Collin Gillespie landed at No. 10 on John Hollinger's annual Top 25 NBA Free Agents list, and the valuation attached to him was $21.5 million. For the Phoenix Suns, that number puts a backup point guard into a price band that can force a real decision in free agency.
John Hollinger and BORD$
Hollinger uses BORD$, a valuation system built from analytics and playing time data from the last two seasons. It projects next-season value based on age and performance, then turns that projection into a salary estimate using a projected 2026-27 cap of $165 million. Gillespie's spot at No. 10 places him well above Mark Williams, who checked in at No. 23, while Jordan Goodwin and Amir Coffey did not crack the top 25.
Collin Gillespie's profile
The evaluation leans on production that made him stand out last season. He was fantastic, a career 40.5 percent 3-point shooter on serious volume, and he holds his own on defense while also being able to run an offense. That mix is why paying him fifth-starter money is not crazy, even if his role is not the kind that usually gets that level of valuation.
The market complication is obvious: a $21.5 million estimate is one thing, an actual offer is another. Gillespie is still a Phoenix Suns free agent, and the number makes him valuable enough that another team willing to pay near that figure could pull the Suns into a tougher retention call than a backup point guard usually creates.
Phoenix Suns and free agency
The timing matters because this comes in the offseason window between the end of the NBA Finals and the start of free agency, when teams can begin conversations with their own restricted and unrestricted free agents. Two of the Suns' four notable free agents made Hollinger's top 25, which leaves Gillespie in the clearer valuation lane while the rest of the group sits outside it.
Whether any team will actually pay close to that $21.5 million number is the part that has not been answered yet. Gillespie has the ranking, the projection and the statistical case; the next move belongs to the market.
