NBA teams can begin negotiating with free agents on July 1, and there is already plenty of buzz regarding where some of the top available players may land.
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is the biggest name set to hit the open market, but he is far from the only elite player in line to secure a huge contract, as Paul George and Chris Paul should be in high demand as well.
There is also a strong group of restricted free agents this offseason, and Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is among them.
With free agency approaching, here is a closer look at the latest rumors worth monitoring.
Paul George
After one season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, small forward Paul George will have the option to resume his career elsewhere.
George spent his first seven seasons with the Indiana Pacers before getting traded to OKC last offseason.
It can be argued that the Thunder lost that trade regardless of what Paul does since guard Victor Oladipo blossomed into an All-Star after getting dealt from OKC to Indiana.
George is a five-time All-Star in his own right, though, and it turns out his tenure with the Thunder may not be as short-lived as many expected.
According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Thunder are very much in the mix to re-sign PG-13, and "more than one rival team" believes George will "strongly consider" a two-year deal worth more than $60 million from Oklahoma City that would allow him to opt out next offseason.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski added that the Thunder have a "real chance" to retain George and are in "good position" to do so (h/t SBNation's Chris Grenham).
George is a Palmdale, California, native, and he has long been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Last year, Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News reported that George "never made his long-term intentions a secret within the Pacers locker room," meaning teammates knew he wanted to sign with the Lakers.
L.A. has the room to sign two superstars in free agency, meaning it could add George and LeBron.
George would be a great fit in Los Angeles after averaging 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals per game last season. He is a three-time All-Defensive selection, and his addition would go a long way toward ending the Lakers' playoff drought.
The Lakers aren't guaranteed to land any other big names, though, and staying in OKC would allow George to continue playing alongside a perennial MVP candidate in Russell Westbrook.
Chris Paul
The Houston Rockets acquired point guard Chris Paul in a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers last offseason, and the overarching assumption was that CP3 would re-sign.
That may not be the case, though, according to Fox Sports NBA insider Chris Broussard.
During an appearance Friday on FS1's Undisputed, Broussard said there is some tension between Paul and the Rockets:
Broussard suggested that Paul and the Rockets had a handshake agreement last year that he would sign a max deal prior to the 2018-19 season.
With the 33-year-old missing substantial time because of injury and appearing in just 58 regular-season games, however, Broussard added that the Rockets are no longer certain they want to make that type of commitment.
Despite his injury woes, Paul was productive last season when healthy, as he averaged 18.6 points, 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.
The nine-time All-Star was even better in the playoffs with 21.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.8 assists per contest.
Paul missed the final two games of the Western Conference Finals, though, and that contributed to the Golden State Warriors' comeback to win the series.
If the relationship between Paul and Houston is damaged, Broussard threw out the possibility of CP3 joining forces with good friend LeBron James to sign with the Lakers as a package deal.
Even though there is some risk to investing in Paul over the long term, his importance to the Rockets is undeniable, as he helped make them the NBA's best team during the 2017-18 regular season.
Houston came dangerously close to knocking off the Warriors during the playoffs, but losing Paul would likely eliminate much of the progress it made last season.
Marcus Smart
Smart figures to have plenty of suitors this offseason as a restricted free agent, and one of them may reside in his home state of Texas.
According to Mike Fisher of 247Sports, the Dallas Mavericks have interest in Smart, contingent upon his asking price.
The 24-year-old Smart averaged 10.2 points, 4.8 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game last season. He also shot 36.7 percent from the field and 30.1 percent from three-point range.
His offensive game leaves something to be desired, but Smart is one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA.
Per NBA.com, Smart ranked fourth in the NBA in defensive win shares among players who appeared in at least 10 games last season.
Smart is a good fit in Boston, but the Celtics already have a crowded backcourt with Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier and Jaylen Brown.
Also, they will have several major decisions to make in free agency over the next two seasons, as Irving, Al Horford, Brown and Rozier will all become either unrestricted or restricted free agents.
Letting Smart walk may be a necessary evil, and it will likely depend on how big of an offer sheet he receives.
The Mavs already have their starting backcourt of the future in place with 2017 first-round pick Dennis Smith Jr. and 2018 first-round pick Luka Doncic.
They also have veteran shooting guard Wesley Matthews in the mix. Matthews is a free agent next offseason, though, and if Dallas can find someone to take his expiring contract, then it may be in the mix for Smart.
Since neither Smith nor Doncic is considered an elite defensive guard, bringing in Smart as part of a three-man rotation would make the Mavericks a far more complete team.
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