NBA Trade Rumors: Rounding Up Latest Reports Before 2017 NBA Draft
The 2010 NBA offseason, which featured LeBron James and Chris Bosh taking their talents to South Beach to join Dwyane Wade, stands alone as the wildest NBA summer in recent memory, but if recent trade rumors are any indication, this year could make a case for being even crazier.
Every hour, a new trade rumor involving an A-list NBA star appears on Twitter, sending fans into a frenzy. Remarkably, the NBA draft and free agency period haven't even occurred yet.
Here's a look at the latest rumors involving three of the NBA's biggest names.
It seems like a matter of when and not if Jimmy Butler will be traded at this point given the amount of rumors and teams connected to the Bulls star.
Per Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago, the Bulls have put Butler on the trading block: "The Bulls routinely say they'll take phone calls from teams about Butler's availability around this time and at the trade deadline but this time around, multiple sources tell CSNChicago.com the Bulls are doing more than listening: they're shopping Butler to many teams."
Goodwill also mentioned the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets in connection with Butler.
Per David Aldridge of TNT, however, the former Marquette star would prefer to stay in the Windy City than head to one of his division rivals:
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical also reported that the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are led by Butler's former Bulls coach (Tom Thibodeau), is in the mix:
The C's and T-Wolves have the most to offer the Bulls, as they both have high draft picks and young players.
As far as which team is the best fit for Butler, Boston seems like the bet, especially because it is coming off a 53-win season that culminated in an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.
Butler can slide into the small forward position and help lead a team that could go toe to toe with Cleveland.
That being said, unless the C's want Butler that badly, they could just hold on to all of their assets and pursue another All-Star small forward (Gordon Hayward) in free agency, giving them the potential to create a very deep team.
Kristaps Porzingis
Wojnarowski sent Knicks Twitter into crisis mode on Tuesday when he reported that Porzingis' future in New York wasn't set in stone:
Another Woj Bomb followed that tweet, as he reported that a hot-shooting lottery pick could replace KP if he is dealt:
Knicks fans did breathe a sigh of relief when Chris Mannix of The Vertical said that the price for the 21-year-old is very steep:
Porzingis is a 7'3", 21-year-old big man who averaged 18.1 points per game last year despite an exhausting amount of team on- and off-court drama (none of which was his fault).
Simply put, the best option is to build around him and cut the extracurricular nonsense that has dominated the New York tabloids. There's nothing else to say except that trading him is a preposterous idea.
George seems even more certain than Butler to move on this offseason, especially after Wojnarowski broke the news that the 27-year-old told the Pacers he would leave the franchise after his contract ran out following next year, with his preferred choice being the Los Angeles Lakers.
That sparked a slew of rumors regarding teams who could acquire the All-Star, if only for a one-year rental.
Although the Lakers could presumably get George in 2018 without giving up any assets, they have been in contact with Indiana about acquiring PG-13 before next season, per Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.
A deal might be difficult to pull off, as Shelburne and Stein also noted that the Lakers will not give up the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft (which seems reserved to pick former UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball at this point) or last year's No. 2 overall pick (Brandon Ingram).
Per Stein, four other teams are also speaking with the Pacers about acquiring George:
It doesn't make sense for the Lakers to get George now, and it doesn't seem like the Pacers would be interested in any package involving him if they aren't getting the second overall pick or Ingram back in return.
Therefore, a team looking to pick up George for a one-year rental is the obvious trade partner. It's anyone's guess as to who that might be, as none of the four teams Stein mentioned have any valuable draft picks of note. In fact, none of them even hold first-rounders this year.
George probably won't be playing in Indiana next season, but it's anyone's guess as to where he will be.
