Chris Paul Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Pacific Notes: Bagley, Fox, Nader, Warriors Staff, Curry

January 5th, 2021 at 9:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Marvin Bagley III‘s father created a stir when he tweeted that he wanted to see his son traded, something the younger Bagley refused to talk about. The Kings’ star, De’Aaron Fox, insists the controversy hasn’t bothered the team, Jason Jones of The Athletic writes.

“I don’t think anybody’s out there playing basketball worried about two tweets,” Fox said of the Kings. “And if you are, this ain’t what you should be doing because (people are going) tweet you every day of your life while you’re playing in this league. If that’s what you’re worried about, then I don’t know what to tell you.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

Suns coach Monty Williams said Abdel Nader is “a full go” after recovering from a concussion, Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic tweets. Nader hasn’t played since the preseason after taking hard fall at Utah. Nader was tossed into the Chris Paul trade with the Thunder and had his $1.75MM salary for this season guaranteed in November.
Josh Proctor has been named chief financial officer for the Warriors, the team announced in a press release. Proctor, who has over 20 years of financial management experience, will oversee all financial operations related to the Warriors and Chase Center. Liz Cardenas has been promoted to VP of financial planning & analysis, according to another press release.
Stephen Curry and the Warriors might find it beneficial to explore a trade down the road, Michael Pina of Sports Illustrated opines. Curry turns 33 in March and Golden State might need to consider a rebuild by 2022, when his contract expires. Pina speculates that many teams would be interested in Curry and would surrender major assets for the two-time MVP.

NBA GMs Vote Lakers As Offseason Winners, Title Favorites

December 18th, 2020 at 11:25am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s general managers liked the Lakers‘ offseason moves and are bullish on the team’s chances to repeat as champions in 2020/21, as John Schuhmann of NBA.com writes in his annual survey of the league’s GMs.

An impressive 81% of the responding general managers picked the Lakers to win the championship in 2021, which is the third-highest percentage any team has received since Schuhmann began conducting his annual GM survey 19 years ago. The Clippers ranked second at 11%, while the Nets and Heat received one vote apiece.

Meanwhile, the Lakers (37%) beat out the Suns (22%) and Thunder (15%) in the voting for best offseason roster moves. The Hawks, Bucks, and Sixers each received two votes, while the Trail Blazers got one too.

Here are a few more of the interesting responses from Schuhmann’s GM survey, which is worth checking out in full:

The Suns‘ acquisition of Chris Paul (44%) and the Bucks‘ trade for Jrue Holiday (33%) were voted the moves that will have the biggest impact this season. The Clippers‘ signing of Serge Ibaka (15%), the Pelicans‘ deal for Steven Adams (11%), and the Trail Blazers‘ trade for Robert Covington (11%) were the front-runners for the most underrated offseason player acquisition. Gordon Hayward‘s $120MM contract with the Hornets (54%) was voted the most surprising offseason move.
While NBA GMs view Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (39%) as the favorite to win Rookie of the Year over Warriors big man James Wiseman (29%), Wiseman received the most votes (36%) among this year’s rookies to be the best player in five years, followed by Ball (25%). Kings guard Tyrese Haliburton, meanwhile, was voted the biggest steal in the 2020 draft (43%).
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic were the top choices as the player GMs would want to start a franchise with today. They each received 43% of the vote, with Lakers stars Anthony Davis and LeBron James and Pelicans youngster Zion Williamson also picking up votes.
Speaking of Williamson, he helped the Pelicans receive the nod for the team with the most promising young core (41%). The Grizzlies (22%), Hawks (11%), Celtics (11%), and Nuggets (11%) also got multiple votes.

Rockets Rumors: Harden, Culture, Westbrook, Wall

December 16th, 2020 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

The Rockets‘ culture in recent years might be best described as “whatever James Harden wants,” Tim MacMahon writes at ESPN.com. As MacMahon explains, the Rockets have essentially let Harden dictate the team’s travel and practice schedules, staying overnight when the team plays in one of his favorite road cities such as Los Angeles or Phoenix, and not practicing on certain off days when Harden decides to charter a private jet to party in Las Vegas or another city.

According to MacMahon, in addition to calling the shots on the team’s travel and practice plans, Harden has also wielded significant power over personnel moves, having pushed in past years for Kevin McHale‘s firing as well as the departure of star players like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.

Since Harden is a perennial MVP candidate, the Rockets have been fine in the past with allowing him to exercise that power. As one member of last season’s coaching staff told MacMahon: “If they have multiple days off, everybody knows: James is going to fly somewhere else and party. But he’s going to come back and have a 50-point triple-double, so they’re OK with it.”

