📺 ESPN’s latest update on the NBA free agency market focuses on three notable names still making headlines: Jonathan Kuminga, potentially heading to the Sacramento Kings; Al Horford, linked to a move to the Golden State Warriors; and Cam Thomas, whose future remains uncertain.
In this segment, the ESPN panel breaks down potential fits, contract expectations, and what each player could bring to their rumored destinations. Could Kuminga thrive in Sacramento’s system? Is Horford the veteran presence the Warriors need? And where does Cam Thomas go next?
Stay tuned for full analysis, predictions, and insider info on the final stages of the NBA 2025 free agency.
00:00Thursday afternoon, welcome to CBS Sports HQ.
00:03We are one day away from the fireworks of the 4th of July,
00:06but the fireworks, they've been going on non-stop
00:08when it comes to the NBA free agency.
00:11It's been crazy.
00:11There's still so much more work that needs to be done.
00:13Checking out the top available free agents right now.
00:16Now, restricted free agent, Jonathan Kaminga,
00:18he tops our list at cbssports.com.
00:20You can check out that whole list online.
00:22If you take a look at number three, you see Malik Beasley.
00:25Well, he is currently the subject of a federal gambling probe,
00:29so any deals with him currently are on pause.
00:32And restricted free agent, Cam Thomas, rounds out our top six.
00:37Lucky enough to be joined by Ashley Nicole Moss, now on the desk.
00:40We're going to talk about some of the best landing spots
00:43for these remaining free agents.
00:45You're busy away on that laptop.
00:46It has been non-stop for you, girl.
00:48I don't know how you're still standing right now,
00:50but let's start at number one with Kaminga.
00:53Where do you see him fitting in best?
00:55Yeah, so Kaminga's going to be interesting, right?
00:57I think that more than likely he's sticking with the Golden State Warriors
01:00for a multitude of reasons.
01:02I think the biggest reason for me is that obviously the Warriors have a
01:06qualifying offer to Kaminga, making him a restricted free agent.
01:09They could still re-sign him.
01:11We all know how that works.
01:12But here's the thing.
01:13Kaminga wants to be in a situation where he's going to have a bigger role.
01:17That's been the contention between him and this organization,
01:20Steve Kerr specifically, is that he's never really found his footing.
01:23And as somebody who is a Knicks fan, I know once upon a time we had the same
01:28issue with O.B. Toppin, and O.B. wasn't really able to flourish into his own
01:32as a player until he got where?
01:34The Indiana Pacers.
01:35So it's going to really rely on Kaminga's desire for a larger role,
01:40consistent minutes, and a lucrative contract.
01:43Now the Warriors, on the other hand, though, they need to weigh their potential
01:46asking price and fit within their current roster.
01:50So they have to weigh what Kaminga's going to want against what they're able to provide.
01:54And as we know, these aprons have drastically changed the way these teams are doing business.
01:58But it seems now on July 3rd, this could change, obviously,
02:03that what Kaminga is looking for, there's not a lot of teams who can pay him that.
02:07The Warriors are the only team that has the dibs on him right now.
02:10It's just a matter of they can come to an agreement with what his role is going to be.
02:14I will say this, the Golden State Warriors should start preparing for life after Draymond Green and Steph Curry.
02:20And Jonathan Kaminga may be the piece that they can start doing that with.
02:25They just have to find a middle ground between what he wants and what they can provide.
02:29Still so young, too.
02:30He will be just 23 years old at the start of next season.
02:33Next up on our list, I want to ask about Josh Giddey, traded from the Thunder to the Bulls in June of 2024 for Alex Caruso.
02:40So he had career highs in many categories last season.
02:43What do you think is going to happen?
02:44This one's hard because the Bulls are in the best position to give him what he wants money-wise, right?
02:50But when you talk about what Josh Giddey is looking for, obviously, the paycheck.
02:54Let's be very clear about that.
02:56But I think also there are teams out in the league that necessarily aren't going to be contenders.
03:02They may not even be playoff teams, but neither are the Chicago Bulls.
03:05But they are looking to kind of rebuild and go younger.
03:09And the team on my list for him, if it's not Chicago, the Washington Wizards.
03:14We see the moves that they have made so far.
03:17They're not making these catastrophic, life-changing, franchise-changing moves.
03:21But they are trying to get younger and trying to figure it out as they go.
03:26So if it's not Chicago for me, I think the Wizards would be a good spot for him.
03:29That would be a nice landing spot for sure.
03:32Up next, we have Al Horford, an unrestricted free agent.
03:35The other two were restricted.
03:36Entering his 19th season, 39 years old.
03:40Know him well, Jenny Dell.
03:41You know him well.
03:42So what happens with Horford?
03:44Horford's interesting.
03:45I think the unfortunate reality of the situation is the Jason Tatum injury has kind of just thrown the Boston Celtics in complete disarray.
03:53This was a team that was in prime position to run it back.
03:57This devastating injury to their star has kind of forced this new ownership to really start looking at life, the next iteration of the Boston Celtics.
04:06And we already saw the movement with Porzingis.
04:08We already saw the movement with Drew Holiday.
04:10And Al Horford's an interesting piece.
04:13Veteran guy, phenomenal at his position.
04:17In Boston last season, averaged 9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2 assists, 42% shooting from the field, and almost 37% from the three.
04:26I think his shooting would be ideal for the Golden State Warriors front court with Butler and Green.
04:32And he's also a guy that's not going to cost you a lot of money.
