Celtics’ Paul George Talks Stalled After Gaining Momentum
8:07pm: Discussions between the Pacers and Celtics on George have stalled for now, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
7:06pm: The Pacers and Celtics are engaged in “serious” discussions about a potential Paul George trade, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). While the sides remain apart on a potential deal, talks have gained momentum, per Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
The Celtics used their third overall pick tonight to select Jayson Tatum. If the Pacers and C’s can come to an agreement on a George deal, it’s not clear whether or not Tatum will be involved in the swap.
George is one of the top trade candidates available now that Jimmy Butler is now off the board, with the Bulls having reached an agreement to send him to the Timberwolves. Before finalizing that deal, the Pacers and Wolves discussed a deal involving George, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 in Minneapolis. The Pacers asked for Zach LaVine and more in return, which Minnesota refused, opting for Butler instead.
The Rockets also haven’t given up their pursuit of George, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. I’d expect the Lakers to check back in as well if a deal appears close.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.
Trade Rumors: Noah, Josh Jackson, Bledsoe, Mudiay
The Knicks would like to unload Joakim Noah‘s salary in any deal involving Kristaps Porzingis, according to a post by Ian Begley on ESPN Now. Noah was considered a major disappointment in his first year in New York after signing a four-year, $72MM deal last summer. Injuries and a suspension for violating the NBA drug policy limited him to 46 games, and he averaged just 5.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per night. Noah still has three years and $55MM left on his contract.
There’s more from a day filled with trade rumors:
- Several teams are trying to convince the Suns to trade Josh Jackson, but Phoenix plans to keep the pick, tweets Jake Fischer of Sports Illustrated. The Kansas forward was projected as a top three selection, but slipped to fourth behind Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball and Jayson Tatum. Phoenix, which is loaded with backcourt players, can use the help at forward.
- The Suns aren’t likely to trade Eric Bledsoe today, tweets John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 in Phoenix. The team reportedly had discussions with Denver earlier today on a possible deal. Bledsoe, 27, will make $29.5MM over the next two seasons.
- The Nuggets called several teams to gauge interest in Emmanuel Mudiay, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link), who notes that New York has passed on Mudiay before.
Sixers Make Markelle Fultz Top Pick
Three days after completing a deal for the No. 1 pick, the Sixers used it as expected, taking point guard Markelle Fultz out of Washington.
There was no suspense surrounding the selection, as Philadelphia made its intentions clear from the time trade talks began with the Celtics. Sixers officials didn’t sign off on the deal until they received Fultz’s medical records and brought him in for a visit.
An explosive 6’4″ freshman, Fultz is expected to team with last year’s top pick, Ben Simmons, and center Joel Embiid to form a Big Three for the future in Philadelphia. The addition of Fultz may signal a turnaround after years of losing that began when former GM Sam Hinkie launched The Process in 2013.
Fultz has topped nearly every mock draft since the season began, and the Celtics would have been overwhelming favorites to draft him if they had kept the pick. Fultz averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds during his only season with the Huskies and gets near-unanimous approval from NBA scouts.
Philadelphia has four picks remaining, all the in second round, at 36, 39, 46 and 50.
Cavs, Spurs Have Discussed Green, Aldridge
6:39pm: The talks between the Cavs and Spurs have included the Suns as a possible third team, tweets Amico.
6:19pm: Discussions between the Cavs and Spurs, which were previously centered on Green, now include LaMarcus Aldridge as well, tweets Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net.
4:22pm: The Cavaliers and Spurs have engaged in trade discussions involving Danny Green, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). However, Windhorst adds that San Antonio’s asking price has been high, suggesting nothing is close.
A Wednesday report indicated that the Spurs were open to the idea of trading Green, who is celebrating his 30th birthday today. The veteran wing continues to play a rotational role for the Spurs, averaging 7.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.0 SPG last season while shooting 37.9% on three-point attempts. His ability to contribute on the defensive end as well would make him a nice fit for Cleveland.
However, it’s hard to see a match between the two clubs, who are both looking at win-now moves that would help them compete with the Warriors. The Spurs are believed to be seeking cap room for July, so if they send out Green’s $10MM salary, they likely wouldn’t want to take on one of the Cavs’ cumbersome contracts. However, Cleveland is so far over the cap that the team can’t take on Green without moving substantial salary.
Both the Spurs and Cavaliers have been actively exploring the trade market today. San Antonio is said to be exploring LaMarcus Aldridge trade scenarios, while Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net writes that the Cavs have been in discussions on “no less than eight possible deals.”
Draft Rumors: Monk, Ntilikina, Hornets, Thunder
Malik Monk and Frank Ntilikina may be in “weird positions” tonight, according to ESPN’s Chad Ford. As Ford explains, one of those two players is a good bet to land with the Knicks at No. 8. However, the player who isn’t picked by New York is a candidate to fall out of the top 10 and perhaps to the end of the lottery. In his final mock draft, Ford has Ntilikina going to the Knicks and Monk slipping to the Pistons at No. 12.
Here are a few more draft rumors and notes:
- Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post continues to hear that if he’s still on the board at No. 11, Donovan Mitchell appears likely to land with the Hornets (Twitter link).
- There’s “growing chatter” that Frank Jackson has a first-round promise, and the Thunder may be that team that gave him that guarantee, tweets Royce Young of ESPN.com. Young adds (via Twitter) that Oklahoma City may look to trade back a few spots in the first round in an effort to pick up a second-round selection.
- John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 identifies Davon Reed and Semi Ojeleye as two players to watch for the Suns in the second round (Twitter link).
