As is the case every year, several players enter the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season with something to prove. Whether it’s delivering a bounce-back campaign, leaving injuries behind, or playing for a new contract, every player in the league has something to prove with the arrival of a new season. We will focus on players who hope to earn a new deal in the summer of 2025.

However, it’s worth noting that we will not consider players with club or player options, as there’s a specific form of control on those deals. Therefore, names such as LeBron James, Jimmy Butler, Fred VanVleet, Rudy Gobert, Kyrie Irving, Julius Randle and James Harden won’t be listed. We also won’t consider restricted free agents, so players such as Alperen Sengun, Jonathan Kuminga and Jalen Johnson aren’t included. Instead, we’ll focus on players who will be unrestricted free agents, meaning they’re set to test the open market once the 2024-25 campaign is in the books.

These are the top five players who will be playing for their money in 2024-25 to be aware of ahead of your fantasy basketball drafts this season.

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Ingram’s future is extremely uncertain, but there haven’t been many developments regarding his immediate future. The star forward is slated to play the 2024-25 season for the Pelicans, but he wants to sign a new deal before training camp. Both parties do not see eye to eye in the value of a new deal, so the Pelicans will likely try to trade Ingram if they can’t extend him. However, no team has been willing to meet New Orleans‘ asking price for the 27-year-old, who also wants to sign an extension when traded, so there are several hurdles to clear before he gets moved — if it happens at all.

On the floor, there’s no question Ingram brings value when healthy. However, that’s a big if, as Ingram hasn’t played more than 64 games in any of the last seven seasons. When he’s available, he’s a capable scorer who can also rebound and distribute the ball with ease. He averaged 20.8 points, 5.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2023-24, making it the third straight season in which he averaged at least 20 points, five boards and five assists per game.

Ingram has scored at least 20 points per game in five consecutive seasons. If he can stay healthy, Ingram should be able to receive the multi-year deal he’s been pushing for, though it might come from other teams and not the Pelicans. There’s certainly a lot at stake for him in this upcoming campaign.

Clint Capela, C, Atlanta Falcons

Capela was one of the best defensive centers in the NBA during his prime years with the Rockets, and even though his offensive game has always lagged a bit behind his defensive value, the Swiss big man has found a way to be a consistent scoring force in the NBA.

One of the best two-way players at the position and a double-double threat every time he steps on the floor, Capela is entering the final year of the two-year, $45.4 million extension he signed with Atlanta in September of 2021. Since his chances of extending his tenure in Atlanta look slim, Capela must bet on himself for the 2024-25 campaign.

Capela is a productive player. After all, he averaged 11.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in 2023-24, making it the seventh consecutive season he averaged a double-double. He’s an excellent lob finisher and makes his presence felt near the rim on both ends of the court, but he’s stuck in a context that doesn’t favor him.

The Hawks are looking to get younger, and they seem to be one big trade away from entering a rebuilding process. Capela is 30 years old, and the Hawks also have Onyeka Okongwu on the roster, who’s essentially a younger, more athletic version of Capela. If Capela can stay healthy and consistent in his production, someone will pay him the money he’s looking for, especially if he can average another double-double this year.

One of the best players in the NBA when comparing on-court production and the value of his contract, Caruso is set to play with the Thunder in the 2024-25 campaign after he was traded from the Bulls in the offseason. He’s playing on a $9.24 million deal, which seems like a bargain considering that Caruso is an elite defender who can also make an offensive impact with his three-point shooting. Don’t be surprised if the Thunder try to lock him up at some point before he’s eligible to test the open market since he could be the veteran presence and defensive anchor this team needs to take the next step in the Western Conference.

Caruso projects to be a starter with the Thunder, a team that should be an absolute pest on the defensive end when pairing Caruso with some combination of Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort. All signs point to Caruso signing a new lucrative contract in the offseason, and if he can remain a consistent outside shooter, he’s in line to secure the best deal of his career.

Caruso is undoubtedly trending in the right direction, as he averaged a career-high 10.1 points per game in 2023-24 while also posting career-best numbers in rebounds (3.8), steals (1.7) and blocks (1.0) per game. He also shot an impressive 40.8 percent from three-point range while finishing in the Top 11 of the Defensive Player of the Year voting for a second consecutive year. Continuing that trend will result in Caruso signing the most significant contract of his career next summer.

Turner has been heavily criticized for his below-average rebounding ability based on his size and frame, as he’s listed at 6-foot-11 and 250 pounds. However, he’s averaged 7.2 rebounds per game over the past three seasons, and there are very few knocks on his game as he enters his 10th season in the league. Turner has also been a major reason for the Pacers’ recent success in the Eastern Conference, and there’s an argument to say he’s one of the most proficient big men in the league, at least on the offensive end of the court. One would think signing Turner to a new deal would be a no-brainer for the Pacers, but there are some complicating factors.

First, the Pacers are a small-market team and tend to operate as such, so they could be reluctant to hand out another extension after giving new deals to Pascal Siakam, Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard. The Nembhard deal might impact Turner’s chances of securing an extension directly, but the Pacers must lock up their star players if they want to contend for years to come.

The rebounding concerns are real with Turner, but even if that’s an issue that might conspire against his chances of securing an extension, he can offset those concerns with his elite shot-blocking ability, as Turner has averaged at least 1.8 blocks per game in eight consecutive seasons.

Additionally, very few centers are as productive as Turner on the offensive end of the court — he’s averaged at least 17 points per game while shooting at least 35 percent from deep in his last two campaigns. Turner has all the makings to be a player who can sign a new lucrative deal in the offseason, regardless of whether he signs it with the Pacers or another team.

Russell might be one of the biggest wild cards among impending unrestricted free agents. The floor general can deliver at an All-Star level when given the keys of an offense, but he’s relegated to a relatively secondary role in the Lakers’ offensive scheme.

In most games, Russell will end up as the team’s fourth option behind LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, which doesn’t suit him very well. He exercised his player option worth $18.69 million for the 2024-25 season when he could’ve chosen to enter the open market, meaning he’s undoubtedly betting on himself to get a long-term deal in the summer of 2025.

Russell averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 2023-24 while appearing in 76 regular-season games. He’s averaged at least 18 points per game in five of his last six seasons, so his ability as a proven scorer isn’t in any doubt. It seems his new contract will depend on how involved he is in the offense in 2024-25, as other teams might view him as a starting point guard, such as the Nets did in the 2018-19 campaign when he made the All-Star Game, or some teams may only view him as a role player. The latter will undoubtedly limit his earnings potential, though it could maximize his chances of staying with a contending team.

In any case, the decision to pick up his player option this summer means Russell is betting on himself once again in 2024-25, and when he’s done it in the past, he’s usually been successful. His performances in the upcoming campaign will determine the kind of deal he gets in free agency in the summer of 2025.