Ranking NBA's 25 best free agent signings since 2000, from Michael Jordan to LeBron James

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As we get set to turn the page to the 2025-26 NBA season, we've been looking back on the last 25 years in the NBA at the quarter-mark of the century. Below you can find all of our looks into the best players, teams, trades and more:

Here, we want to continue our look back by ranking the 25 best free agent signings since 2000. The last 25 years saw free agency explode into being its own portion of the NBA calendar, as stars have steadily absorbed more power about where they play.

My main criteria for this list was how impactful a player's signing was on their team, with particular weight on those players who made their team a championship squad. However, winning a title isn't absolutely everything here, as some players joined lost franchises and turned them into perennial contenders, while others simply arrived and dominated on an individual level that deserves to be highlighted and celebrated.

There's a solid mixture here of role players, All-Stars and superstars, but all had a huge impact on the teams they played for and/or the league as a whole.

25. Michael Jordan unretires to sign with the Wizards (2001)

Michael Jordan coming out of retirement (again) and signing with the Wizards was truly insane, and what was even more insane was how genuinely good he was for those two seasons in Washington. While they were two of his three worst seasons as a pro, he still averaged north of 20 points per game in both years and showed at age 38 and 39 that he was still an elite talent. It also made the Wizards relevant again after three brutal years to end the 90s, and while a pair of 37 win seasons wasn't exactly up to Jordan's standards, it was an improvement on where Washington had been.

24. Clippers sign Kawhi Leonard, Nets sign Kevin Durant (2019)

I'm going to cheat a bit here and include two of the biggest free agent signings that happened in the same summer, with both falling short of nearly impossible expectations. Injuries have been the story for both players since the summer of 2019, but for as maligned as their tenures were/have been, they did produce some incredible basketball when healthy.

KD, famously, came a big toe away from ending the Bucks' title run in 2021, and who knows what could've been in Brooklyn if that toe stayed behind the line. Leonard was an absolute playoff monster his first two years in L.A., but his 2021 postseason ended late in the second round and he had to watch the conference finals from the bench. Even if the teams never reached the championship heights they hoped to find, these were two seismic free agent signings that had massive ripple effects around the league.

23. Pacers sign David West (2011)

David West's arrival in Indiana pushed the Pacers from being a competitive team to a legitimate threat to the East's elite. Paul George was the star, Roy Hibbert was the defensive stopper and Lance Stephenson was the enigma, but David West was the soul of that Pacers team. West didn't just give that team an interior scoring option and another strong defender at the four, but he provided a needed edge that helped take them to another level. Those Pacers teams unfortunately existed at the same time as Miami's Big Three, but they provided some of the best battles those Heat teams had in the East.

22. Jazz sign Carlos Boozer (2004)

Boozer's six-year tenure in Utah was highly underrated, as he led the Jazz to the conference finals in 2007 and two more visits to the second round. A two-time All-Star in Utah, Boozer averaged 19.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game over his six seasons with the Jazz, helping them to be a perennial playoff threat in the West alongside Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur. They just happened to fall victim to the Spurs and Lakers in the midst of title campaigns.

21. Spurs sign LaMarcus Aldridge (2015)

As the Spurs looked to find their way in the post-Tim Duncan era, they turned to former Blazers star LaMarcus Aldridge, who helped keep them as a perennial playoff threat. Aldridge slotted in alongside Kawhi Leonard to help alleviate the scoring burden for late-career Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Aldridge made three All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams in San Antonio, and while those Spurs teams never captured another title, they extended Gregg Popovich's incredible run of sustained playoff excellence.

20. Hawks sign Paul Millsap (2013)

The Hawks hit a crossroads in 2013, opting to move on from Joe Johnson and Josh Smith, and looking to retool around Al Horford and Jeff Teague. Millsap was signed as the replacement for Smith and promptly made four straight All-Star teams in his four years in Atlanta, helping the Hawks one of their best seasons ever in 2016 when he was also an All-Defense selection. He was a perfect fit in the Mike Budenholzer system, and never hit those same levels before or after his Atlanta tenure.

18. Mavericks sign-and-trade for Shawn Marion (2009)

The Matrix arrived in Dallas as they were trying desperately to figure out the right combinations around Dirk Nowitzki, and Marion fit seamlessly on the wing between Nowitzki and Jason Kidd. It took a fairly complicated four-team sign-and-trade deal to get him to Dallas, but he gave them some much-needed versatility on defense and proved to be one of the key additions that unlocked a championship level for the Mavs.

