NBA free agency is not what it used to be. There are several reasons for that. 

In a certain sense, star players are always free agents in today’s NBA. A star player today will request a trade at any moment.

Rightfully or not, players don’t seem as beholden to their contracts as they used to be. 

With that in mind, this year’s class is a bit weak. Many of the best players who could have joined it have already signed extensions. Largely, that’s because they know they can request a trade at any juncture. 

James Harden is the biggest name in this class. After him, Fred VanVleet is as consequential as anyone else.

Don’t be surprised if he ends up on a team other than the Toronto Raptors next year. 

Here’s a sign-and-trade that has him landing on the Phoenix Suns.