Four players of the 2020 NBA Draft Class have reached five-year, $200 million contract extensions since the free agency began on June 30.

The latest one was Anthony Edwards, who agreed to a five-year, $260 million deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, according to ESPN. In his third season in the league during the 2022-23 campaign, he averaged 24.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.7 triples at 36.9 percent per game. Judging by the players' roles in the team, Edwards has already taken over the Timberwolves' offensive leadership.

Edwards, who turns 22 in August, is an explosive guard who has developed decent 3-point shooting ability off the dribble. He also has the potential to be a trustworthy defender to guard backcourt players and small wings. Edwards still has quite some room to improve his aggression. With his size, power and athleticism, he is totally capable of earning more than 5.3 free throws per game. Moreover, as he continues to shoulder more offensive duties, he must refine his passing skills, not only to set up direct buckets but also to make plays in a more general way.

The Timberwolves understandably offered the best they could to Edwards, whom they drafted with the first pick in 2020. If he wins the MVP, the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), or is selected into any of the three All-NBA Teams in the 2023-24 season, his contract will reach $260 million instead of $206 million, according to the "Derrick Rose rule."

Edwards has one final year left on his rookie contract for the 2023-24 season. After that, he, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert will occupy about $128 million to $135 million on the Timberwolves' payroll during the 2024-25 campaign. Fairly speaking, Edwards has at most two years to prove that his deal won't become a toxic asset.

LaMelo Ball has reached a five-year, $260 million extension with the Charlotte Hornets as well. Of course, he needs to meet the same criteria as Edwards to get the salary bump from $206 million to $260 million.

When the 2020 class entered the NBA, Ball was considered the most likely star player. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game during the 2021-22 season and was chosen for the All-Star Game. With his court vision, creative passing and first-class ability in driving transition, he came to the fore sooner than anyone else of his class.

Ball would have transformed into an even better player if he weren't held back by injuries. He became a much more productive 3-point shooter in the 2022-23 season, averaging four triples at 37.6 percent per game while delivering more assists (8.4). However, he only made 36 appearances in the season due to a non-contact right ankle fracture.

Ball has missed a total of 73 games in his first three NBA seasons. It's too soon to count him out, but he showed some really bad signs of the endurance of his career. Judging by his style of play so far, Ball relies on his speed to launch attacks, which means he needs to enhance his bones and muscles there to stay healthy. Meanwhile, he must develop more offensive skills that enable him to work on the floor during slower, half-court offense.

Tyrese Haliburton was the first of the 2020 class to get a five-year, $260 million extension with the Indiana Pacers. He was drafted by the Sacramento Kings with the No. 12 pick and then traded to the Pacers for Domantas Sabonis in February 2022.

Haliburton proved immediately that he could handle a bigger role with the Pacers, scoring 17.5 points, 9.6 assists and 2.2 triples at 41.6 percent per game in 21 appearances for the team in the 2021-22 season. Then, during the 2022-23 campaign, he further gave full play to his talents, getting 20.7 points, 10.4 assists and 2.9 triples at 40 percent per game and making his All-Star debut.

Unlike Edwards and Ball, whose gifts nearly spill out of the screen when you watch them, Haliburton plays like an experienced veteran, though he is only 23 years old. He always stays on the top of the key, where he gets a better look at the court. He doesn't appear on highlights of the day as often as Ball does, but Haliburton makes much safer passing choices after scanning the floor. Last season, he (10.4) averaged more assists than Ball (8.4) but committed fewer turnovers per game (2.5-3.6).

What may keep Haliburton from making $260 million instead of $206 million is his ceiling. His major offensive weapons of individual attack are shooting 3-pointers off the dribble by using a teammate's screen and shooting floaters at the free throw line. Despite his 1.96-meter height, Haliburton doesn't charge the rim as much as Ball does. He is not a fan of making physical contact when he penetrates either. When the team counts on him to make a difference in the intense playoff competitions, he may not be able to do it with the current skills he possesses.

Desmond Bane agreed to a five-year, $207 million extension with the Memphis Grizzlies. He was drafted by the team with the 30th pick in 2020, much lower than the above three. He has not been named to the All-Star Game in any of the three seasons he has played so far.

Bane's role is smaller and simpler than that of Edwards, Ball and Haliburton. The Grizzlies' leader and ace is clearly Ja Morant, who is also their first scoring option in the backcourt. Bane is a much better 3-point shooter than Morant, as he made 2.9 triples at 40.8 percent to generate 21.5 points per game last season. Since Morant will be suspended for at least 25 games when the 2023-24 season begins, Bane will have the chance to prove that he can handle a bigger role.

Bane is a good defender with his size and power, but the Grizzlies' defensive spine is Jaren Jackson Jr. and will count on Marchs Smart, whom they traded for with the Boston Celtics, to do the same in the backcourt. Generally speaking, the Grizzlies want to make him the second-in-command next to Morant – when he comes back – and that's why they gave him a rookie maximum deal but didn’t add the Derrick Rose rule to it.

Though Bane's salary may be lower than that of one or two of the above three lottery selections when their new deals take effect, it's still an expensive contract. In order to prove that he is worth it, he needs to develop more offensive weapons than jump-shooting, especially to improve his efficiency next to the rim.