NBA Trade Rumors: Latest on Paul George, DeAndre Jordan and Carmelo Anthony
It's supposed to be free-agent season in the NBA, but trades have crashed this summer party in a big way.
Since the end of the 2017 NBA Finals, we've already seen the No. 1 pick (which eventually became Markelle Fultz), D'Angelo Russell, Dwight Howard and Chris Paul moved in trades.
And the chatter surrounding others is only getting louder. Paul George continues to be a hot topic. Moving DeAndre Jordan suddenly might make sense for a CP3-less Clippers. And the ongoing saga surrounding Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks may now include the Houston Rockets.
Paul George to the Celtics?
Ever since George informed the Indiana Pacers in mid-June of his intentions to bolt during free agency in 2018, per Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, his team has been trying to resurrect his trade value and jettison him to another franchise before losing him for nothing.
Because it's hard to guarantee George will stick around any team not named the Los Angeles Lakers beyond this season, other organizations are understandably hesitant to give up real assets.
But that doesn't mean the Boston Celtics aren't trying. They've been tied to George since the report of his desire to leave, and they're still talking with the Pacers, per Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe:
What's more, Wojnarowski also reported that Boston's final aim may be sequencing its offseason moves for a chance to land both George and Gordon Hayward this summer:
Those two, as interchangeable All-Star forwards, along with Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford, would make for a squad that could legitimately challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 2018 Eastern Conference title.
DeAndre Jordan on the Move?
Now that Chris Paul has been traded to the Houston Rockets and Blake Griffin is set to enter free agency, Jordan may not make quite as much sense for the Clippers.
For the first time in years, L.A. suddenly appears to be on the cusp of a full rebuild, and Jordan wouldn't really fit that approach.
"Teams called about Jordan last week, perhaps anticipating the Clippers pivoting into a rebuild, sources say," ESPN's Zach Lowe wrote. "The Clippers listened. They may listen harder now."
Jordan could fetch more young players and assets in a deal, and give the Clippers tons of cap space in 2018, assuming they limit themselves to short-term deals this summer (something they weren't able to do in 2017).
On the other hand, luring a max free agent next summer might be tougher without Jordan, an All-NBA center, in the fold.
Both options have their advantages. And with Jerry West now wielding some power in the front office, it looks like everything may be on the table (as evidenced by the CP3 trade).
Carmelo Anthony Joining James Harden and Chris Paul?
The Rockets gave up a lot of players to land Paul, but in the grand scheme of things, it was a coup.
Beverley was the only player sent off to L.A. who played more than 1,500 minutes for Houston last season, and while he's a solid player on both ends, he's not the future Hall-of-Famer CP3 is.
Even still, general manager Daryl Morey doesn't appear ready to call it an offseason, as evidenced by the following from ESPN's Tim MacMahon:
Piecing together the tradable assets to land George or Carmelo Anthony seems like a longshot at this point. Clint Capela is a promising young big man, but seeing him blossom with Paul might outweigh the appeal of adding someone like Anthony.
And while Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson are decent three-point specialists, their woeful defense gave each an overall box plus-minus rating under zero, per Basketball Reference. It might be tough to move their long-term deals to a team without sweeteners like a young player or draft picks, a resource they exhausted in the Paul deal.
This is Morey we're talking about, though. And counting him out probably isn't wise. If any executive could pull a second rabbit out of his hat in one summer, it'd probably be him.
