Paul George Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Kings, Pelicans Discuss Cousins-Hield Swap

February 19th, 2017 at 7:46pm CST by Austin Kent

7:46 pm: In an article published Sunday evening, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical says that Vivek Ranadive‘s stance on trading DeMarcus Cousins has “softened.” Previously the owner wanted to retain Cousins as a franchise pillar and, as recently as January 26, wouldn’t even entertain the prospect of making a deal.

More recently, Wojnarowski writes, Ranadive has been influenced by off-court incidents that call to question the big man’s temperament.

5:46 pm: Wojnarowski has tweeted that Cousins and agent Jarinn Akana have met with Vlade Divac and Kings’ ownership and have been reassured that Cousins is not being traded.

As was the case with the reported Cousins talks involving the Suns a few weeks ago, it seems these discussions were initiated by another team, rather than the Kings. As we noted at the time, it’s possible that not everybody in the Kings organization is on the same page with regard to a possible Cousins deal, which is why rumors keep popping up, only to be shot down.

“There’s just so much ambiguity about how the decision-making process works [in Sacramento] and what information actually gets back to whom,” one rival executive told Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com last month.

5:33 pm: Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee pumps the brakes on trade talks, saying that he has been told Cousins is not being traded, despite teams having inquired about his availability.

5:30 pm: It seems as though Jrue Holiday is not currently part of the outgoing Pelicans package, tweets Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate, but Kushner wouldn’t be surprised if they were willing to include him if push came to shove.

5:21 pm: Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders has added that the Pelicans are allegedly offering their 2017 first-round pick, Hield and an additional first-round pick. Meanwhile, Scott Kushner of the New Orleans Advocate adds context, saying that the Pelicans have felt pressure to improve and nearly everyone but Davis is on the table.

5:17 pm: According to Justin Verrier of ESPN, the Pelicans have made inquiries on Paul George as well, but the Cousins talks have progressed further.

5:12 pm: The Kings have recently discussed big man DeMarcus Cousins with the Pelicans, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The center has been the subject of speculation on and off throughout the 2016/17 season. Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders echoes the sentiment, elaborating that a possible deal could involve Buddy Hield and multiple Pelicans first-round picks.

While Wojnarowski previously wrote in a separate tweet that the Kings have been actively engaged in trade talks regarding Cousins for the last few days, the latest implication that the Pelicans are interested makes sense. Less than two weeks ago it was made public that New Orleans was seeking a center to pair alongside Anthony Davis.

If Cousins were to join the Pelicans, he and Davis would instantly make one of the league’s most dynamic pairings, a frontcourt duo unparalleled in the league today.

Just last month it appeared as though the Kings and Cousins were on track to sign a max contract this summer. That deal, it’s estimated, could be for five years at just under $210MM. If such a trade were to transpire, however, Cousins would no longer be eligible for the Designated Veteran Extension, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets.

Southwest Notes: Pelicans, Gordon, Morey

February 19th, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Austin Kent

While the pre-All-Star Game wave of speculation that DeMarcus Cousins could be headed to New Orleans appears to have subsided, the Pelicans are serious about acquiring an impact player. According to Sam Amico of Amico Hoops, Pels general manager Dell Demps and company have put together a “really nice package in search of a star.” The scribe goes on to add that his source admires the team’s aggressiveness.

Just 2.5 games out of the Western Conference’s eight-seed, the Pelicans are looking to support 23-year-old superstar Anthony Davis. Earlier this month it appeared as though the club was simply looking to add a center and were willing to dangle a 2018 first-round pick to get it. One name that surfaced as a possible fit was Sixers‘ sophomore Jahlil Okafor. While nothing transpired there, that doesn’t mean the club has stopped looking.

In fact, as we mentioned in the report on the rumored Cousins to New Orleans deal, ESPN’s Justin Verrier has linked the Pelicans to not only Cousins but to Pacers star Paul George as well.

All of the speculation amounts to little at this stage in the game but the wave of reports do indicate that the club is serious about making a move. If Amico’s source is to be trusted, they may well find a partner before the February 23 trade deadline.

