10-time NBA All-Star (2000-02, 2004-09, 2011), two-time All-NBA (2005, 2011), NBA All-Rookie Team (1997)

Bottom line: Ray Allen caused a ruckus when he took less money to leave the Boston Celtics as a free agent in 2012 to join the Miami Heat, causing a decade-long rift with former Boston teammates Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.

Without Allen, the Heat arguably don't win the first of back-to-back NBA championship. He hit a game-tying three-pointer with just seconds left in Game 6 of the 2012 NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, who had a 3-2 lead and were just seconds away from winning the championship.

9. Robert Horry

Born: Aug. 25, 1970 (Harford County, Maryland)

Position: Power forward

Career: 16 seasons (1992-2008)

Teams: Houston Rockets (1992-96), Phoenix Suns (1996-97), Los Angeles Lakers (1997-2003), San Antonio Spurs (2003-08)

Career highlights: Seven-time NBA champion (1994, 1995, 2000-02, 2005, 2007), All-NBA Rookie Team (1993)

Bottom line: Robert Horry has one of the all-time greatest reputations in NBA history. He's largely considered the greatest clutch shooter in league history along with being one of the greatest winners the game has ever seen.

"Big Shot Bob" already had the reputation firmly in place when he signed with the San Antonio Spurs as a free agent in 2003, having already won two NBA titles with the Houston Rockets and three with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Horry won two more titles with the San Antonio Spurs in 2005 and 2007, giving him seven NBA championships for his career. And in the 2005 NBA Finals, he hit the game-winning three-pointer in Game 5 against the Detroit Pistons.

8. Tom Chambers

Born: June 21, 1959 (Ogden, Utah)

Position: Power forward

Career: 15 seasons (1981-95, 1997)

Teams: San Diego Clippers (1981-83), Seattle SuperSonics (1983-88), Phoenix Suns (1988-93), Utah Jazz (1993-95), Charlotte Hornets (1997), Philadelphia 76ers (1997)

Career highlights: Four-time NBA All-Star (1987, 1989-91), NBA All-Star Game MVP (1987), two-time All-NBA (1989, 1990)

Bottom line: You might be surprised to see Tom Chambers this high on the list, but historically he's as important as any free agent in NBA history. Because he was the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history.

Chambers showed that, unlike baseball, free agency would actually work in the NBA when he signed with the Phoenix Suns in 1988 on a five-year, $9 million contract that still serves as the template for how free agency deals are done to this day.

Not for nothing, but Chambers was also as good as any power forward in the NBA in the 1980s.

7. Andre Iguodala

Born: Jan. 28, 1984 (Springfield, Illinois)

Position: Small forward

Career: 19 seasons (2004-present)

Teams: Philadelphia 76ers (2004-12), Denver Nuggets (2012-13), Golden State Warriors (2013-19, 2021-present), Miami Heat (2020-21)

Career highlights: Four-time NBA champion (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022), NBA Finals MVP (2015), NBA All-Star (2012), two-time NBA All-Defensive Team (20111, 2014), NBA All-Rookie Team (2005)

Bottom line: Andre Iguodala caught lightning in a bottle with the Golden State Warriors for six seasons after signing with the team as a free agent in 2013.

He won four NBA titles with the Warriors and played in the NBA Finals six times. Iguodala was named NBA Finals MVP in 2015 — perhaps the most unlikely NBA Finals MVP in league history.

Iguodala made it back to the NBA Finals in 2020 with the Miami Heat.

6. Chris Bosh

Born: March 24, 1984 (Dallas, Texas)

Position: Power forward/center

Career: 14 seasons (2003-17)

Teams: Toronto Raptors (2003-10), Miami Heat (2010-17)

Career highlights: Two-time NBA champion (2012-13), 11-time NBA All-Star (2006-16), All-NBA Team (2007), NBA All-Rookie Team (2004)

Bottom line: Chris Bosh signed with the Miami Heat as a free agent in 2010 to create the most celebrated trio in NBA history alongside fellow All-Stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.

The trio played together for just four seasons, won two NBA titles and made the NBA Finals each season — with Bosh largely having to take the "Third Man" role in the trio despite being arguably more important than Wade.

5. Steve Nash

Born: Feb. 7, 1974 (Johannesburg, South Africa)

Position: Point guard

Career: 19 seasons (1996-2015)

Teams: Phoenix Suns (1996-1998, 2004-2012), Dallas Mavericks (1998-2004), Los Angeles Lakers (2012-2015)

Career highlights: Two-time NBA MVP (2005, 2006), eight-time NBA All-Star (2002, 2003, 2005-08, 2010, 2012), seven-time All-NBA Team (2002, 2003, 2005-08, 2010)

Bottom line: Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made one of the more boneheaded moves in NBA history when he let Steve Nash leave for the Phoenix Suns in free agency in 2004.

Cuban, believing Nash's best years were behind him, offered the point guard a four-year, $36 million contract while the Phoenix Suns offered him a six-year, $63 million deal. Nash tried to get Cuban to match the offer, but he declined.

