5 Forgotten Free Agents Who Could Still Impact a Championship Team

As the NBA preseason draws closer, there are still five free agents with proven stats who are yet to be signed by a franchise. With the 2026 NBA Draft wrapped up, this provides a good opportunity for teams to add depth at weaker positions or bolster their overall roster with players with forgotten skills, such as Victor Oladipo.

The NBA world was reintroduced to two-time NBA All-Star and former Miami Heat shooting guard Oladipo this past week when he participated in an emotional workout. With all the buzz surrounding players like LeBron James and Jalen Duren, Oladipo made his availability known as he attempts his comeback.

While Vic is no longer the player he once was, he could still be a rotational player for a competitive team. And just like Oladipo, several players can still contribute at a high level, even though they haven’t been at the forefront of free agency news.

As teams look to put the finishing touches on their rosters, here are five quality free agents that you forgot were still available.

Spencer Dinwiddie: At the beginning of free agency, Dinwiddie made his availability known on social media. Since then, his name has largely disappeared from conversation, and he remains a free agent.

Dinwiddie has been a rotational piece on playoff teams as recently as 2024 with the Lakers and made a Conference Finals appearance with the Mavericks. He has good positional size and can play both on and off the ball, averaging 13 ppg, 4.4 apg, and 2.6 rpg.

His experience as a starter and a reserve adds to his versatility for teams to plug him in to whatever void they have at guard. He’s also proven to be a reliable scorer, averaging as much as 20 points per game during his fourth stint with Brooklyn, while showing his ability as a facilitator during the 2022 season, averaging just over nine assists per contest.

Any team that needs steady point guard production at a team-friendly price can find that with Dinwiddie. 

Cam Thomas: There are very few players in the NBA who can score like Cam Thomas. That is not an overstatement.

As a starter, Cam averages more points than Jayson Tatum, Tyrese Maxey, and Jalen Brunson, just to name a few, per a StatMuse report on X from July 8. Thomas averages 24.1 ppg as a starter, outpacing Tatum's 23.5 ppg.

The production that he provides outside of scoring, however, is minimal at best. He’s a subpar defender, and for someone who needs the ball in his hands to be effective, his passing leaves a lot to be desired.

He averaged 24.0 points in the 2024 season with the Brooklyn Nets, while last season he averaged 13.5 points while playing for both the Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.

Still, his level of scoring is hard to come by, and for teams in need of offensive creation, there’s almost no one who does that better than Thomas.

Bennedict Mathurin: In a similar vein to Thomas, Mathurin can flat-out score. In four out of his five seasons, Mathurin has averaged 16 points or more in a limited role. He is a prolific scorer for someone still available this late into the off-season. At times, he’s flashed a superstar-like ability to take control of games with his bucket-getting.

His biggest drawback is his playstyle, which doesn't support team play. Mathurin, who is still a free agent, is a ball-dominant shooter who isn’t found in the assist column very often. To make matters worse, he shoots 33.6% from three for his career.

But he makes up for these limitations with his astounding efficiency from the rest of the floor, and just like Thomas, any team in search of a scoring boost could benefit from signing Mathurin. 

Nick Richards: Most NBA fans probably haven’t watched much of Richards, averaging just 17.6 minutes a game over six seasons. But those who have seen him in action will attest to the big man’s undeniable production.

Richards doesn’t really fill a starting role, but he provides a valuable skill set as a backup big. His combination of athleticism and size makes him a great rim protector and a solid rebounder. His offensive game isn't expansive enough to create play for himself, but he has the tools to be a great play-finisher.

At first glance, his plus-minus throughout his career may be the reason he remains unsigned. What that doesn’t account for, however, is the fact that he hasn’t played on a team that maximizes his abilities. In the right scenario, Richards can really contribute to a championship run. 

Trendon Watford: In a positionless league, Watford is about as positionless as it gets. He’s essentially a jumbo point guard/wing hybrid who doesn’t shoot or defend particularly well. But his creativity at his size makes a unique player profile.

Watford suffered from a poor shooting year in Philadelphia in 2025, but before joining the Sixers, he showed improved success from behind the arc, shooting as well as 39.7% in his third year in the league. If he can rediscover that level of efficiency, he can be a budget plug-and-play piece for teams struggling with cap space while looking to add versatility.

With players like Mathurin and Thomas providing the scoring, and Dinwiddie and Richards providing depth, teams could look at these free agents to add significant potency for a deep postseason run.