NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Possible Dion Waiters Trade, Paul George and More
The NBA is back. Finally.
The Los Angeles Clippers landed the first punch in the revamped Battle for L.A. Kyrie Irving dropped a 50-burger. Derrick Jones Jr. helped keep the poster-printing industry alive.
Oh, and the rumor mill has ramped up its usual activity. From trade talks to injury updates, we'll break down all of the Association's latest below.
No Trade Market for Dion Waiters?
Dion Waiters' potential redemption season with the Miami Heat got off to an ominous start. The scoring guard was suspended for the team's opener for what Heat president Pat Riley called "a number of unacceptable incidents."
The discussion around Waiters has naturally shifted to his future in Miami and just how long it will last. Based on an apparently tepid response from potential suitors, he may want to get comfy.
"They've been trying to trade him since last Christmas," one general manager told Heavy.com's Sean Deveney. "No one was trying to take him on then. After this kind of thing, it would be really hard to take him on now."
Waiters has two years and $24.75 million left on his contract, per Basketball Insiders. Plagued by injuries and inconsistency, he hasn't played more than 46 games in each of the past three seasons.
Paul George Returning Soon?
The Clippers' 10-point triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers on opening night impressed for a lot of reasons—not least of which was the fact it happened without injured All-Star Paul George.
An MVP finalist last season, George had surgeries on both shoulders over the summer. While a specific return date hasn't emerged, the Clippers are reportedly getting closer to his debut.
"The All-Star forward is expected to make his season debut in approximately three weeks," Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes reported.
George made his first-ever appearance on the All-NBA first team in 2018-19 and earned All-Defensive first-team honors for the second time. Having him suit up alongside reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and a deep supporting cast will put the Clippers in position to potentially contend for their first NBA title.
Gap Between Spurs, DeRozan in Extension Talks?
In a shallow 2020 NBA free-agent pool, four-time All-Star DeMar DeRozan stands out as one of the few potential difference-makers.
That's assuming he actually hits the market, of course. He could opt into a $27.7 million player option to stick with the San Antonio Spurs for the 2020-21 campaign, per Basketball Insiders. A more realistic way to keep him off the market, though, would be for the Spurs to extend his contract first.
The two sides are reportedly discussing such a deal, but it doesn't sound like they're particularly close to an agreement.
"A source with knowledge of the situation says the Spurs and DeRozan have continued to discuss a possible extension, but the two sides remain quite a ways apart," The Athletic's Sam Amick reported.
After spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Toronto Raptors, DeRozan moved to the Alamo City in the 2018 trade that sent Kawhi Leonard north of the border. DeRozan's first season with the Spurs was a mixed bag. While he set career marks in assists (6.2) and rebounds (6.0), he averaged his fewest points in four years (21.2) and wasn't named an All-Star for the first time since 2015.
That said, if the 30-year-old and his career 19.9 points per game scoring average reached the open market, he shouldn't have trouble drumming up interest among win-now shoppers.