17. Celtics sign Al Horford (2016)

Horford's first go-around with the Celtics helped Boston become a perennial threat in the East, and without those first three years, he might not end up returning via a trade from OKC in 2021. Horford became a beloved figure in Boston and has taken on different roles, from starter to reserve, and thrived in each. His leadership is hard to quantify as an incredibly well-respected veteran for the way he goes about things on and off the court, and he had his peak years production-wise in that first stint, including an All-Star selection and an All-Defense nod in 2017-18.

16. Wizards sign Gilbert Arenas (2003)

Arenas' first four years in Washington were incredible. He made three All-Star teams, three All-NBA teams, had kids screaming "HIBACHI" as they launched deep threes and was one of the league's great scorers before injuries and suspensions derailed his career. It's telling how good Arenas was for that four-year stretch that he's still a relevant voice today, despite a relatively short peak.

15. Nuggets sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown (2022)

Denver nailed the summer of 2022 in a way few teams ever have in terms of finding the perfect pieces to fill out a rotation and take a team to the next level. The core of the Nuggets title team was already in place, but they needed to consolidate their depth to upgrade their playoff rotation. Acquiring KCP and Bruce Brown accomplished that goal to an incredible degree, and both became vital pieces of their 2023 title team around Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. Brown only stayed a year before cashing in as a free agent (though he returned to Denver this summer), while Caldwell-Pope was around for two, but their impact in Denver that 2022-23 season was immense.

14. Thunder sign Isaiah Hartenstein (2024)

Like Denver in 2022, the Thunder crushed the summer of 2024 by recognizing their two biggest weaknesses and addressing them head on. First they traded Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso, and then they used their cap space to poach Isaiah Hartenstein away from the Knicks. After getting bludgeoned on the glass in the 2024 playoffs, the Thunder filled that gap with Hartenstein, who also gave them a playmaker at the center position, capable of keeping the ball moving and making quick decisions as a roll man. He complemented Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt rotation and filled a crucial role in OKC's run to their first title.

13. Heat sign Ray Allen (2012)

Allen spent just two years in Miami, but hit one of the most iconic shots in NBA history in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals to extend that series against the Spurs, with the Heat winning in Game 7. His arrival in Miami wasn't just about putting a perfect shooting piece alongside their Big Three, but it also stuck a dagger in the hearts of their most hated rivals in Boston. Allen bolting for the Heat was the beginning of the end for that Celtics squad, and drove a wedge between that group that lasted more than a decade.

12. Hawks sign-and-trade for Joe Johnson (2005)

The Hawks were in dire straights in 2005, and getting Joe Johnson in free agency in a sign-and-trade from the Suns was the turning point that started to get the franchise out of the mud. Johnson became a six-time All-Star in Atlanta, helping to usher in the best sustained run of success the Hawks had seen as a franchise in more than a decade. Johnson is, comfortably, one of the three best players in franchise history since moving to Atlanta, and they don't become a perennial playoff team without him.

11. Spurs sign Bruce Bowen (2001)

Bruce Bowen arrived in San Antonio with relatively little fanfare as a free agent in 2001, but he became a foundational piece of their championship core thanks to his dogged defense on the perimeter and the spacing he provided as a 3-point shooter (before that was valued as highly as it would eventually become). The final tally on Bowen's career in San Antonio: eight seasons, seven All-Defense selections (including five first-team) and three championships.

10. Bucks sign Brook Lopez (2018)

Few players in NBA history have transformed their game more dramatically than Brook Lopez did from the first half to the second half of his career. In Brooklyn, Lopez was a dominant low-post offensive scoring hub and was never considered an above-average defender. His last year with the Nets he started spacing to the 3-point line and by the time he landed in Milwaukee he was a stretch five nicknamed Splash Mountain who became a first-team All-Defense caliber center, anchoring the Bucks defense to help win them a title. The Bucks don't become a title team without Lopez, as he was a near-perfect complementary big next to Giannis Antetokounmpo on both ends of the floor.

9. Heat sign Jimmy Butler (2019)

After the Sixers made the curious choice of picking Tobias Harris (and Al Horford) over Jimmy Butler, the Heat swooped in an picked up their next star player capable of turning them into a contender again. The Heat made it to two NBA Finals and another conference finals with Playoff Jimmy leading the way, as he cemented his status as one of the game's best at elevating his play in big moments. While they never quite captured a title with Butler in Miami, he had an incredible tenure there until it ended the way most all of Butler's NBA stops have with a rather messy trade request.

8. Pistons sign Chauncey Billups (2002)

Mr. Big Shot arrived in Detroit in the summer of 2002 and helped the Pistons become a championship team two years later. Billups was Finals MVP in that 2004 championship victory, as well as becoming a three-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA and three-time All-Defense selection in Detroit. His six seasons with the Pistons were the highlight of his Hall of Fame career, and he is forever a legend in Detroit for helping bring the Pistons another championship.

