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The 2019 NBA free agency will probably be known as the most insane free agency of all time with multiple star players signing big deals with current teams and new teams. Players such as Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Jimmy Butler, and Russell Westbrook are all on different teams now. While the 2020 free agency market won't be as big as the one in 2019, there are top players to watch out for in 2021.
Special mentions include Andre Drummond, Rudy Gobert, Blake Griffin, Victor Oladipo, and CJ McCollum. It is worth noting that not all these players are unrestricted free agents. Some have player options for 2021 and could choose to play for another year with their respective teams or choose to enter the 2021 free agency market. We saw Paul George, who signed a 4-year, $136 million contract just last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder get traded to the Clippers out of nowhere. Anything is possible in the NBA.
Here are the top 5 players that could hit free agency in 2021.
#1 Bradley Beal
The Washington Wizards backcourt All-Star is set to hit the free-agent market in 2021. Although early signs did point to him signing a 3-year extension with the Wizards, new reports suggest that he possibly won't sign an extension and would either enter free agency or be traded before then.
With Bradley Beal carrying the team for the most part in the 2018-2019 season, it'll be interesting to see what he will do. With John Wall unlikely to play in the coming 2019-2020 season and the Wizards not making big moves in the offseason, we will see what Beal will want.
As a Wizards fan myself, the organization should shape the team around Beal and let go of Wall and his untradeable contract. It is time for him to take the lead in getting the team to the playoffs and onward.
#2 Paul George
PG13 won't be a free agent straightaway in 2021, he will have a player option to decide whether he'll continue to play for the Los Angeles Clippers, or move on and sign with a different team. With him and Kawhi Leonard on player options, it'll be interesting to see what both of them do. It was clear that Kawhi wanted to play with PG, so he knew they could be a good duo in LA.
In the 2018 offseason, Paul George was a free agent and it was speculated that he would sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. After all, he is a California native and the move to LA would have made sense. While everyone looks forward to the Lakers being dominant in the West, the Clippers is the team that will likely be the dominating the LA scene with the combination of Kawhi, PG13, Beverley, Harrell, and Zubac.
#3 Kawhi Leonard
The biggest name of the 2019 free agency could possibly be a free agent in 2021. Kawhi signed a 3-year, $103 million deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and brought Paul George alongside with him through a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kawhi won't be an unrestricted free agent directly in 2021, he has a player option for that year if he chooses to come back for another year before hitting the market in 2022. Either way, it'll be interesting to see what happens in the next couple of years.
Does he help bring a championship (or two) to LA? Or does his plan of teaming up with another All-Star fall apart and one of them is traded off to a different team? The Clippers now have two large contracts to handle, plus smaller contracts that include Patrick Beverley, Rodney McGruder, Ivica Zubac, and more. Could they add another star down the road? Absolutely, and it should be something to keep an eye out for.
#4 LeBron James
After leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018 and signing a 4-year, $153 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, LeBron James is another player with a player option for the 2021 season. As he ages, LeBron continues to dominate on the court.
Seems like there is a similarity between him and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. It does not seem like he is slowing down at all. While he was bogged down by an injury in the 2018 season and the Lakers did not make it to the playoffs, the Lakers will have some new faces on the court this season.
They traded for Anthony Davis and up until Kawhi Leonard signed with the Clippers, it seemed like they were the powerhouse in the league. It'll be interesting to see what happens this season, especially because AD is yet to commit to the Lakers on a long term deal. Will it change LeBron's mind? We don't know.
#5 Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Greek Freak is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2021. It is highly likely that he resigns with the Milwaukee Bucks but considering this is the NBA, he could be traded anywhere at any time or decide not to sign with them at all. Giannis is just getting started, being named the league's Most Valuable Player for the past season. He led the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since the 2000 season.
Although they lost, they did lose to the Toronto Raptors and Kawhi Leonard. But now with a somewhat crowded East, with the likes of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joining the Brooklyn Nets, Kemba Walker signing with the Boston Celtics, and other star players, it could be a tougher path for the Bucks to advance to the Finals. With that being said, there's no sign of Giannis slowing down and he will continue to be a monster on the court wherever he goes.
