NBA Free Agents 2020: Latest Buzz on Andre Drummond, Joe Harris and More

The 2020 NBA free agent market isn't officially open, but with all 30 clubs knee-deep into the offseason, there are already murmurings about what could be on deck.

Barring something entirely unexpected with Anthony Davis or Brandon Ingram, this free-agent class won't put an established star into a different jersey. But it will route impact players to contenders, high-ceiling prospects to rebuilders and flesh out rosters in many different ways.

The latest rumblings could offer clues about the future, so let's dig in.

Extension Possible for Andre Drummond?

In terms of trade capital, the Cavaliers essentially netted themselves a free up-close look at Drummond, as the Detroit Pistons let him go for only John Henson, Brandon Knight and a 2023 second-round pick. But the actual transaction cost was much steeper on Cleveland's end.

That's because Drummond came attached to a pesky $28.8 million player option, money he almost certainly can't pass up in this market. In a perfect world, the Cavs could've used the remainder of the 2019-20 campaign to determine whether the two-time All-Star was worthy of a new deal. But nothing is perfect in 2020, and the season's suspension meant Drummond made just eight appearances for the Cavaliers.

That hardly seems enough time to evaluate his fit, especially when the offense ran uncomfortably light on playmaking (league-worst 1.40 assists per turnover). But it was apparently enough for both sides to at least consider a future together.

"Both Drummond and the Cavaliers have been discussing a possible extension for a while now," Evan Dammarell reported for Forbes. "But...there's a noticeable gap in terms of how much money both sides are willing to agree to."

Drummond is good at what he does. He has collected four of the last five rebounding titles and averaged better than 17 points per outing each of the past two seasons (while shooting exactly 53.3 percent). But he has his limitations at both ends, and as a 27-year-old with eight NBA seasons under his belt, it's hard to imagine any dramatic improvements are coming.

Cleveland needs to determine what all of that is worth, but at least it has time to crunch the numbers. Unless a trade partner comes calling—Dammarell heard the Boston Celtics are "monitoring the situation"—Drummond should at least spend next season in Northeast Ohio.

Huge Raise for Joe Harris?

Things were a lot different the last time Harris hit the open market back in 2018.

He hadn't secured a full-time starting gig yet and was only two years into being a rotation regular. The Brooklyn Nets were cobbling together the few assets they could to try to find their way out from the wreckage that was their ill-fated 2013 trade for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.

The Nets and Harris quietly came together on a two-year, $16 million contract then. His free agency won't have a quiet ending this time.

Now, he hits the market as an established elite shooter who can be entrusted with more than 30 minutes of floor time per night. Brooklyn has since moved under the microscope and onto the championship-or-bust evaluation scale after last summer's additions of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

The Nets should want to keep Harris around—few things are more helpful to stars than a reliable sniper—but it'll cost them.

"I have news for the Nets," ESPN's Zach Lowe said on "The Lowe Post" podcast (h/t RealGM). "They're going to have competition for Joe Harris. These teams with cap room all view Joe as a potential very good fit on the floor and a good culture guy. ... I think the Nets are going to have to pay like $15 million per year to keep Joe Harris."

Harris, who owns a 49.2/43.9/79.8 shooting slash since the start of 2017-18, can almost name his price and reasonably expect someone to meet it.

Market Developing for Derrick Jones Jr.?

Casual fans might know Jones for his aerial exploits, but front offices know the 23-year-old forward is more than a highlight factory.

He leverages that same explosiveness into tangible on-court contributions. On offense, he graded in the 97th percentile in transition and 83rd percentile on cuts. On defense, he held his matchups 4.8 percentage points below their normal shooting rates.

Those numbers reportedly got him noticed.

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks are all "expected to have interest" in Jones. The Athletic's Shams Charania previously reported similar interest from the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets.

Basically, any young team with money to spend probably plans to give Jones serious consideration. That doesn't mean he's guaranteed to leave the Miami Heat, but anything more than a one-year deal might scare off the big dreamers of South Beach.

All stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball Reference unless otherwise noted.

Zach Buckley covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @ZachBuckleyNBA.