National Basketball Association

With NBA free agency starting Monday, here are a few key names to watch

Updated Aug. 2, 2021 11:56 a.m. ET

It's time to get paid.

With the arrival of August, the NBA calendar is set to begin anew with free agency beginning on Monday at 6 p.m. ET.

That means players will be on the move and money will be forked over to some very fortunate athletes.

One of the biggest free-agent dominoes that could fall in the coming days is Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul, who is expected to decline a player option that would pay him $44 million next season.

Paul was named All-NBA second team this past season while helping guide the Suns back to the playoffs for the first time in a decade and to their first NBA Finals since 1993.

With the veteran point guard helping resurrect a dormant franchise, there is a belief that he will sign a new three-year deal with the Suns in the neighborhood of $90-100 million.

Paul isn't the only Western Conference superstar that is set to hit the free agent market either, with LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard declining the player option on the final year of his current contract.

Even with Leonard expected to spend the majority of next season sidelined after surgery to repair a torn ACL he suffered in the second round of the playoffs, the Clippers are still believed to be the favorites to re-sign the star.

If he were to sign a two-year deal with a player option on the second year, the Clippers would have had Leonard's "Bird Rights" heading into free agency in 2022, when they will be able to offer him the full five-year supermax contract.

[Note: You can find an explainer of "Bird Rights" and other free agency information here.]

While there is a belief that Paul and Leonard will re-up with their current franchises, a star that is almost certainly going to be playing in a new home this coming season is Kyle Lowry.

After spending the last eight seasons with the Toronto Raptors, Lowry is entering free agency while the Raptors prepare for a new era.

One of the main teams to keep an eye on as a destination for Lowry are the Miami Heat.

Other tenured stars that will also be in high demand when free agency begins are DeMar DeRozan and Carmelo Anthony, both of whom have been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Buckle up for a wild week ahead of signings and movement in the NBA, as we could very well see moves that could immediately alter the 2021-2022 championship picture.

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