Weekly Mailbag: 5/22/17 – 5/28/17

We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:

I heard Paul George has interest in playing with Gordon Hayward. What if Indiana traded George to Utah for Derrick Favors, Dante Exum , the 24th pick, 42nd pick and the rights to the higher first-rounder in 2020 between Utah’s pick and Oklahoma City’s. Resign Hayward using his Bird rights. — Jason Tom

The key for any team that trades for George is confidence in re-signing him past next season. George has a player option in 2018 that he’s almost guaranteed to use to set up a long-term maximum contract. George grew up near Los Angeles, and rumors have been circulating for some time that he wants to play for the Lakers. L.A. has about $19MM in available cap space for 2018 (including a $5.67MM player option for Nick Young), so look for deals over the next 12 months designed to free up cash for a max offer. George would be a nice running mate for Hayward, but there’s little chance that he signs a long-term deal in Utah. Your trade idea would be a nice offer to give Utah six or seven seasons of George, but it’s way too much for one.

What type of moves will the Pistons be involved in? — Rick Fuller, via Twitter

Detroit’s primary concern will be keeping Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The fourth-year shooting guard is a restricted free agent, so the Pistons can match any offer, but the size of his new deal is going to eliminate any future flexibility for a team that is already over the cap next season. The Nets reportedly have KCP in their sights, so expect an offer similar to what they gave to Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson last summer. Detroit would also like to re-sign Aron Baynes, who can opt out of his $6.5MM contract, but there may not be enough money to keep him. The Pistons made some calls before the deadline to gauge league interest in Andre Drummond. Don’t be surprised if his name gets thrown around again over the summer as a way to open up future cap room.

Is there a chance the Knicks trade  Kristaps Porzingis this offseason? — Nathan Dylong, via Twitter

It sounds like there’s much more smoke than fire coming out of New York about a possible Porzingis deal. There was a skipped exit meeting, a failure to disclose plans to play for the Latvian National Team and a mysterious tweet about the Clippers, but that’s not enough evidence to suggest that the Porzingis era is about to end. Phil Jackson’s primary offseason focus will be to get a deal done for Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks will need a team leader after that happens, and Porzingis is the only name on the roster qualified to fill that role.

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