NBA Free Agency 2018: Latest Rumors on Paul George, Aaron Gordon, Zach LaVine
The most wonderful time of the year for some NBA fans is the period between mid-June and mid-July, when the draft and free agency dominate the basketball landscape.
The previous season may have been rough for said fans, as a few teams' campaigns were effectively done before Thanksgiving. However, hope springs eternal in the summer.
Here's a look at the latest rumors on a few free agents who could be changing cities this offseason.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported, per league sources, that "Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George has informed franchise officials that he will not be opting in for the final year of his contract and will become an unrestricted free agent."
This news is a formality, as it has been expected George would explore free agency this offseason. The former Indiana Pacer enjoyed a solid individual season in Oklahoma City, averaging 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals. The latter stat was second in the league behind only Indiana Pacers shooting guard Victor Oladipo, who was part of the deal that sent George south.
George will be just 28 beginning next season and is in the prime of his career. He can go a few different routes, one of which is joining the Los Angeles Lakers—a team on the rise with plenty of young talent to build around. George also happens to be from southern California, which could prove to be a selling point for L.A.
Otherwise, George could stick it out in OKC and see how things develop. Although the new-look Thunder scuffled to a fourth-place finish in the Western Conference before a first-round defeat to the Utah Jazz in the playoffs, they were without shooting guard Andre Roberson for a large chunk of the year.
Roberson isn't much of an offensive threat, but he was arguably one of the best defenders in the league; ESPN ranked him first among shooting guards in defensive real plus-minus.
With Roberson back, it will be interesting to see how the team could do in Year 2. That being said, playing for the Lakers could be too good of an offer to pass up.
Aaron Gordon
Wojnarowski also dropped some news regarding Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon, who is a restricted free agent:
A move to power forward did Gordon a lot of good this past season, as he registered career-high numbers in points (17.6), rebounds (7.9) and even assists (2.3). The former Arizona Wildcat was also more proficient from behind the three-point line, as he hit a career-best 33.6 percent of his shots from downtown.
It will be interesting to see what Gordon wants to do. On one hand, the Orlando Magic are in clear rebuilding mode, with the postseason looking out of reach—let alone an NBA Finals appearance. Perhaps Gordon would like to head to a team with whom he has a better chance to compete for a conference title.
If that's the case, the Pacers could be a good fit. Although power forward Thaddeus Young just picked up his 2018-19 player option, per Wojnarowski, he would almost certainly make way for Gordon in the starting lineup if he signs with Indiana.
That would only strengthen the Indiana bench, which includes one of the more improved big men in the league last year (Domantas Sabonis).
Gordon will turn 23 in September and could form a super-athletic one-two punch with Oladipo, who could use a consistent sidekick as a secondary scorer.
Zach LaVine
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reported some potential movement regarding Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine:
At first glance, the interest here is puzzling. The Sacramento Kings already have a small logjam at shooting guard between Bogdan Bogdanovic, Iman Shumpert and Buddy Hield, so why add LaVine to the mix?
On the flip side, the interest makes perfect sense. The Kings are nowhere near competing for an NBA title and may as well accumulate all the top young talent they can afford regardless of positional fit.
LaVine, a four-year NBA veteran, is just 23 and has room to grow. He returned from a torn ACL suffered with the Minnesota Timberwolves during the 2016-17 campaign to play 24 games for the Bulls in 2017-18, averaging 16.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
Of note, his shot was off, as he hit a career-low 38.3 percent of his field goals and 34.1 percent of his three-pointers. However, that could be due to rust after missing nearly a year of action.
The guess here is the Kings are a legitimate contender for LaVine's services, but he ends up elsewhere for 2018-19.
