Starter Criteria May Shift 2026 RFA Qualifying Offers
starter-criteria-impact-2026-rfas
The price tag on a qualifying offer (QO) can determine whether an NBA team keeps a player in restricted free agency or lets him walk as an unrestricted free agent. Draft slot, previous salary and league-minimum figures all enter the calculation, but a final variable—known as the “starter criteria”—often nudges the number up or down at the last moment.
How the rule works
If a player starts at least 41 games or logs 2,000 minutes in the season immediately before free agency—or averages those marks across the two most recent seasons—his QO rises to a higher tier. That one-year offer gives the incumbent club the right to match any rival contract sheet.
Why it matters
For elite talents headed for major long-term deals, a modest bump in the QO may be irrelevant. For mid-tier contributors, the difference can shape negotiations or even change a team’s decision to extend an offer in the first place.
Recent examples
Jonathan Kuminga fell short of the starter criteria, dropping his QO from roughly $10.24 million to $7.98 million. The lower figure likely made it easier for Golden State to steer him toward a two-year pact that included a second-year club option and cost him veto rights on trades.
Quentin Grimes cleared the threshold in 2024-25, lifting his QO from $6.31 million to $8.74 million. After negotiations with Philadelphia stalled, Grimes accepted the richer QO, gaining a de facto no-trade clause for 2025-26 and setting up unrestricted free agency this summer.
Cam Thomas missed the benchmark because of recurring hamstring injuries, reducing his QO from $8.74 million to $5.99 million. Brooklyn still made the offer, but earlier low-ball proposals and a mid-season willingness to waive him suggest the Nets might have withheld a higher QO.
Looking ahead to 2026
With another RFA class on the horizon, agents and front offices are watching minute counts and starting nods closely. A small change in workload this season could add—or subtract—millions from next summer’s qualifying offers, influencing both player leverage and team strategy.
Source: Hoops Rumors
