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10 Former Lottery Picks Who Are Currently Without NBA Teams
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- 10 Former Lottery Picks Who Are Currently Without NBA Teams
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
The 2026 offseason has gotten pretty weird because we're already deep into August, most teams have basically finished their rosters, and there are still former No. 1 picks, All-Stars, an MVP, and several players in their early 20s sitting without contracts.
Some cases are easier to understand because injuries or age destroyed their markets. Still, others are much harder to explain when we're talking about guys who were still putting up good numbers last season and definitely not expected to take this long to be signed.
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Restricted free agency has been especially brutal this summer. Jalen Duren , Jonathan Kuminga , and Bennedict Mathurin are young and good enough to become long-term pieces somewhere, but there isn't much cap space left around the league, and their current teams still control their fate as the qualifying offer route looms on the horizon.
Add veterans like Russell Westbrook , Bradley Beal , and DeMar DeRozan waiting for the right contender, and we suddenly have a pretty ridiculous group of lottery picks still available in the market as the last remaining pieces for a title challenger.
10. Jaden Ivey , No. 5 Pick In 2022
Things went downhill incredibly fast for Jaden Ivey , because only a couple of years ago, he looked like one of the most promising young guards on the Pistons. He had already averaged 16.3 points and 5.2 assists as a rookie, then improved his shooting to make the idea of pairing him long-term with Cade Cunningham pretty interesting, but injuries completely stopped that momentum and his role eventually disappeared.
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Ivey played only 37 games last season and averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 44.5% from the field and 37.3% from three. His season became even messier after leaving the Pistons for the Bulls, where left knee problems limited him again before Chicago eventually waived him.
The motive for the cut is what I feel completely crushed his NBA future. Following conduct issues connected to controversial social-media posts on religion and politics, the Bulls really just had no option but to let him go, as teams really never looked keen enough to give him another shot .
Still, Ivey is only 24 and the physical tools haven't disappeared, so somebody should eventually take a chance. He can still attack the rim, run in transition, and create enough offense to become a rotation guard, but at this point he's probably looking at a short prove-it contract instead of anything close to the long-term money that once looked realistic.
9. Markelle Fultz , No. 1 Pick In 2017
Markelle Fultz being unsigned isn't exactly shocking anymore, but seeing the former No. 1 overall pick fighting for another NBA opportunity at only 28 years old is still kind of crazy. His career has basically been one long battle against injuries and the jumper that disappeared after college, and while he did rebuild himself into a good guard with the Magic, he has never stayed healthy long enough to regain his place in the league.
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Last season was especially rough, as Fultz spent most of the year outside the league before the Raptors finally gave him a 10-day contract in March. He appeared in only five games, averaged 0.8 points and 1.6 assists in 7.2 minutes, and shot 2-of-11 from the field, which obviously wasn't enough for Toronto to keep him around. He has now played only 260 games across nine NBA seasons and remains a 28.0% career three-point shooter.
There is still a solid player somewhere in there, because Fultz can get downhill, finish around the rim, and create for teammates, and we already saw him average 14.0 points and 5.7 assists during his best season with the Magic. But guards who don't shoot and can't consistently stay available have almost no margin for error anymore, so his next opportunity probably starts with a minimum deal, training-camp invitation, or another short contract where he has to prove everything again.
8. Ben Simmons , No. 1 Pick In 2016
Suddenly a hot topic again, it genuinely looked like Ben Simmons ' NBA career could quietly end last summer. He missed the entire 2025-26 season after reportedly rejecting a minimum deal from the Knicks , and hasn't played an NBA game since his short Clippers stint in 2025. But Marc J. Spears recently reported that Simmons is healthy, training without restrictions, and preparing for another comeback out of nowhere .
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The biggest difference this time is that Simmons apparently understands where his market is. He is willing to sign for the veteran minimum, multiple teams have shown interest, and he already has a non-guaranteed offer from a Western Conference team, which is a completely different situation from the years when his huge contract made him almost impossible to touch.
At 30 years old, nobody should expect the three-time All-Star who averaged 16 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists, but there is still some value if his body actually works. Simmons is even attending a player-led Australia men's national team mini-camp in Melbourne, per Spears, with dreams of playing in Los Angeles in 2028.
