NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Possible Anthony Davis and Paul George Trades
It is pretty rare for one superstar to have his name pop up in trade rumors on a weekday in December, much less two in a 24-hour span.
Yet, that is how it works these days in the NBA, as a league that saw Carmelo Anthony, Kyrie Irving and Paul George all moved in the same offseason seems to routinely make marquee players trade bait. How feasible are the latest possibilities involving big names? It may be too early to truly tell, but the fact that these rumors exist could mean the start of something down the road.
Let us dive into the latest NBA trade buzz, and dissect what the possible implications are for the affected parties.
Boston Eying Another Blockbuster?
The Boston Celtics were a beneficiary of one major shake-up this offseason by bringing in Irving, and now the surging franchise could set itself up for another.
Tacked on at the end of a long feature from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski discussing Anthony Davis' growth as a player and his desire to win, a report exists claiming that the Celtics are among a list of teams "obsessed" with trying to acquire the stud forward.
Wojnarowski reports Boston is constantly "vigilant" of Davis and his standing in the organization, and it even tried to make a move for him last year. Davis had a rather interesting quote in which he acknowledged that he knew of Boston's trade request, but that he wants to remain in New Orleans to win a title.
"I think we're moving in the right direction. DeMarcus, Rondo, some other players that are helping us, but people get judged on winning. And I want to win.
"It's not about the money. It's not about having fans. The most important thing to me: winning. That's what I want to do. And I want to do it here."
Per Wojnarowski, the Pelicans have no interest in trading Davis for any return, especially with him being signed through 2021. If there were any team that could muster up the assets to change New Orleans' mind, though, it would have to be the Celtics.
In addition to a plethora of budding young players like Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier to go with emerging star Jayson Tatum, the Celtics have four first-round picks in the next two drafts in addition to their own. Still, one would think New Orleans would want multiple first-rounders in addition to a player like Tatum. For WBZN's Adam Kaufman, including Tatum in a deal would too high of a price:
Boston is sitting a pretty 26-7 this season, and that is without Gordon Hayward. This is an emerging power in the NBA that will only improve by young talent being complemented by assets brought in.
Davis is a 24-year-old who has averaged at least 20 points and 10 rebounds each of the last five seasons, and he is under team control for the next several years. It would take a king's ransom to pluck him away, which would not make much sense given the Celtics' current trajectory. If the price comes down, then maybe Boston could swing a sensible deal, but for now it is simply too much.
Thunder Regretting George?
For as great as the hype was surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder's new big three of Anthony, George and Russell Westbrook, the disappointment has been just as large.
The Thunder are 15-15 and battling for a playoff spot almost halfway through the season. As for that dynamic offensive trio? They are part of a unit averaging just 101.9 points per game, which is good for 24th in the NBA.
By normal standards, George has been solid with 19.9 points per game. However, he is below his typical scoring pace of roughly 22 points per night in his last three full seasons, and he has struggled in December. In wins over Denver and San Antonio, George combined for just 16 points in 72 minutes in addition to 12 points on 3-for-24 shooting in his homecoming at Indiana.
Thus, it should come as no surprise that there has been speculation that the Thunder may cut ties with the pending free agent for some return before he potentially bolts. However, a league source tells Bleacher Report's Ken Berger that Oklahoma City was aware that it very well could only have George for one year when it made the trade, and there are no plans to trade him this season.
At this point, it makes sense for the Thunder to have that approach. This team was built to win this year, not grow together and compete for the next decade. As George put it, Oklahoma City is "still figuring it out," but that hourglass is starting to empty.
The next month will be big for the future of this Thunder team. If it can start to gel and find some sort of rhythm offensively, then keeping George is clearly the best move, especially since Oklahoma City has the third-best points against average in the NBA.
Yet, the Thunder should explore trade options if the current trend continues and this team floats around .500. The risk is too great to let a strong asset walk away for nothing after a missed playoff spot or first-round exit.
Still, right now Oklahoma City has plenty of time to straighten this thing out and gain some traction, but keeping an eye on the trade market in the process would also be wise given where this situation could be by the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
Statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