However, when Harden pushed to be traded this offseason, the team pushed back, refusing to move him immediately to one of his preferred destinations. As the standoff played out, the 31-year-old partied in Atlanta and Vegas while the Rockets began training camp, violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols and taking his time to report to camp.

“You can’t get mad at your kid if you let him eat candy every night and then suddenly one night you don’t and they throw a tantrum,” a former Rockets assistant said to ESPN. “You’re the one who let them eat candy every night. The Rockets turned the organization over to James and now they have to live with the fallout.”

Here’s more on Harden and the Rockets, including a few more noteworthy tidbits from MacMahon’s in-depth report:

Harden has pushed the Rockets to upgrade their roster every offseason in recent years, indicating that he’d want to be traded if the team couldn’t contend for a title, sources tell MacMahon. The star guard told the club during the 2019 offseason that he’d demand a trade if Houston didn’t find a way to acquire Russell Westbrook.
The “lack of discipline and attention to detail” within the Rockets’ organization bothered both Paul and Westbrook, reports MacMahon. Westbrook, in particular, was put off by the team’s casual culture, since he helped ensure the Thunder “operated with the discipline of a military unit” during the decade he spent in Oklahoma City.
As MacMahon details, Westbrook was bothered by the fact that scheduled times for travel and film sessions were treated as “mere suggestions” by Harden and others. At one point during the restart at Walt Disney World, Harden waited until just before a Rockets film session began to undergo his daily COVID-19 test, leaving Westbrook angry and wanting to start the session without him, sources tell ESPN.
John Wall has high hopes for what he and Harden can do together in the Rockets’ backcourt, but he said on Tuesday that he’s not going to try to convince the former MVP to drop his trade request, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “At the end of the day, that’s a friend,” Wall said. “He’s going to do what’s best for him and the organization is going to do what’s best for them, also. The most important this is when we step on the floor, when we’re stepping into practice, we’re focusing ourselves on basketball. I don’t try to ask him about that because that’s his personal business.”

Suns Notes: Crowder, Arena, Payne, Roster

December 11th, 2020 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Jae Crowder‘s arrival at training camp was delayed by personal issues apparently unrelated to COVID-19, but the Suns forward has reported to his new team and said this week that he’s “looking forward to moving forward,” writes Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic.

Crowder was one of the most popular free agents on the market last month, telling reporters that 14 teams expressed interest in signing him (video link via Rankin). He cited recruiting from Chris Paul and Devin Booker as a significant factor in his decision to choose Phoenix.

“Those guys made a strong pitch and I felt like Devin is ready for real pressure,” Crowder said. “When I say real pressure, that’s playoff basketball. Playing for it all.”

Here’s more out of Phoenix:

The Suns announced in a press release on Thursday that they won’t host fans at their home games to start the 2020/21 season, a decision that “did not come easily,” per team president/CEO Jason Rowley. “Our fans are the lifeblood of the Suns organization, and we want nothing more than to welcome our fans into our newly transformed arena in Downtown Phoenix,” Rowley said in a statement. “… However, we are exercising an abundance of caution and doing our part to maintain the health and safety of all our stakeholders during this crisis.”
Cameron Payne was a regular part of the Suns’ rotation during the team’s 8-0 run during the summer restart. Given the changes the roster has undergone since then, he’s looking to reestablish himself as a key contributor going forward, writes Duane Rankin for The Arizona Republic.
Gina Mizell of Suns.com takes a look back at the Suns’ offseason moves, writing that the front office was able to add veterans with playoff experience, as well as improving the team’s depth and outside shooting.
In case you missed it, despite being hired in 2019, Monty Williams already ranks near the middle of the pack on the list of the NBA’s longest-tenured head coaches.

Pacific Notes: CP3, Suns, Clippers, Ibaka, Morris, Warriors

December 4th, 2020 at 9:29am CST by Luke Adams

At age 35, Chris Paul is more than a decade older than Suns cornerstone players Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton. However, the star point guard doesn’t plan to simply be the veteran mentor on a young Phoenix roster — he made it clear during his first media session this week that he also wants to help the team get back to the postseason, as Royce Young of ESPN writes.

“Everyone always talks about what I can teach (Booker) or teach some of these other guys, but they’re teaching me at the same time too,” Paul said. “I’m not James Naismith by no means. First things first, I’m not just coming in here trying to teach everybody. I’m his teammate. We’re here to hoop, we’re here to compete and that’s how I approach this.”

Meanwhile, Booker and Ayton are excited by the opportunity to team up with a 10-time All-Star like Paul, according to Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic, who says both players were shocked when they first heard about the trade bringing CP3 to Phoenix.

