Early Assessment Suggests Fewer NBA Teams May Have 2026 Cap Space Than Expected
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When Shams Charania reported in September that Brooklyn guard Cam Thomas had signed his qualifying offer, the ESPN insider added that “at least 10 teams” were on track to enter the 2026 offseason with salary-cap flexibility. A fresh review by HoopsRumors questions that projection.
The outlet notes that unrestricted free agency will indeed be more favorable for Thomas than the restricted market he navigated last summer. However, it argues that labeling next year’s cap-room field as double-digit deep is premature.
Several factors could trim the list of franchises working below the cap:
- In-season trades: Clubs currently projected to have space could absorb multi-year contracts before the February trade deadline, immediately reducing future flexibility.
- Internal free agents: Even if no new salaries are acquired, teams must still decide whether to re-sign their own players, choices that could wipe out projected room.
With those variables in mind, HoopsRumors has begun an early team-by-team examination, identifying the organizations most likely to retain meaningful space and detailing what would need to happen for each club to reach that point.
That analysis, the site cautions, is preliminary and will evolve as rosters change during the season.
Source: HoopsRumors
