NBA trade rumors: Latest on Paul George, Knicks could move Mitchell Robinson, surprise Jazz player on the block

Thursday’s Business The trade between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Chicago Bulls, which sent Alex Caruso west and Josh Giddy north, marked the unofficial start of trade season in the NBA. The draft is less than a week away, free agency will soon arrive, and now teams are starting to seriously work on moves that will ultimately prepare them for the start of the 2024-25 season.

As they always do at this point on the calendar, rumors have begun to fly. On Friday, Yahoo’s Jake Fisher dropped some bombshells regarding players we knew were available (Zack LaVine) and ones we didn’t (Mitchell Robinson, Walker Kessler), so let’s dive into today’s Check out the latest rumors.

Knicks shopping Mitchell Robinson?

The Knicks are in a tough situation when it comes to re-signing key center Isaiah Hartenstein. Because of their early bird rights, New York can only offer them a 75% raise on their previous salary. That would put him at around $72.5 million over four years, a figure they would be happy to pay, but opposing teams could go above that. At first, it seemed like the Oklahoma City Thunder were ready to do this, but now, after landing Alex Caruso, they have gone quiet on it. For now, it looks like Hartenstein will remain with the Knicks.

But New York’s other primary center, Robinson, is now reportedly on the block. This makes sense financially for the Knicks. While Robinson’s salary is relatively low, his injuries have made him somewhat unreliable, and if New York relies on Precious Achiuwa to serve as their backup center at a lower price, it would be tempting to replace Robinson with value elsewhere. Could help the roster overall. The tag-team of Hartenstein and Robinson has been a major weapon for New York in recent years. Those Knicks often shift minutes toward one side or the other depending on the matchup and who is playing well on any given night. Achiuwa does not deserve the same treatment. He will definitely be a backup. But a healthy, affordable backup can sometimes be more valuable than a better, but more expensive and injury-prone player.

Are the Jazz ready to pursue Walker Kessler?

The Jazz have spent the past few seasons vacillating between win now and win later mode. They have made veteran acquisitions like Jrue Holiday and Dejounte Murray without sealing deals for any such players, but they have also traded away valuable players at the deadline to maximize draft position. It’s still unclear what their long-term outlook is, and Friday’s news doesn’t help. According to Fisher, the Utah Moving Young Center is open to Walker Kessler.

Kessler is one of the best young rim-protectors in basketball. He is still on a cheap rookie contract and will stay for two more seasons. But the Jazz had most of their success this season with Kessler coming off the bench, as he didn’t fit next to another non-shooting big man like John Collins. If the Jazz attempt to trade him, Kessler should be able to get a strong return, and there will be many suitors, even if we all try to trade for the same Donovan Clingan before the 2024 NBA Draft. Be responsible for. Wednesday. Players so young and so talented rarely impress teams that are rebuilding, so the Jazz could be on to something big.

The Bulls are struggling to move Zach LaVine

The Caruso trade in Chicago was bizarre on many levels. Here’s a notable thing: Caruso was probably Chicago’s best chance to move on from Zach LaVine’s bad contract. Some teams without significant draft capital for a trade might be willing to take LaVine if it means acquiring Caruso on the cheap. Now Caruso is gone, and according to Fisher, the Bulls have not yet been able to generate significant traction on a LaVine deal. It’s unclear how they plan to move him without Caruso available as a sweetener.

One team that Fisher mentions as a potential LaVine fit is the Sacramento Kings, who signed him to an offer sheet in restricted free agency in 2018. The Kings have reportedly searched for big plays over the past year, and could potentially reach agreement on a deal with Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter. However, Sacramento just re-signed Malik Monk to a four-year, $78 million deal, so the need for an expensive shooting guard is minimal. A trade could be successful, but it won’t be easy for the Bulls to move LaVine’s contract.

Could Paul George come in and get traded?

On Thursday, it emerged that the 76ers had rPaul George reportedly cooled as offseason target, This was a major blow to George’s dominance with the Clippers, with his current team reportedly refusing to give him a four-year max deal until now. The Orlando Magic or Oklahoma City Thunder could step into that void, but right now, there is no clear cap space destination for them to hold out on the Clippers during negotiations.

Of course, he won’t need it. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst proposed an option on Friday morning’s Get Up. “If Paul George changes teams, it will very likely be a situation where he opts out of his contract and requests a trade,” Windhorst said. George has a player option for $48.8 million next season, and there is precedent for impending free agents using that option to trade with a team that doesn’t have the space to sign them outright. For example, Chris Paul did this in 2017 to move to Houston, but it’s risky. As James Harden found out last offseason, there’s a world in which you make choices and you don’t immediately get the move you want. George still has a chance to earn his last long-term deal. Its value may not be the same in a year. It’s a risky approach for George, but if someone else is willing to maximize him, it’s a path worth taking.

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