“I wanted to do a backflip,” Ayton said. “You ever seen a seven-footer do a backflip? OK. That’s how excited I was.”

Besides getting an opportunity to play with up-and-coming stars like Booker and Ayton, Paul is looking forward to reuniting with head coach Monty Williams, whom he played for in New Orleans for a single season 10 years ago. Williams said this week that he thinks both he and Paul have “grown a lot” in the last decade.

“I think we both were really headstrong, too, back then,” Williams said, according to Young. “I was walking around like a dictator ready to cut somebody’s head off, trying to implement my way and my program. I don’t think I was really good at allowing him to do what the great ones do. There were times I felt like I took the paintbrush out of (Paul’s) hand.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

After chemistry issues helped sink the Clippers last season, head coach Tyronn Lue is confident he’ll be able to hold players accountable in his new role by always being blunt and honest, writes Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register. “What I learned from Brian Shaw a long time ago was always tell the truth, whether they like it or not,” Lue said. “Even (back in his playing days) with Kobe and Shaq, just telling those guys the truth. They might not like it, but they respect it.”
Serge Ibaka‘s friendship with Kawhi Leonard was a factor in his decision to join the Clippers in free agency, he said on Thursday, as Swanson relays in a separate O.C. Register story. “One thing about me and Kawhi is like, there is no ego in our friendship,” Ibaka said. “… I know who he is and he knows as a teammate what I can do for him, for the team and it is make things smoother and easier.”
Lakers forward Markieff Morris said this week that rumors last month about him potentially teaming up with twin brother Marcus Morris for the Clippers were “just talk,” per Swanson. “They were just trying to scare Lakers fans,” Markieff said.
Warriors big man Marquese Chriss is confident that there will be plenty of minutes at center to go around around for him, Kevon Looney, and No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, as Marcus White of NBC Sports Bay Area details.

Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Knicks, Bembry, T. Davis

December 2nd, 2020 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

In his first public comments this week after leaving Boston for Charlotte, veteran forward Gordon Hayward said he holds no “ill will” toward the Celtics, as Nick Friedell of ESPN writes.

Addressing Hayward’s departure during an appearance on Boston radio show Toucher & Rich on Tuesday, Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said the team wanted to bring back Hayward, but that the forward preferred the Hornets due to an opportunity to take on more of a featured role — the fact that Charlotte made the largest contract offer probably didn’t hurt either.

Hayward’s exit did allow the Celtics to create a massive $28.5MM traded player exception that can be used during the season or in the 2021 offseason. As Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston relays, Ainge said on Tuesday that he doesn’t expect to utilize that exception right away.

“We could use it to get three players or four players to strengthen our bench at different times,” Ainge said. “We’re not going to go do anything right now, just because it’s that time of year where people love their teams. Everybody has gotten better in the offseason.

“We’ll see how this season goes and see where we are. We’ll have the ability to improve our team at the trade deadline, and improve our team next offseason if not. It just gives us another vehicle to acquire players that we would not have had.”

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Within a recap of the Knicks‘ offseason moves, Marc Berman of The New York Post suggests that Leon Rose‘s Plan A involved trading for Chris Paul and then signing Carmelo Anthony. When Paul, who reportedly wasn’t interested in joining the Knicks, was instead sent to Phoenix, Rose pivoted and completed a handful of minor signings and trades to fill out the roster.
In a separate story for The New York Post, Berman examines how new head coach Tom Thibodeau plans to balance the Knicks‘ player development goals with a desire to be competitive in 2020/21.
Raptors head coach Nick Nurse told reporters today that Toronto’s front office has liked DeAndre’ Bembry for a while and was happy to have the chance to sign him this offseason (Twitter link via Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca). Nurse praised Bembry’s toughness, defense, and play-making, referring to him as a “high-IQ guy.”
Having guaranteed Terence Davis‘ salary for 2020/21, the Raptors continue to wait for the NBA to complete its investigation into the allegations of domestic violence against the second-year guard, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. “I think sometimes that may feel a bit unsatisfying but I think that we need to be respectful of that process as well,” general manager Bobby Webster said on Tuesday.

Trade Notes: Bucks, Bogdanovic, Holiday, Kings, Pelicans

November 17th, 2020 at 7:47am CST by Luke Adams

The deals to acquire both Jrue Holiday and Bogdan Bogdanovic took practically every asset the Bucks had left, but the team now projects to have one of the NBA’s best starting lineups, according to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, who notes that Milwaukee’s new additions will join Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez in the starting five.

