NBA Rumors: Latest Trade and Free Agency Buzz Following 2017 Draft
The 2017 NBA draft may be over, but this certainly doesn't mean the excitement of the offseason has ended. In fact, it's only just beginning.
The draft is fun and all, but NBA fans know that the most significant offseason moves often come through free agency and via trades. Free agency won't officially kick off until July 6—when teams can actually sign players—though players and teams can begin making contact on July 1.
That's right around the corner, folks, so it only makes sense to start looking ahead. We're here to dig into the latest free agency and trade rumors and storylines in the aftermath of the 2017 draft.
Celtics Still Eying Hayward
Perhaps the biggest fish in this year's free-agent pool is Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward. The Boston Celtics reportedly have been eying Hayward for some time, and he still appears to be the team's main target this offseason.
According to The Vertical's Chris Mannix, Boston may be exploring a trade for Paul George but is still all-in on Hayward.
Mannix said the following during a visit with WEEI's Ordway, Merloni & Fauria:
"The signals I'm getting out of Boston is that their top priority right now is Gordon Hayward. If they could steal Paul George, they do it. I mean if you could get a franchise player for 35-40 cents on the dollar, make that move. But there's some optimism in Boston from people I've talked to over the last couple of months that they can get him."
This isn't the first we've heard of the Celtics wanting to go after Hayward, and it certainly won't be the last. If Boston really is convinced it has a great shot at landing him, it could explain why the team was willing to trade out of the No. 1 draft spot and out of the chance to get Markelle Fultz.
Fultz may develop into a better point guard than Isaiah Thomas. However, the Celtics could believe that pairing Thomas with Hayward gives the team a better chance to win soon than resetting the team without Thomas.
Griffin, Paul to Become Free Agents
This year's pool of free-agent talent got a little bit deeper over the weekend. According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski, Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin has decided to opt out of his contract in order to enter free agency:
He isn't the only member of the Clippers looking to hit the free-agent market. According to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times, point guard Chris Paul wants to become an unrestricted free agent as well:
Neither move comes as a surprise, but this doesn't mean that either player will actually end up in a different uniform next season. According to ESPN.com, the Clippers are regarded as "strong favorites" to retain both players because of the cash the team has available.
Regarding Griffin, the Clippers could benefit from the fact that the forward has had mostly good experiences playing for the franchise.
"I've loved my time here, absolutely," Griffin said back in April, per Bill Oram of the Orange County Register.
That was before Griffin suffered another significant injury and the Clippers were handed another early exit from the postseason, though. There's always the possibility Griffin now believes that his best chance at a championship will come with another franchise.
Things with Paul could be a bit murkier. However, fans might not have to worry about him migrating to Cleveland in order to play with LeBron James—even though the two are notable friends.
The Ringer's Bill Simmons believes that the two simply wouldn't work together on the court.
Paul needs the ball all the time,” Simmons said during a recent appearance on The Herd with Colin Cowherd. “Did you watch the Finals? LeBron James always has the ball. Kyrie Irving stands over to the side. Chris Paul can't do that, he doesn't play like that."
It's fun to toss around the idea of James and Paul playing together—especially as the Cavaliers look to chase the Golden State Warriors in the talent department—but it's a pairing that sounds better than it actually would be.
Ultimately, we may see both Griffin and Paul back with the Clippers, just with bigger contracts.
Cavaliers Looked into Pre-Draft Trade
The Cavaliers have to bring more talent to the team if they're going to get past the Warriors this season—almost everyone should agree with this. With few young assets and a huge team salary, though, actually doing so could prove difficult.
According to Marc Stein and Chris Haynes of ESPN.com, the team looked into a creative deal to acquire George from the Indiana Pacers before the draft:
"Sources told ESPN that the Cavaliers engaged in serious three-way trade discussions leading up to the NBA draft on a deal that would have brought them George from the Indiana Pacers and landed Kevin Love, George's fellow Eastern Conference All-Star, with the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets were recruited into the talks to furnish the Pacers with the combination of promising young players and draft picks that they are seeking before consenting to surrender George."
This deal obviously didn't get done in time to capitalize on 2017 draft assets, but it does show that the Cavaliers have looked at different avenues of strengthening their talent level. Love probably remains the team's biggest realistic trade chip, even though he doesn't hold as much value as he did when Cleveland first acquired him from the Minnesota Timberwolves a few years ago.
Don't be surprised if the Cavaliers still find a way to get a deal involving both George and Love done before the offseason ends.