There’s more out of the Southwest Division:

One of the names linked to the Pelicans this month has been Jahlil Okafor, but the Sixers big man doesn’t take it to heart. “I’ve said it before I’ll worry about what I can control and the rumors are going to continue to come out. And as far as I know I’m still a Sixer and I’m happy to be a Sixer,” Okafor tells Amos Morale III of the Times-Picayune.
Before winning the 2017 Three-Point Contest, Rockets guard Eric Gordon spoke about his time in New Orleans, referring to the Pelicans franchise as “dysfunctional”. “My role changed a lot,” he told Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune. “If I would have had the same freedom that I had (in Houston), it would have been a different result. It’s always been a little dysfunctional, not just for me… everybody.”
Daryl Morey and the Rockets are content with their roster, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders, and have no desire to make a drastic move at the deadline. They would, however, be open to adding to their bench.

Celtics May Pursue Danilo Gallinari

February 18th, 2017 at 7:03pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Celtics may try to pick up Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari before Thursday’s trade deadline, writes Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald.

Boston GM Danny Ainge has long been a fan of Gallinari, according to Bulpett, and has tried to deal for him before. There haven’t been any trade rumors linking the Celtics and Gallinari this year, but the author notes that was also true with Isaiah Thomas before Ainge dealt for him two years ago.

Gallinari has been slowed by a groin injury and hasn’t played since February 1st. He has a player option worth $16.1MM next season.

Boston is hoping to add another scorer through trade, and Ainge has been active in talks during All-Star Weekend, both as a main participant and a facilitator, according to Bulpett. So far, Ainge hasn’t found a deal worth giving up his most valuable assets, which include the Nets’ first-rounders this season and in 2018.

“Danny’s let it be known that he’s willing to talk about the Nets’ picks,” said an unidentified executive. “But you want one of those guys, you have to be willing to give up a star.”

Ainge would also prefer to stay away from players whose contracts expire this year or next year. The Celtics had some interest in Serge Ibaka before Orlando traded him to Toronto, but they weren’t willing to part with much because they weren’t sure they could re-sign him in free agency.

Bulpett adds that the Celtics are very protective of their cap space and are reluctant to make a move that would hurt them on the free agent market. He speculates that it would take someone like Jimmy Butler or Paul George to tempt Boston to add significant salary in a pre-deadline trade.

The Celtics are also significantly less interested in trading for Jahlil Okafor than they were a year ago, Bulpett notes. They had talked to the Sixers about an Okafor deal at last year’s deadline, but after signing Al Horford the Celtics only want front-line players who they believe are compatible with him. Boston might have more interest in Philadelphia’s Nerlens Noel, but the team won’t offer as much as it would have in 2016.

The author believes the Celtics would love to pick up Andrew Bogut from Dallas if the Mavericks decide to be sellers, but again wouldn’t pay a high price in a deal.

Pacers To Make First Round Pick Available Via Trade

February 17th, 2017 at 9:14pm CST by Milo Taibi

The Pacers are looking to acquire help for Paul George, even if it means relinquishing their first round pick in the 2017 draft. According to a report from Chris Haynes of ESPN, the Pacers are hoping to acquire an established wing or frontline player in exchange for the pick. In midst of a six-game skid, the team fears its window to build a championship team around George is closing.

George has made no secret of his desire to play for a winning team, telling Marc Stein of ESPN “It’s frustrating just playing the game for stats or for numbers or to showcase yourself. Man, I want a chance to play for a chance to win a championship.”

The “window” Haynes refers to runs through 2017/18, at which point the team fears George will opt out of his contract. Indiana currently owns a 29-28 record, sitting on the sixth seed of the Eastern Conference. As Haynes notes, offseason acquisitions Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young haven’t performed up to expectations, not to mention underwhelming numbers from veteran guard Monta Ellis. Last season, the Pacers front office acquired Young in exchange for the draft rights to Caris LeVert and a conditional second round pick. It remains to be seen what type of value their #18 overall pick will receive.

Central Notes: George, Jackson, Ferrell

February 16th, 2017 at 1:41pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pacers have lost five straight games and Paul George believes it could be a result of the way the roster in constructed, Nate Taylor of USA Today passes along. “Maybe it’s changing schemes up in how we guard these spread teams,” George said. “This is a new league, a new NBA. I think we might have to go a different route and work on that as oppose to trying to make changes during games where we’re kind of not really sure how to guard something.”

George added that the team may need to make some changes going forward. “I think we just build for where the league is headed and just work on that because it’s not going to get easier,” he said “We’re going to keep facing teams that give us this challenge of spreading around the perimeter. That’s really where we’re losing.”