Simmons owns career averages of 13.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists, and 1.5 steals, and at 6-foot-10 he can still theoretically defend several positions, rebound, and create transition offense without needing shots. That's all a contender should ask from him now. Forget becoming a scorer, forget the jumper, and forget trying to recreate Philadelphia . If Simmons can give somebody 15 to 20 healthy minutes as a defensive forward and secondary passer, the minimum contract could actually become a pretty nice gamble .
7. DeMar DeRozan, No. 9 Pick In 2009
DeMar DeRozan might be the player here whose lack of a contract has the least to do with whether he can still play. He appeared in 77 games last season and averaged 18.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists while shooting 49.7% from the field, and he has now played at least 74 games in five straight seasons despite being 37 years old.
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The Kings simply reached the point where keeping him didn't make much sense after another terrible year, especially with younger players needing touches and DeRozan carrying a $25.7 million salary, with only $10.0 million guaranteed. Sacramento waived him , and since then the Heat, Nuggets, Cavaliers, and Wizards have all reportedly shown interest. So this isn't really a situation where nobody wants DeRozan; it's more about finding a contender, a salary, and a role that actually make sense for both sides.
That's probably the difficult part because DeRozan has spent basically two decades being a major offensive option. The next stage probably requires accepting 20 to 25 minutes, maybe coming off the bench, and becoming a second-unit scorer who can manufacture shots when an offense stalls. He still has the midrange game and playmaking to do that, so I'd be very surprised if he's still sitting at home once training camps begin.
6. Bradley Beal, No. 3 Pick In 2012
Maybe the best pure low-risk gamble left among the veterans, Bradley Beal's market completely collapsed after one injury destroyed his Clippers season. He played only six games, averaged 8.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 20.2 minutes, and then suffered a left hip fracture that required season-ending surgery, which obviously made it impossible to know what the Clippers actually had.
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Beal declined his $5.6 million player option anyway and became an unrestricted free agent, which tells me he still believes there is a better basketball opportunity available. The best comparison isn't those six Clippers games; it's his final Suns season, when he averaged 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 49.7% from the field and 38.6% from three. If even 80% of that player is still there, he can help somebody, like the Celtics , immediately.
The Heat have been one of the teams connected to him , and that fit makes sense because Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo need shooting around them, while Beal could also handle some secondary creation. At this point, he shouldn't be chasing star treatment, though. Take a cheap one-year contract, play around 20 minutes, prove the hip is healthy, and rebuild some value. A career 21.4-point scorer shouldn't need to be incredible anymore to become a bench piece on a contender.
5. Russell Westbrook, No. 4 Pick In 2008
Russell Westbrook is 37 years old, and honestly, still one of the easier players on this list to argue deserves an NBA roster spot. He started 58 games for the Kings last season, averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists, and gave Sacramento significantly more production than his minimum , non-guaranteed contract initially led many people to believe.
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The issue isn't whether Westbrook can still play, it's finding a role that doesn't make everyone miserable. The Kings remain open to bringing him back , Jake Fischer said, but rookie Darius Acuff Jr. is supposed to receive serious developmental minutes, and Westbrook probably isn't interested in returning just to play 15 minutes behind a teenager. He also hasn't shown any interest in retirement, so waiting until a better opportunity appears makes sense.
This happened last summer too, when Westbrook remained unsigned deep into the offseason before eventually finding a role, and the same thing could happen again once injuries or trades open another spot. Nobody should build an offense around him anymore, and the shooting will obviously always be an issue, but 15.2 points and 6.7 assists for the minimum is still pretty ridiculous production. Give him a second unit, let him push pace and attack the rim, and he can absolutely help somebody for another year.
4. James Harden , No. 3 Pick In 2009
James Harden technically belongs here right now, but his situation isn't remotely as concerning as most of the others because everybody expects him to have a contract eventually. He declined his $42.3 million player option after finishing the season with the Cavaliers, and the two sides have been negotiating another multiyear agreement while Cleveland keeps some flexibility for other moves.
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Harden also isn't unsigned because his basketball fell apart. Across 70 games between the Clippers and Cavs last season, he averaged 23.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 8.0 assists, then put up 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.7 assists while shooting 43.5% from three after arriving in Cleveland. At 36 years old, that's still comfortably high-level offensive production, and his relationship with Donovan Mitchell reportedly remains strong.
