​We have already provided you with the six worst contracts of 2026 NBA free agency, so what kind of monsters would we be if we didn’t also give you the summer’s six best deals?Front offices are savvier than ever before, mostly because they have to be, since the second apron acts as a hard salary cap, and any mistake under it could become crippling.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBargains must be found wherever they can. Persuade a superstar to take less than his maximum salary. Sign one of the greatest players of all time for a salary-cap exception. Lure a key cog away from a defending champion that can’t afford to keep him. Leverage the team-centric advantages of restricted free agency. This summer will feature it all.For those reasons and more these are your six best deals of 2026 NBA free agency:Contract: 5 years, $252.3 millionVictor Wembanyama is the NBA’s unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, and the 22-year-old finished third in this past season’s MVP race. If he plays 65 games next year, he is all but guaranteed to make the All-NBA roster, which would make him eligible for 30% of the salary cap — or a little over $300 million from the 2027-28 campaign through 2031-32.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementInstead, he committed to 25% of the salary cap, or roughly $250 million over those same five seasons, saving the San Antonio Spurs about $10 million annually. That is the kind of wiggle room they will need to build a roster that can continue to make return trips to the NBA Finals as Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper also come due on high-priced contracts.”Whatever it takes,” Wembanyama tweeted on Friday.There has been some pushback from new National Basketball Players Association executive director David Kelly, who told reporters at his introductory press availability, “The system should not require a player to carry all that burden.” But Wemby insisted.”Accumulating money has never really been a goal,” he has said.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAnd because the NBA’s second apron acts as a de facto salary cap, the efficiency of every dollar spent matters more now than ever. Misallocated funds do not a champion make. So, 5% of the salary cap matters. A lot. And it might inspire more to do the same.Case in point: Julian Champagnie accepted a below-market deal (3 years, $45 million) to return to the defending Western Conference champion Spurs instead of pursuing more security (a higher annual salary and more guaranteed years) elsewhere. Wembanyama’s sacrifice allowed the Spurs to fit this exact kind of contract more easily onto their books.Contract: ???AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCome on, man, it’s LeBron James, and he’s about to sign with someone for something like the midlevel exception, a massive pay cut from the max salaries he hauled in for decades.He may turn 42 years old in December, but he’s still capable of averaging a 21-6-7, still capable of playing at an All-Star level, still capable of being the NBA