Here’s more from the Central Division:

Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy remains confident in Reggie Jackson, Aaron McMann of MLive writes. “It’s an adjustment period for all of us, and I don’t have any doubts he’ll come back to playing the way he was before,” Van Gundy said. The Pistons reportedly have “quietly explored” the trade market for the point guard.
The Pistons attempted to sign Yogi Ferrell before the season when the point guard was an undrafted free agent, McMann relays in a separate piece. “He’s a guy on draft night that didn’t get drafted, and we tried to get in the race for some money to have him guaranteed,” Van Gundy said. “But Brooklyn had gobbled him up. He ended up getting cut there and has really latched on and played very, very well for Dallas.”
Jabari Parker underwent successful surgery on his left knee and the Bucks are expected to be without the former No. 2 overall pick for 12 months, Chris Mannix of The Vertical tweets.
Cristiano Felicio‘s development is a major plus for the Bulls’ front office, Mark Schanowski of Comcast Sportsnet writes. Felicio will be a restricted free agent in the offseason and Schanowski believes the team will have tough competition for his services.

Kennedy’s Latest: Suns, Collison, Thunder, Pacers

February 14th, 2017 at 10:55pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Suns would like to package their young players and draft picks in order to bring a star to Phoenix, Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype writes. Executives around the league tell Kennedy that they expect the Suns to continue their rebuild and trade away some of their veterans should they not be able to land a star player.

Here’s more from Kennedy’s piece:

The Kings have made several players available, including Darren Collison. The point guard, who will be a free agent after the season, has seen an expanded role on the team since Rudy Gay injured his Achilles, as I wrote in this week’s Fantasy Hoops.
It’s unclear whether the Thunder will be buyers or sellers at the deadline, but they are expected to be active. “They will do something, one way or the other. They won’t stand pat,” one anonymous GM told Kennedy.
The Pacers are willing to trade anyone on the roster with the exception being Paul George, Kennedy reports.
The Carmelo Anthony-to-Cleveland trade talks were “overblown,” Kennedy adds. The Cavs are still looking for outside help, as they are reportedly in trade discussions with several teams.
Anthony Davis isn’t going anywhere and Jrue Holiday is unlikely to be traded, but anyone else on the Pelicans‘ roster is on the table in trade talks, according to Kennedy.
Serge Ibaka was traded to the Raptors earlier today and a source tells Kennedy that Toronto was his preferred destination.

Latest On Carmelo Anthony

February 8th, 2017 at 3:47pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Knicks team president Phil Jackson appears to be pressuring Carmelo Anthony to waive his no-trade clause, but the public campaign is making the 9-time All-Star’s desire to stay with New York even stronger, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. “[Jackson]’s underestimating ‘Melo’s willingness to stay,” a source told Wojnarowski.

Anthony has privately told some of his teammates that he won’t let Jackson run him out of town, according to Wojnarowski. The scribe adds that the Knicks have contacted the Clippers, Celtics, and Cavs about an Anthony deal, but the teams have put together underwhelming proposals that include only role players. Anthony has privately indicated an interest in those three teams, but the Knicks haven’t found a package they are willing to accept.

Boston hasn’t shown much interest in Anthony. The franchise is much more enamored with Jimmy Butler and Paul George since they are both younger and their games are more well-rounded, Wojnarowski adds.

The Knicks may search for trades outside those three teams and attempt to persuade Anthony to waive his no-trade clause to go to another team, though New York hasn’t yet begun that process. Wojnarowski adds that if Jackson had employed more transparent approach, Anthony would have been more open to finding an agreeable solution, which may have included agreeing to a trade. However, Jackson’s antics have severely damaged the relationship and it may be beyond repair.

Blazers Duo, Embiid Fail To Make All-Star Cut

January 26th, 2017 at 6:46pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley, the Blazers backcourt duo Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and Jazz center Rudy Gobert were among the prominent players who failed to make the cut on the Western Conference All-Star reserve unit, which was unveiled on Thursday and relayed on the NBA’s Twitter feed. Joel Embiid, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony were some of the notable names who didn’t make the cut on the Eastern Conference squad. (Twitter links).

Russell Westbrook, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan and Gordon Hayward received the most votes by the conference’s coaches, who pick the reserves. Westbrook, of course, was the biggest snub among the All-Star starters as the fan voting, which counted for 50% toward the overall balloting, put him behind Stephen Curry and James Harden.

Paul George, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry, Paul Millsap, Isaiah Thomas, Kemba Walker and John Wall were named the Eastern Conference’s All-Star reserves.