Jake Fischer has reported that the expected new contract probably won't include more than two fully guaranteed seasons, which makes sense considering Harden's age and the Cavs' future payroll. Cleveland also spent part of the summer exploring other major additions, including Jonathan Kuminga, so waiting on Harden gives them more ways to move salaries around first.
Unless negotiations suddenly collapse, I still expect him back with the Cavs, but until the deal is actually signed, a former MVP averaging over 20 points and seven assists remains technically unemployed in August.
3. Bennedict Mathurin, No. 6 Pick In 2022
Now we get to the point where the unsigned list starts getting genuinely ridiculous. With Bennedict Mathurin , for example, we're talking about a 24-year-old scorer who just averaged 17.4 points after changing teams midseason. The Pacers sent him to the Clippers , where Mathurin immediately became one of their main scorers and averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals across 26 games.
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He even had some huge moments right away, including 38 points in his first game at Intuit Dome and 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the Play-In loss to the Warriors . So the issue clearly isn't that Mathurin suddenly forgot how to score. Restricted free agency has simply destroyed his leverage because the Clippers can match offers , most teams with meaningful cap space already spent it, and their wing rotation is just immensely crowded with the Kawhi Leonard trade pending.
ESPN reported that the Clippers could explore a sign-and-trade if they receive a young player, draft compensation, or some combination of both, and that honestly feels more realistic every week this goes on.
Mathurin's defense and playmaking are still inconsistent, but 24-year-old wings who can create their own shot and average 17 points usually aren't sitting unsigned in August. Somebody should eventually find a way to acquire him, even if it takes another team to make the salary mechanics work.
2. Jonathan Kuminga, No. 7 Pick In 2021
Jonathan Kuminga somehow ended up in another exhausting free-agency saga after spending the entire 2025 offseason through basically the same thing with the Warriors. The Hawks declined his $24.3 million team option , making him a free agent again after a stretch where he averaged 12.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists across 36 games after being included in the Porzingis deal.
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The Lakers met with him immediately and pitched him a large role next to Luka Doncic , which Kuminga reportedly liked, but the money , years, and potential sign-and-trade return for the Hawks never lined up. The Lakers are still interested, while the Cavaliers and Timberwolves have also been mentioned as possibilities, especially if Kuminga becomes willing to accept a shorter contract that allows him to hit free agency again sooner.
I understand why Kuminga isn't rushing because he's only 23 and doesn't want to lock himself into a bad deal right before what should be the beginning of his prime. At the same time, the guy desperately needs stability more than another month of negotiations.
He still has ridiculous athleticism, technically championship experience, and enough scoring flashes to make the upside obvious, but after five seasons we still don't really know what he looks like with 30 consistent minutes. At some point, finding the team that will actually let him play might be more valuable than squeezing every possible dollar out of this contract.
1. Jalen Duren, No. 13 Pick In 2022
Easily the craziest situation on the entire list remains the Jalen Duren and Pistons saga, because this isn't some injured veteran, reclamation project, or former star hanging onto his career.
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Duren is 22 years old, just became an All-Star, made All-NBA Third Team, and averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 65.0% from the field for a Pistons team that won 60 games. One should guess the Pistons would've wanted him back as fast as they could, but his contract demands are simply overwhelming .
The All-NBA selection is also exactly what made the negotiation much harder : Duren is now eligible for a five-year max worth around $287.1 million from Detroit , while the normal five-year max would've been closer to $239.3 million, and another team can offer only four years and roughly $177.4 million.
Duren's camp wants the full number, Detroit clearly doesn't believe his market value is anywhere near that after an atrocious playoff performance last season, and every team that entered free agency with the cap space to land him has basically spent it already.
I understand the Pistons here because the postseason exposed exactly why paying Duren close to $300.0 million would be terrifying. His production dropped to 10.2 points and 8.5 rebounds on 51.4% from the field across 14 postseason games, and Wendell Carter Jr. gave him major problems despite making around $18.0 million per season.
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Still, Duren can always take his qualifying offer , bet on himself for one year, and become unrestricted in 2027, which could create a pretty uncomfortable season if he enters every game trying to prove he's worth superstar money. That's why this stalemate has probably become the biggest story of the entire offseason right now.