Mavs Notes: No. 9 Pick, Matthews, Harris
The Mavericks are set to pick at No. 9 tonight, and team president Donnie Nelson sounds like he expects to stay in that spot, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. “I don’t think you’re going to see a lot of movement with the Mavericks,” Nelson said. “Certainly not down.”
Here are a few more tidbits Nelson offered up tonight:
- The Mavericks may be tempted to try to contend this season, since the team wants to make it “an enjoyable ride” for Dirk Nowitzki, as Nelson says. However, the team president adds that the Mavs are looking for building blocks for their future (Twitter link). And the No. 9 pick is “a building block opportunity that we won’t miss out on,” per Nelson (Twitter link).
- Nelson says the Mavs are happy with the point guards in this draft, admitting that the position is probably the team’s biggest hole on paper (Twitter link).
- Although veteran swingman Wesley Matthews has been involved in trade rumors this week, Nelson said that the Mavs “like Matthews right where he’s at” (Twitter link).
- Devin Harris has a partially guaranteed contract with Dallas for 2017/18, raising questions about his future with the team. Nelson said tonight that the Mavs would like to see Harris – who started his career with Dallas – finish his career with the club as well (Twitter link).
Nuggets, Suns Discuss Bledsoe, Mudiay
6:01pm: Discussions between the Suns and Bulls on Bledsoe involved the No. 16 overall pick, tweets Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders.
5:39pm: The Suns currently have no trades on tap, and are preparing to use the No. 4 pick in the draft, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.
5:25pm: The Nuggets and Suns have discussed a trade that would send Eric Bledsoe to Denver, with Emmanuel Mudiay and the No. 13 pick going to Phoenix, league sources tell Chris Haynes of ESPN.com (Twitter link). No deal is imminent, but talks remain “fluid,” per Haynes.
ESPN’s Chad Ford first reported that the Nuggets and Bulls were engaged with the Suns today on possible Bledsoe trade scenarios, while Gery Woelfel of The Racine Journal Times tweeted that Phoenix was still looking to make a “major splash” with Bledsoe and/or the No. 4 pick.
According to Ford, if the Suns use the fourth overall pick on De’Aaron Fox, it will likely signal that they found a taker on Bledsoe. If Phoenix isn’t able to complete a Bledsoe trade tonight, Josh Jackson is the more probable pick at No. 4, assuming he’s still on the board, says Ford.
Denver would be an interesting landing spot for Bledsoe, who averaged a career-best 21.1 PPG and 6.3 APG in 66 games last year, before he was benched down the stretch by the tanking Suns. Although Mudiay is a former seventh overall pick, his development has been slow so far, leaving the Nuggets seeking a possible long-term alternative at the point guard position.
Raptors Exploring Trading Jonas Valanciunas
The Raptors are looking into the possibility of moving Jonas Valanciunas and the No. 23 pick in this year’s draft, two league sources tells Michael Grange of Sportsnet (Twitter link). It’s not clear what sort of return Toronto would be seeking, but the team likely won’t want to take back much salary.
As Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Sun wrote on Wednesday, Valanciunas would become somewhat expendable for the Raptors if the team re-signs Serge Ibaka in free agency. And at this point, Toronto is confident about its chances to bring back Ibaka.
If the Raptors are able to re-sign both Ibaka and Kyle Lowry, going deep into the luxury tax will be a real concern, so it makes sense that the club would look to move some salary. Although Valanciunas’ lack of outside shooting ability makes him a bit of a tricky fit for some teams, he should still have more trade value than teammate DeMarre Carroll.
Both Valanciunas and Carroll have two guaranteed seasons left on their respective deal, though Valanciunas has a player option for 2019/20. Valanciunas will earn $15.46MM in 2017/18, while Carroll will make $14.8MM.
Timberwolves Remain In Mix For Jimmy Butler
The Timberwolves and Bulls have been engaged throughout the day on a potential Jimmy Butler trade, Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania reported on The Vertical’s live show tonight. According to Wojnarowski, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn are among the players that have been discussed in those talks, along with draft picks.
While any executives around the league believe the most likely scenario involves Butler staying in Chicago, those execs believe that if the All-NBA forward goes anywhere tonight, it will be Minnesota, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link).
Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders passes along an interesting note on the Timberwolves, tweeting that the NBA has confirmed Nikola Pekovic‘s 2016/17 salary is no longer on the club’s cap. That means that Minnesota has about $24MM in cap room tonight, which could be very convenient when it comes to getting a trade done — the team wouldn’t necessarily have to match salaries for incoming players.
The Celtics, Suns, Nuggets, and Cavaliers have also been linked to Butler this week, though Boston isn’t currently believed to be in the mix.
Celtics Not Currently Engaged In Jimmy Butler Talks
Trade discussions involving Jimmy Butler continue to take place, but those talks don’t include the Celtics, and haven’t “for a while,” according to Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald (Twitter link).
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Bulpett’s report doesn’t necessarily mean that the Celtics are out of the Butler sweepstakes entirely — if the Bulls begin to move close to a deal with another team, it’s possible they’d call Boston to see if the C’s want to make another offer. However, at this time, it appears that the Celtics aren’t actively exploring a potential Butler deal.
The Nuggets, Timberwolves, Cavaliers, and Suns are among the teams that have reportedly spoken to the Bulls about Butler. However, since the All-NBA forward still has two years left on his contract and prefers to remain in Chicago, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Chicago ends up not moving him tonight.
Although the Bulls are willing to make a deal if the right offer arises, the offers to this point have been “underwhelming,” sources tell K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune (Twitter link).