Nash went on to have his best years with the Suns, winning back-to-back NBA MVP trophies in 2005 and 2006. Cuban, had he made the smart, simple deal and signed Nash, would likely have more than one NBA championship trophy sitting on his mantle.

4. Chauncey Billups

Born: Sept. 25, 1976 (Denver, Colorado)

Position: Point guard

Career: 17 seasons (1997-2014)

Teams: Boston Celtics (1997-98), Toronto Raptors (1998-99), Denver Nuggets (1999-2000, 2008-11), Minnesota Timberwolves (2000-02), Detroit Pistons (2002-08, 2013-14), New York Knicks (2011), Los Angeles Clippers (2011-13)

Career highlights: NBA champion (2004), NBA Finals MVP (2004), five-time NBA All-Star (2006-10), three-time All-NBA (2006, 2007, 2009), two-time NBA All-Defensive Team (2005, 2006), NBA Teammate of the Year (2013)

Bottom line: The first five years of Chauncey Billups' career don't give any indication of the player he would become — five different franchises in five years before he landed with the Detroit Pistons as a free agent in 2002, when he signed a five-year, $35 million contract.

That would prove to be money well spent for Detroit, as Billups led the Pistons to the NBA championship in 2004 with a stunning five-game series win over the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers and earned NBA Finals MVP honors.

You might not remember this, but the Pistons came a hair's breath away from repeating as NBA champions in 2005, when they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in seven games in the NBA Finals.

3. Kevin Durant

Born: Sept. 29, 1988 (Washington, D.C.)

Position: Forward

Career: 15 seasons (2007-present)

Teams: Seattle SuperSonics/Oklahoma City Thunder (2007-16), Golden State Warriors (2016-19), Brooklyn Nets (2019-23), Phoenix Suns (2023-present)

Career highlights: Two-time NBA champion (2017, 2018), two-time NBA Finals MVP (2017, 2018), NBA MVP (2014), 12-time NBA All-Star (2010-19, 2021, 2022), two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP (2012, 2019), nine-time All-NBA Team (2010-14, 2016-19), NBA Rookie of the Year (2008)

Bottom line: Durant actually played his rookie season in Seattle before the franchise moved and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in his second season — seven years later he was named 2014 NBA MVP.

Durant's left in free agency after the Thunder blew a 3-1 lead to the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 Western Conference finals … to go play for the Warriors. It's become one of the most-dissected player moves of all time.

Alongside Steph Curry, Durant won back-to-back NBA championships in 2017 and 2018. If not for his injury in the 2018 NBA Finals, when he tore his achilles tendon, they would have had a real chance at winning a third.

2. LeBron James

Born: Dec. 30, 1984 (Akron, Ohio)

Position: Guard/forward

Career: 20 seasons (2003-present)

Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers (2003-2010, 2014-2018), Miami Heat (2010-2014), Los Angeles Lakers (2018-present)

Career highlights: Four-time NBA champion (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020), four-time NBA MVP (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020), four-time NBA Finals MVP (2012, 2013, 2016, 2020), 19-time NBA All-Star (2005-23), three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP (2006, 2008, 2018), 19-time All-NBA Team (2005-23), six-time NBA All-Defensive Team (2009-14), NBA Rookie of the Year (2004)

Bottom line: Every time LeBron James has been an unrestricted free agent in his 19-year (so far) NBA career, he's delivered a championship to the team he went to play for — two titles for the Miami Heat in 2011 and 2012, one for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and one for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020. The return on investment for the franchises is staggering .

1. Shaquille O'Neal

Born: March 6, 1972 (Newark, New Jersey)

Position: Center

Career: 19 seasons (1992-2011)

Teams: Orlando Magic (1992-1996), Los Angeles Lakers (1996-2004), Miami Heat (2004-2008), Phoenix Suns (2008-2009), Cleveland Cavaliers (2009-2010), Boston Celtics (2010-2011)

Career highlights: Four-time NBA champion (2000-02, 2006), three-time NBA Finals MVP (2000-02), NBA Most Valuable Player (2000), 15-time NBA All-Star (1993-98, 2000-07, 2009), three-time NBA All-Star Game MVP (2000, 2004, 2009), 14-time All-NBA (1994-2006, 2009), three-time All-NBA Defensive Team (2000, 2001, 2003), NBA Rookie of the Year (1993), NBA 50th Anniversary Team, NBA 75th Anniversary Team

Bottom line: You could make a movie about the drama surrounding Shaquille O'Neal's exit from the Orlando Magic as a free agent in 1996.

O'Neal became as popular as any player in the NBA during his first four years in Orlando after being selected No. 1 overall in 1992 — even leading the team to the 1995 NBA Finals. That wasn't good enough for ownership, fans or media in Orlando, who essentially ushered him out of town with a series of head-scratching decisions.

O'Neal eventually signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he won three consecutive NBA championships from 2000 to 2002 and was NBA Finals MVP each year.