NBA Free Agency 2020: Predictions for Stars During NBA's Transaction Window

NBA free agency has taken a new form in 2020. 

As the NBA gets ready for a restart in Orlando, Florida, the league has opened a new transaction window permitting the waiving and singing of players. 

Countless big names have been discussed as a result. Plenty of free-agent dominoes have already fallen too, such as Tyler Johnson joining the Brooklyn Nets. 

With teams looking to round out rosters before an end-of-season sprint, here are predictions for some of the most notable names. 

JR Smith

Scott R. Galvin/Associated Press

It seemed like only a matter of time before JR Smith's name popped up again. 

Smith is one of the bigger names widely available since he last played during the 2018-19 season, where he put up 6.7 points per game over 11 contests with the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Smith is a top target of the Los Angeles Lakers after Avery Bradley announced he won't return for the resumption of the NBA season. Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times noted Smith had been working out with Lakers players recently. 

Smith, 34, makes plenty of sense as a rotational depth option. He's a career 41.9 percent shooter and 37.3 percent from three-point range, so even minimal minutes will see opposing teams respecting the floor-spacing threat he presents. 

And while Smith could drum up a bidding war as other teams look for help, the prior connections with LeBron James and likely desire to win now means it's probably Lakers or bust. 

Prediction: Smith signs with the Lakers

Trey Burke

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Former top-10 Trey Burke pick is all of 27 years old and last year briefly had a strong stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 5.9 points and 2.1 assists over 25 games on an average of 13.1 minutes. 

Now Burke's name has come up with the Dallas Mavericks, a team that lost Jalen Brunson to surgery and won't have Willie Cauley-Stein after the center decided to opt out of the season. 

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported the news: 

Burke quietly had a really good stint with Dallas two seasons ago, again playing 25 games but averaging 9.7 points and 2.6 assists over 17.4 minutes. 

And again, this wouldn't be a massive move to displace a starter. But Burke has a solid recent experience in Dallas and can slot right in on the bench behind the likes of Luka Doncic. 

Prediction: Burke signs with the Mavericks

DeMarcus Cousins

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

By far one of the biggest names potentially up for grabs before the season restarts, DeMarcus Cousins remains a bit of a question mark. 

While Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Cousins won't play for the remainder of the season as he rehabs the ACL injury he suffered last August, Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times noted that the center's agent has said he's open to signing with a team. 

Translation? Boogie might just be open to getting back on the court if the offer is right. 

It's a tricky subject because while players with long-term injuries have an unexpected chance to get back on the court, it's a risk to end rehab to train and get back to playing at 100 percent at an unorthodox time.

Still, some contenders—like the Lakers—would love to have him. We're still talking about one of the very best when healthy. Boogie put up 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds per game over 30 outings at an average of 25.7 minutes with the Golden State Warriors in 2018-19, and he has career per-game averages of 21.2 and 10.9 in points and rebounds, respectively. 

But the Lakers are the only team that makes sense for this unlikely scenario. As Ganguli noted in her writeup, Boogie rehabbed at team facilities while they were open and remains on their group texts, meaning he's still essentially a teammate. If he feels comfortable continuing rehab while putting up a minimal, albeit impactful 15-20 minutes per game, it all makes sense. 

Prediction: Cousins signs with the Lakers