As Nehm writes, the Bucks’ aggressive roster overhaul should eliminate any doubt that the franchise is serious about getting Antetokounmpo the help he needs to win a title. However, the acquisitions will leave the club hard-capped and with little flexibility to fill out the rest of the roster.

Because Holiday has a series of likely and unlikely bonuses that count toward the hard cap, the Bucks will probably be limited to minimum-salary contracts as they look to fill out their roster and keep team salary below $138,928,000, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.

By my rough calculations, Milwaukee would have about $27.3MM in room below the hard cap to fit in Bogdanovic’s starting salary and minimum-salary contracts for seven players. That would get the Bucks to 14 players, not counting two-ways, though they could carry just 13 for parts of the season in order to create a little more cap flexibility.

Here’s more on the two deals the Bucks agreed to on Monday night:

While former Kings general manager Vlade Divac likely would’ve been willing to match offers in the $15-18MM range for Bogdanovic, it was never clear how enthusiastic new GM Monte McNair was about retaining the swingman, whose camp signaled a “willingness to play hardball” with Kings management, writes Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
The Pelicans‘ decision to move Holiday in a package that includes three first-round picks and a pair of pick swaps is the latest indication that the organization is prioritizing its long-term goals over shortcuts to contention, says Scott Kushner of NOLA.com. Even with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram on the brink of stardom, New Orleans is preaching patience and wants to build its roster through the draft, as Kushner explains.
The Pelicans could theoretically flip Eric Bledsoe or George Hill to another team immediately after acquiring them, but they won’t be able to aggregate either player for salary-matching purposes until December 8, tweets Marks. Typically, there’s a two-month gap before a player can be aggregated, but that has been adjusted to account for the shortened offseason. For instance, the Thunder will be able to aggregate the players they acquired for Chris Paul as early as December 5, Marks notes (via Twitter).
Speaking of Paul, the Bucks never engaged in any trade talks for the veteran point guard, according to Chris Mannix of SI.com (Twitter link).

All-Star Guard Chris Paul Traded To Suns

November 16th, 2020 at 8:07pm CST by Luke Adams

8:07pm: The trade is official, per a Suns press release.

12:11pm: The Suns and Thunder are finalizing an agreement on a trade that will send All-Star point guard Chris Paul from Oklahoma City to Phoenix, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Thunder will receive Ricky Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Ty Jerome, Jalen Lecque, and draft compensation in the deal. Wojnarowski adds that the Suns will also get Abdel Nader in the blockbuster swap (Twitter link).

The draft pick being sent from Phoenix to Oklahoma City in the trade is the Suns’ 2022 first-rounder, per Wojnarowski. Charania reports (via Twitter) that the pick will be top-12 protected. If it doesn’t change hands in 2022, it’ll be top-10 protected in 2023, top-eight protected in 2024, and unprotected in 2025.

The Suns, whose interest in Paul was first reported last week, are hoping that the veteran guard can help the team build upon its 8-0 showing during the Orlando restart and make the postseason in 2020/21. Paul, who will reunite with his former Pelicans coach Monty Williams, will join an intriguing core that includes star guard Devin Booker, former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, and promising young wings Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges.

While bigger-market teams (like the Knicks) and stronger contenders (including the Bucks) were cited in recent weeks as potential suitors for CP3, the 35-year-old won’t object to joining the Suns. The Thunder worked with Paul and his reps at CAA to get him to a preferred destination, per Woj (Twitter link). A report last week suggested that Phoenix’s proximity to Los Angeles appealed to Paul, who has a home in the L.A. area.

Phoenix will complete the trade without using the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft, so the club will have the opportunity on Wednesday to add another young prospect to that group. The Suns also have a couple different directions they could go in free agency.

Remaining over the cap and attempting to bring back Dario Saric and Aron Baynes is one option for the organization — the other would be to let those free agents go to open up cap room, then using up that space before officially finalizing the deal for CP3. In that scenario, Phoenix would only have the $4.8MM room exception left over, whereas if the team remains over the cap, the mid-level ($9.3MM) and bi-annual ($3.6MM) could be in play.

Meanwhile, the Thunder appear to be shifting into full-fledged rebuilding mode after outperforming expectations in 2019/20. They’ve now reached deals to move both Paul and Dennis Schröder. Steven Adams remains a trade candidate, as are the veterans Oklahoma City will receive in the two agreed-upon trades (Rubio, Oubre, and Danny Green).

Having acquired a pair of first-round picks and two future pick swaps in last year’s Paul/Russell Westbrook trade, the Thunder were able to parlay CP3’s strong season (17.6 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.0 RPG) into yet another first-round selection. The franchise now owns three 2022 first-rounders and holds multiple first-round picks every year through 2026, as Tommy Beer of Forbes details (via Twitter).

