NBA Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Surrounding Paul George, DeAndre Jordan and More
The 2017 NBA draft is in the books. Now it's time to focus on the remainder of the offseason—most notably free agency and potential trades.
We saw some trade action on the day of the draft. The Chicago Bulls, for example, shipped star guard Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That move got the Bulls Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn and allowed them to move up from No. 16 to No. 7 in the first round.
A potential Butler trade had hovered over the NBA offseason for some time, but having it and the draft in the rear-view does not mean the NBA trade chatter is going to subside. If anything, the storylines and rumors are only going to increase as the summer continues to roll on.
We're going to examine some of the latest buzz here.
Bulls Weren't Prepared for George's Declaration
In addition to Butler, there has been a lot of chatter surrounding a potential trade of Indiana Pacers standout Paul George. The Pacers have been looking into the possibility of moving George now because the star forward has made it clear he won't be around long-term.
Paul George told the Pacers that he plans to become a free agent next offseason and that he may consider the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
It makes sense for Indiana to try getting something in return for George now if he isn't going to be sticking around. However, the team hasn't yet been able to put together a deal. Perhaps this is because the team was essentially blindsided by George's decision.
Pacers president Kevin Pritchard recently explained, per Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star.
"For me, it was a gut punch. It was a total gut punch because we had many conversations over the summer about players that we’d like to add, a little bit of a style we’d like to play. In my opinion, I was very inclusive with (George) and the message over the summer up until this weekend was, ‘Let’s build a winning team.’ When that came in that he wanted to look at another place, it was a gut punch for us."
While the Pacers could have gotten something in return by dealing George on or before the draft—and possibly a better return than the Bulls did for Butler—there's no reason for the team to lament still having him on the roster. It's not as if teams are going to stop inquiring about George, and the Pacers may even be able to find more suitors after rosters start coming together via free agency.
Jordan Not Available for Trade
One name that came up in trade chatter shortly before the draft was Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan.
"Sources say the Clippers, in an exploratory fashion, have spoken to a few teams regarding the nine-year veteran," Chris Haynes of ESPN.com reported. "One of the teams contacted was the Phoenix Suns, sources told ESPN. A proposal of Jordan in exchange for veteran center Tyson Chandler and the Suns' No. 4 pick in the 2017 NBA draft was discussed, sources said."
It made some sense that the Clippers would at least gauge Jordan's value if the team was looking at a rebuild—and with Jerry West recently joining the team, a rebuild didn't seem out of the question.
However, L.A. didn't move Jordan before or during the draft, and now Lawrence Frank says DeAndre Jordan was never considered a trade option, per Bill Oram of the Southern California News Group:
Now, there is obviously the possibility that the Clippers never discussed trading Jordan and that the rumor was a media concoction. However, it seems more likely that the team at least floated the idea out there in order to see what kind of value Jordan might bring. This doesn't mean Jordan was on the trading block, as Frank said.
If a team like the Lakers had offered up a young player plus a high draft pick for Jordan, however, the team might have bitten. We'll likely never know how seriously the Clippers considered a potential trade, but the team seems fully committed to Jordan now.
Celtics Looked into Porzingis Deal
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson appears open to moving star forward Kristaps Porzingis—for some reason—but he didn't get a deal done on draft night. This doesn't mean teams weren't interested, however.
According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the Boston Celtics inquired about Porzingis but found the asking price too high.
"According to a Knicks source, Jackson is asking for the third overall pick in Thursday's draft as well as next year's Brooklyn pick along with the Celtics' 2016 first-round pick Jaylen Brown and Jae Crowder," Isola explained.
Adding Porzingis would have made sense for Boston, a franchise trying to build a young team that can contend for the foreseeable future. Porzingis is one of the best young players in the NBA right now and a proven commodity. Rookie forward and first-round pick Jayson Tatum may become a star for the Celtics, but he's still unproven.
The Celtics didn't pull the trigger, though, and now Tatum will get his opportunity to shine in New England.
