Craig Mitchelldyer
FILE - In this May 20, 2019, file photo, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, right, shoots near Golden State Warriors forward Jordan Bell during the first half of Game 4 of the NBA basketball playoffs Western Conference finals in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer, File)
Damian Lillard wasn't a top-five pick. Tobias Harris wasn't a lottery pick. Khris Middleton wasn't even a first-rounder.
Their bank balances won't know the difference soon.
Free agency opened Sunday with more than $2 billion in deals getting struck in the opening hours — and that's even without Kyrie Irving officially joining Brooklyn, as has been expected, or any word from Kawhi Leonard about his future plans to either stay with NBA champion Toronto or move elsewhere.