NBA Free Agents 2020: Predictions for Fred VanVleet and Top Unrestricted Targets

Market conditions point to a quieter NBA free-agency period in 2020.

There aren't many teams with major money to spend, and that group primarily comprises long-term rebuilders. A shallow player pool could be even thinner than it looks too since several of the biggest names either hold player options they could exercise given the financial climate or are restricted free agents who don't completely control their situations.

The unrestricted ranks have some contributors, though, and a few could be difference-makers if they realize their potential in the right roles. Let's look ahead at three of the top unrestricted free agents and predict where they will end up.

Fred VanVleet, Toronto Raptors

Statistically speaking, this is Fred VanVleet's third straight season in which he could make an argument for Most Improved Player honors.

In his second season, he jumped from undrafted curiosity to rotation regular. In his third, he became a primary support piece and scattered 28 starts across the campaign. Now in his fourth go-round with the Toronto Raptors, he's starting every game and averaging the second-most assists (6.6) and third-most points (17.6) for the No. 2 team in the Eastern Conference standings.

For all the growth in his game to date, he hasn't necessarily extinguished his chances of continuing this streak. As a 26-year-old in his first season as a full-time starter, time is still on his side to further develop.

"There's always room for improvement for me," he told reporters in December. "I'm never satisfied."

Unless someone throws an unreasonably large contract his direction—the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons seem the likeliest candidates to do so—the Raptors should cover the costs to keep VanVleet. They can pay him this offseason and still have enough flexibility to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo during the next.

Prediction: VanVleet re-signs with Raptors.

Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Clippers

Montrezl Harrell is another self-made centerpiece.

Drafted 32nd overall in 2015 by the Houston Rockets, he rarely hit the hardwood as a rookie and carved out only a part-time role as a sophomore. But a June 2017 trade to the Los Angeles Clippers—the deal that sent Chris Paul to Space City—changed everything for Harrell. He set a high mark in games played during his third season, topped it in his fourth and is now bettering his previous bests in minutes (27.8), points (18.6) and rebounds (7.1).

He first surfaced as a high-energy hustler, but he has expanded his skill set in all directions since while maintaining all of that full-throttle play. He could collect Sixth Man of the Year honors, and he's on pace to become just the fifth player to average 18 points and seven boards in fewer than 28 minutes a night.

The Clippers will want to bring him back, but he might have played his way out of their price range. If they're forced to choose between Harrell and Marcus Morris Sr., the fact that they sacrificed a first-round pick for the latter might indicate their preference.

He could probably find more money, minutes and shots elsewhere, perhaps from the Charlotte Hornets, who hail from his home state of North Carolina.

Prediction: Harrell signs with Hornets.

Danilo Gallinari, Oklahoma City Thunder

Even while acknowledging the challenge for any flamethrower to stand out amid all the offensive eruptions across the Association, we probably don't discuss Danilo Gallinari's game enough.

It's almost impossible for role players to earn the "walking mismatch" label, but there's no better way to describe a 6'10" combo forward with deep shooting range and enough off-the-dribble wiggle to find his own shots. He's aging like wine too, having established a new career high in points last season (his 11th in the league) and setting a new high mark in threes this year (3.0 per game).

He's on a shortlist of the league's top spacers and is essentially riding a two-year hot streak from distance. He's one of 28 players with 300 three-pointers since the start of last season, and his 42.1 conversion rate is fifth-best among that exclusive group of snipers.

While the Oklahoma City Thunder could look to bring him back, they can't throw major money at a 31-year-old when they are in the middle of a full-scale rebuild. He makes a lot more sense for the win-now Miami Heat, who nearly landed him at the trade deadline. As long as he's open to a bloated one-year salary that would allow the Heat to go whale hunting in 2021, Gallinari and the Heat could be perfect for each other.

Prediction: Gallinari signs with Heat.