7. Orlando Magic sign Tracy McGrady (2000)

Few players have ever been cooler than Orlando Magic era Tracy McGrady. No, those Magic teams never went anywhere in the playoffs, but I don't care. T-Mac on the Magic was special and there was a time where the argument about T-Mac vs. Kobe was very real. McGrady won Most Improved Player in 2001 as he transitioned from sixth man in Toronto to being the man in Orlando, twice leading the NBA in scoring with the Magic (including a 32.1 points per game season in 2002-03). He made the All-NBA team all four years (twice on the First Team) and the McGrady stars Magic jersey is an all-timer. Honestly, this might be too low.

6. Knicks sign Jalen Brunson (2022)

Brunson is unquestionably the best player the Knicks have had since Carmelo Anthony, and there is a serious argument he's already surpassed Melo thanks to his postseason success and is only looking up at Patrick Ewing and Clyde Frazier. That they got that caliber of player in free agency for a sub-max deal and have parlayed that into their greatest run of team success in 25 years makes it worthy of this lofty position on the list. Brunson hasn't led the Knicks to a championship (yet), but it's rare for a team to acquire a true franchise player on the free agent market. If this were a list of "best tampering fines ever paid," New York would be at the top for giving up a second rounder for their efforts in prying Brunson out of Dallas.

5. Heat sign Chris Bosh to round out Big Three (2010)

Landing LeBron James was the ultimate coup, but there's no Big Three in Miami without Chris Bosh, and there might not have been another star in the entire league better willing to embrace the role required of being Miami's third star. Bosh was the offensive engine in Toronto, a dominant scorer on the block and in the mid-post, and reinvented his game in a way few stars ever have. He had enough humility to know what the Heat needed him to do in terms of taking a backseat to LeBron and Dwyane Wade, but remained fully engaged and attacked his role as a defender and tertiary scorer with a passion. The greatest example of that came in the 2013 Finals when he grabbed the vital offensive rebound that turned into Ray Allen's iconic 3.

4. Warriors work out sign-and-trade for Andre Iguodala (2013)

While the Warriors dynasty was built largely on a foundation of homegrown talent in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, it also required one veteran to see the vision and buy in to what they were building. That was Andre Iguodala, whose signing (via a sign-and-trade) in 2013 began the ascent of the Warriors into the league's most dominant team. He was given the Finals MVP award in 2015 for his work on both ends of the floor in Golden State's first title run, and he has been the constant, alongside that star trio, of all four Warriors titles. By the last one in 2022, Iguodala was in a mentorship role on the bench, but his impact was still felt in the way he helped Andrew Wiggins effectively step into the role he once held on defense.

3. Suns sign Steve Nash (2004)

Nash's signing helped usher in the best era of Suns basketball since the early 90s. The Seven Seconds or Less Suns were a team ahead of their time, and Nash was the maestro conducting it all on the court. He won the league's MVP award in his first two seasons in Phoenix, made five All-NBA squads, six All-Star teams and remains the franchise's all-time leader in assists thanks to his second stint in Phoenix. While the Suns never captured a championship or made it to the Finals with Nash, those first two seasons in particular were something magical.

2. Warriors sign Kevin Durant to solidify dynasty (2016)

Durant joining the Warriors ensured Golden State would create the closest thing to a dynasty we've seen since the Shaq and Kobe Lakers. It also sparked more fury and anger than any free agent decision other than LeBron's "The Decision" (which we'll get to), as fans around the league were furious that a team coming off a 73-9 season added one of the three best players in the world (after already having one in Stephen Curry) who they beat in the playoffs the year before. Durant's tenure in Golden State led to two more titles and what would've likely been a third if not for devastating injuries in the 2019 Finals to him and Klay Thompson.

1. Heat (2010), Cavaliers (2014), Lakers (2018) sign LeBron James

All three teams that have gotten LeBron James to sign with them as a free agent have won at least one championship. His signing with Miami is the most important free agent signing of all-time, as The Decision remains a pivotal moment in NBA history for ushering in a new era of star empowerment. Going back to Cleveland allowed him to right that wrong (at least in the minds of Cavs fans) and deliver the championship his talent long promised. And finally his arrival with the Lakers in 2018 gave them the star they craved after Kobe Bryant's retirement and allowed him to win one more title in L.A. All three are pivotal moments not only in each franchise's history but league history as a whole, as there is no bigger signing than getting the best player in the world to come to your team.