2026 Free Agency Biggest Flight Risks LeBron Harden Trae

Merlin sees the league turning an early eye to 2026 free agency, cataloguing each team’s biggest flight risk by both likeliness to leave and the damage their exit would cause. The list ranges from veteran shooters like CJ McCollum and Tobias Harris to breakout wings and bigs like Peyton Watson, Walker Kessler and Sandro Mamukelashvili, with Bird rights, cap space and injury history shaping who stays and who walks. Merlin notes the smallest contracts and the cleverest cap rooms will steal the show this summer. Restricted players without clear matching room and veterans seeking rings or one last payday are the real temptresses. Expect teams with heavy tax burdens or crowded cores to lose high-upside, affordable pieces while contenders add heat-check scorers and floor spacers.