By taking on Paul’s contract, the Suns will be on the hook for his $41.4MM salary in 2020/21 and his $44.2MM player option for ’21/22. Nader has a minimum salary for ’20/21 which will remain non-guaranteed even after his team option is exercised to complete this trade.

As for the Thunder, they’ll take on Oubre’s expiring $14.4MM salary and will be on the hook for $34.8MM over two years for Rubio. Jerome, who has a $2.3MM cap charge in 2020/21, is in the second year of a rookie scale contract, while Lecque has a guaranteed $1.5MM salary for ’20/21 and a non-guaranteed $1.8MM for ’21/22.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Trade Rumors: Westbrook, Hornets, Holiday, Gordon

November 16th, 2020 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The first major domino of the NBA offseason has fallen, as the Thunder and Suns are set to finalize a deal that will send All-Star guard Chris Paul to Phoenix.

Kelly Oubre is one of the key pieces headed to Oklahoma City in that swap, and according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7FM (Twitter link), the Suns felt as if Oubre was expendable not only due to the emergence of Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson, but because they didn’t think they’d end up re-signing Oubre in free agency in 2021.

Meanwhile, while Paul is on board with being dealt to the Suns, Marc Berman of The New York Post hears that CP3’s top preference would have been a move to the Clippers. The veteran point guard had “mixed feelings” about a possible deal to the Knicks, Berman adds.

As we wait for more trade agreements to be reached, here are a few of the latest rumors from around the NBA:

The Hornets appear to be the most likely landing spot for Russell Westbrook, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who writes that team owner Michael Jordan wants to acquire the former MVP. However, sources tell O’Connor that Charlotte won’t put the No. 3 overall pick on the table in an offer to the Rockets.
The Mavericks aren’t involved in the Jrue Holiday sweepstakes for now, according to Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News, who tweets that the Pelicans prefer to trade Holiday to an Eastern Conference team. Mike Singer of The Denver Post notes (via Twitter) that New Orleans’ apparent desire to send Holiday to the East might be posturing to try to drive up the price for a team like the Nuggets.
Asked today about trade rumors involving Aaron Gordon, Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman confirmed there have been “a lot of calls” on the forward (Twitter link via Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel). However, he added that there’s an “amazing amount of misinformation that circulates and is unfounded.” A report last week suggested Orlando was trying to move up in the draft from No. 15 by attaching Gordon to the pick.
In case you missed it, James Harden is rumored to be seeking a trade out of Houston.

Knicks Notes: Paul, Westbrook, Bey, Terry

November 12th, 2020 at 3:18pm CST by Luke Adams

There are people within the Knicks organization that are bullish on the idea of acquiring Chris Paul, feeling as if he would help build a winning culture in New York and would be a good leader for the team’s young players, writes Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

However, according to Begley, there are also people in the organization wary of giving up too many assets in a trade for Paul. Those people want to make sure the club retains enough pieces to be able to make another trade down the road for a star player, sources tell Begley.

Given Paul’s massive contract, which still has two years and $85MM left on it, the Thunder are unlikely to extract a massive haul for their point guard. However, an All-Star season helped rebuild CP3’s value, and the Knicks would have to outbid other suitors, including the Suns, if they want to make a deal.

It’s probably safe to assume that Oklahoma City would seek at least one first-round pick and/or a young player in exchange for CP3 — Mitchell Robinson or RJ Barrett would likely be off limits, but the Thunder reportedly have interest in Kevin Knox.

In addition to all their own future first-round pick, the Knicks hold the Clippers’ pick (No. 27) in this year’s draft, as well as two future Mavericks first-rounders.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

Within that same story, Begley considers whether the Knicks would be a fit for Russell Westbrook. As Begley observes, if the front office is wary of giving up too many assets in a Paul trade, it’s probably safe to assume that same stance would apply to a Westbrook deal. Like CP3, Westbrook is owed $41MM in 2020/21 and $44MM in ’21/22. The Rockets guard also has a $47MM player option for ’22/23.
Exploring the Knicks’ draft options, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic says that Villanova forward Saddiq Bey is among the players who have worked out for New York during the pre-draft process. The No. 8 pick might be a little high for Bey, who would be a more viable option for the Knicks in a trade-down scenario.
The Knicks have reached out to schedule a second interview with Stanford’s Tyrell Terry, tweets Vorkunov. It’s possible Terry will still be on the board at No. 27, though his stock has been on the rise and he has generated mid-first-round buzz.