04:35You could pay him the vet minimum, maybe a little bit above that.
04:38It's not going to put the Warriors over the edge.
04:40We already know the Lakers are probably out of this conversation after signing DeAndre Ayton.
04:46I think if it's not Boston, it's probably the Golden State Warriors.
04:48That would be the best fit for him.
04:50Any concern with his age, getting up there a little bit?
04:53No, I mean, Al Horford's not a guy who's going to log a lot of minutes.
04:56He's not a starter.
04:57He's the guy that comes off the bench.
04:58He's the guy that kind of gets that movement with that second unit.
05:01But the best thing about Al Horford is, yes, he is a particular age, but he is so reliable that he is a guy you want in your locker room.
05:09And also, if we're going to be realistic, it could also come down to the fact that Al Horford just maybe retires.
05:17You mentioned his age.
05:19He's won a championship.
05:20He's had a lucrative career.
05:22Obviously, I believe he's going into the Hall of Fame.
05:24That's a big debate in the NBA world whether or not he will or he won't.
05:28But we always forget when we talk about guys in this stage of their career, there's always a chance that they don't want to go elsewhere.
05:34They just will hang it up before that happens.
05:36But I think the Warriors are a good fit if he ultimately decides not to do that.
05:40Yeah, a 20-24 NBA champ with the Boston Celtics.
05:44Had to throw that one out there.
05:45Five-time All-Star.
05:46Yeah, he's done his part.
05:47That's for sure.
05:48What about a player like Quinton Grimes?
05:50So you look at his numbers last year, 21.9 points per game, five rebounds, four assists, and 28 games with the Sixers.
05:57Dealing with multiple injuries, though, last season, where do you see him ending up?
06:01I would have loved to bring him back to the Knicks.
06:03That would have been an ideal situation for me.
06:06I just don't see that's feasible because Quinton Grimes is looking to get paid.
06:09And obviously, as we know, the 76ers acquired him from the Dallas Mavericks via a trade.
06:14And his performance with the 76ers, especially because of how injured this team was, when you talk about Joel Embiid and Paul George,
06:22and those guys really put him in a different light.
06:25He put him kind of in the center and increased his scoring average.
06:30He has raised his profile.
06:31He's gotten more attractive to other teams.
06:34I think, again, when we talk about a landing spot, if it's not the 76ers, who more than likely will try to retain him,
06:41I think the Wizards are another team to look at.
06:43They are a team that's trying to build young, talented players or trying to bring in young, talented players
06:50to kind of revamp this just disastrous tenure of the Washington Wizards for, I don't even know how many years.
06:56It feels like most of my existence.
06:59And he's 25 years old, so he fits that profile.
07:01But they're going to have to weigh his potential against their financial limitations, and that's where things get sticky.
07:07So, again, if it's not the 76ers who can retain him and more than likely will, for me, the Washington Wizards would be a nice fit.
07:16You're talking about the Wizards needing to get a little bit of help.
07:19Is there a team, before we move on, that you feel like that's still out there that needs a lot of work still at this point?
07:25Um, I mean, it depends.
07:29Like, are we talking teams that are trying to do something, or are we talking teams that just need to rebuild?
07:35Because the Brooklyn Nets are a disaster.
07:37And I just realized, I know Boney's probably yelling, I'm in the control room right now.
07:40Josh Giddey was to the Nets if he didn't go back to Chicago.
07:45So, I'm sorry, Boney, don't yell at me.
07:47It's a lot to remember off the top of my head here.
07:50But I think the Nets are interesting.
07:53I think the Wizards, the Bulls, but these are all teams that, for lack of a better term, are in a black hole when it comes to their future.
08:00It's going to take them a very long time to be back in the conversation.
08:04I think these aprons and the lack of money going around the league has made it very difficult for a lot of these other teams that are in contention to do other things.
08:13The Timberwolves are a perfect example of that.
08:15I think they should have made a move, but they have financial limitations, especially since re-signing Nas Reed and Julius Randle, that have prevented them from making their team a next level better.
08:26We're going to be talking about some of those teams in our next segment.
08:28You mentioned the Nets there.
08:30That brings us to Cam Thomas.
08:31Career highs in points per game, rebounds, assists.
08:35Played 25 games there for the Nets before he lost the remainder of the season with that left hamstring strain.
08:43What happens with a guy like Cam?
08:45Cam Thomas is more than likely coming back to Brooklyn.
08:49I mean, he has made it clear he wants to return to Brooklyn, and Brooklyn's really the only team that has the cap space to afford him.
08:57He's probably looking for anywhere between $80 to $100 million over four years.
09:02And like I said, the Nets have ample cap space and are likely to offer Cam Thomas a competitive deal.
09:09Now, they obviously, I believe, view him as a cornerstone player and are motivated to retain him.
09:15And I just don't see a market where Cam Thomas is going to get, A, the playing time that he gets in Brooklyn, B, kind of the centerpiece option that he gets in Brooklyn,
09:26and more importantly, the money that he gets in Brooklyn because everyone's broke.
09:30Nobody has any cash to spend.
09:33And if they do, they are trying to retain it and maintain themselves under the second apron.
09:38So, Brooklyn's in a very nice situation, like I started off by saying.
09:43They're essentially bidding against themselves for Cam Thomas.
09:46I would be very surprised if he landed anywhere else but Brooklyn.
09:50Brooklyn must be happy about that.
09:53Listen, you got to get some goodness over there, Ash.