Did the coaches get it right or was there an obvious mistake on their part? Go to the comments section and weigh in.

Larry Bird on George, CBA, McMillan, Robinson, Teague

January 21st, 2017 at 6:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Pacers are prepared to give Paul George a maximum contract when he becomes a free agent in 2018, team president Larry Bird tells Nate Taylor of USA Today. Bird touches on several subjects in a wide-ranging interview, including the team’s plan to keep its three-time All-Star.

Here are some highlights:

On the future of Paul George in Indiana:

“Before the year started, I told Paul and I said, ‘Look, if you want to sign a long-term deal, we’re willing to do that max [contract] and if you want to wait, I understand.’ But this year, we’re not going to worry about it, we’re not going to talk about it and he’s going to make the decision that’s best for Paul when it comes down to it.”

On whether the new collective bargaining agreement will help the Pacers:

“Well, if you want to keep your free agents, you’re going to have an opportunity to, at least, I think, have a better chance of keeping them. If a player don’t want to be here, and he wants to go somewhere else, that’s just a part of free agency. That’s what’s in the collective bargaining for. But at least you have an opportunity to pay them a little bit more and give them an extra year and be able to keep them and sign them up earlier. I think that’s a plus.”

On the offseason coaching change that replaced Frank Vogel with Nate McMillan:

“I like Nate. I liked him when I hired him. But anything I say positive about Nate, you’re going to take it as a negative to Frank, and that’s not what it’s about. I like Frank. Frank did a hell of a job here. We wish him all the best. We made a lot of changes over the last two or three years, even when Frank was here. We changed a lot of guys on the roster. With Nate came in, we changed coach and a lot of guys on the roster. We’d like to get away from that and have guys longer term and have a team that he can build with and grow with as we go forward.”

On Glenn Robinson III replacing Monta Ellis in the starting lineup:

“Glenn hasn’t been as consistent as I think as he or we would like, but the numbers don’t lie. When he plays, we do better. Monta, I’m not going to say he’ll ever accept the role of coming off the bench because that’s his mentality. But the thing is he’s going to do whatever it takes for us to win basketball games and he’ll continue to get better. I think when [Rodney] Stuckey gets back, I think that’s going to help. … But as far as Monta, I think Monta is going to do whatever he thinks will help us win basketball games. Monta knows I have respect for him and I have respect for all veterans. We’re going to do what’s right by him and we want him to be a big part of this, whether he’s starting or coming off the bench.”

On Jeff Teague, who was acquired over the summer in exchange for George Hill:

“I hear he always wanted to play here. We gave up a hell of a player to get him. He’s two years younger than George and he’s a real point guard and he gets to the line. I think he’s going to continue to get better. I couldn’t be happier.”

And-Ones: Thompson, Pacers, George, T. Mitchell

January 5th, 2017 at 1:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Sixers waived Hollis Thompson on Wednesday, head coach Brett Brown expects to see the veteran swingman land with another team. “I feel like somebody’s going to pick him up,” Brown said, per Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link). “I don’t feel we’re going to see Hollis Thompson removed from the NBA.” Thompson could still be claimed on waivers tomorrow — if he goes unclaimed, he’d become an unrestricted free agent.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:

Within a look at potential trade candidates for 15 NBA teams, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders drops a handful of notable nuggets. Among them: Kyler notes that sources close to the situation in Indiana say that the Pacers are optimistic that the league’s new designated veteran extension will give them a good chance to keep Paul George. Of course, to qualify for that extension in 2017/18, George will first have to make an All-NBA team in 2016/17.
In a piece for The Sporting News, Sean Deveney lists 12 big men who may be available at this year’s trade deadline. While most of the players identified by Deveney have been involved in previous trade rumors and speculation, there are some more surprising names, including Amir Johnson, Marcin Gortat, and even Hassan Whiteside.
Israeli team Maccabi Haifa is cutting former NBA second-round pick Tony Mitchell from its roster after several missed practices and late arrivals, reports international basketball journalist David Pick (via Twitter). Mitchell, 24, was selected 37th overall in the 2013 draft by the Pistons after playing his college ball at North Texas.
NBA teams can sign players to 10-day contracts as of today, and there’s no shortage of candidates for a call-up in the D-League. Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders takes a look at a few players that could draw interest from NBA teams, including Briante Weber, Quincy Acy, and Lamar Patterson.