The Paul George bomb distracted many of us from some other nuggets of intel that came out over the last handful of days leading up to the 2024 NBA Draft and subsequent free agency period.
Let’s get to a roundup and try to stay up on the latest before the next newsbreak shakes everything up again in one hour.
Paul George
First, we were surprised to hear the Sixers’ interest in Clippers star Paul George had waned in recent days, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Then by Friday morning we received some key intel helping us make sense of that update from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst: PG may be leaning towards an opt in and trade scenario.
It would make sense then that if obtaining the Palmdale, Cali native would cost the Sixers a max contract AND precious draft picks, they might start putting alternative options in front of what was once described as their “Plan A.”
But I don’t think it’s a mortal lock that PG will opt in yet, and the Sixers perhaps projecting diminished interest may even decrease a bit of PG’s leverage.
Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports added Friday:
“On the Sixers’ end, league sources maintain that they are still interested in George, though it would be fair to say he’s not their only option or target in free-agency. Philadelphia is spending the pre-draft and free agency period talking with teams about different scenarios, including some which have been reported or speculated about previously.”
So one might reasonably deduce that the puzzling tweet from Shams was a bit of gamesmanship on Philly’s part in response to some discreet indication PG isn’t all in on a max from Daryl Morey and Co.
But don’t close that door just yet. The fact that Fischer did not talk about Orlando’s possible pursuit of PG might further decease George’s leverage too.
Brandon Ingram
Neubeck continued:
“Brandon Ingram, for example, is still a player the Sixers have interest in, per league sources. On the list of desired targets, he still probably falls below George because it would cost draft capital to acquire, not to mention the clunkier skill set fit with Embiid and Maxey, but the broader point is that it is not George-or-bust in Philadelphia.”
Ingram wouldn’t be quite as pricy as PG in terms of cap space, but since he’s not a free agent, and would require parting with potentially significant draft capital to acquire, all before potentially extending the soon-to-be 27-year-old.
We’ve covered that The Athletic’s Kelly Iko reported the following:
“…New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram was mentioned as a player seen in a lower tier than Mitchell and in recent days, rumors have swirled about the Pelicans dangling Ingram in trade talks and in one iteration, a hypothetical Ingram-for-Alperen Şengün swap was mentioned, but the Rockets have no interest, team sources said. League sources said New Orleans also contacted the Philadelphia 76ers concerning a possible Ingram trade.”
So maybe that conversation went relatively well, contributing to the idea the Sixers’ interest in PG has waned. BI is substantially younger than 34-year-old PG, and might allow the 76ers to add another key free agent (worth more cash than a player they could target were they to land George via cap space).
We learned that BI might be a primary fallback plan sometime ago, and we’ve heard little to dispel that notion since. The latest on PG should only increase this scenario’s likelihood.
OG Anunoby
Ian Begley of SNY recently told Jon Macri of Knicks Film School he’d be very surprised if the Knicks don’t re-sign the former Raptors wing.
Days prior to that, Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto reported:
“The leaguewide expectation is that OG Anunoby will return to the Knicks. The question is, for how much? From executives I’ve talked to around the league, Anunoby’s floor appears to be $35 million, and his ceiling is a max contract. Philadelphia will be looking for a 3-and-D small forward and has the max cap space to make the offer if they believe they’ll miss out on their top target, Paul George. Two general managers told me they’d pay Anunoby $35 million annually and that a max would be tough because of his injury history.”
With all of the reporting the Knicks — who parted with both former 2019 No. 3 overall pick RJ Barrett, and former 2020 No. 25 overall pick, Immanuel Quickley for the oft-injured former Hoosier, Anunoby — are expected to keep him, it feels like the most Daryl Morey could do here is play spoiler, forcing New York to ultimately pay full price. But you just never know, right?
Neubeck reminded fans that the Sixers did demonstrate interest in OG last winter and added Friday: “If Anunoby is in play and not just trying to generate leverage, league sources expect the Sixers to be in the mix.”
Jimmy Butler
On Thursday’s “Get Up” on ESPN, Alan Hahn boldly declared “Jimmy Butler’s days in Miami are over.”
And one very credible Howard Beck, now with The Ringer, chimed in definitively as well:
Per Neubeck:
“One move I am skeptical of relative to the field — a trade for Jimmy Butler, for the Sixers or anyone else. Maybe the NBA intelligentsa is right and I end up wrong on this, but from what I can tell, Butler doesn’t have real interest in leaving Miami and simply wants to get paid. The issue is that Pat Riley can be as stubborn as he is, leaving both sides sort of stuck.)”
So if you believe Beck is right, and the Sixers can’t convince PG or OG to take their $212M, maybe they’d empty out the warchest for the former Sixer, Butler.
But haggling with Riley probably wouldn’t feel very good. If the Sixers can’t entice someone like PG to join them, Riley might be substantially more confident in the allure of South Beach.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
ESPN’s Senior Writer Zach Lowe recently speculated-connected the Sixers to Nuggets’ two-way guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, a Klutch Sports client like Tyrese Maxey.
Jake Fischer for Yahoo added:
“Therefore, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would seem, at present, to be the veteran in line to benefit from the Magic’s cap space. Caldwell-Pope is also believed to have a potential home in Chicago, should the Bulls ultimately lose out on Williams, in addition to Philadelphia viewing the veteran wing as a backup option.”
Back in late May, Fischer reported:
“The Sixers, sources said, took note of Indiana’s two-year splurge for Bruce Brown that then became the biggest salary headed back to Toronto in exchange for Siakam. Veteran wings like Klay Thompson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would fall on the Sixers’ list of targets for similar one-plus-one contracts, sources said. Striking out on a big-time wing would also leave the door open for Philadelphia to consider taking back a player such as Zach LaVine, sources said, in the event Chicago or another team is willing to attach draft capital to move off salary.”
And if PG is less of a realistic option, maybe that dials up the chances they look at KCP.
Zach LaVine
The price for Bulls’ former two-time All-Star Zach LaVine, who shares a trainer in Drew Hanlen with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, may have come down considerably recently. But insiders still don’t think he’s a realistic candidate to play in Philly next season.
NBC Sports’ K.C. Johnson said Chicago contacted the Sixers to talk business here:
“League sources reiterated that the Bulls remain active on several trade fronts centered on Zach LaVine, including with the Utah Jazz and Philadelphia 76ers. Does this take-a-step-back move make DeMar DeRozan consider unrestricted free agency more strongly?”
But PHLY Sports’ doesn’t seem to be buying this idea just yet:
Neubeck would report: “I will reiterate here that the Sixers are not interested in pursuing Zach LaVine, per sources familiar with their thinking, in spite of reports connecting them to the Bulls’ star guard.”
Fischer’s reporting vibes similarly:
“LaVine remains merely a backup option for the Sixers, sources said, but not a player whom Philadelphia truly covets with the team’s ocean of cap space. If there’s any suitor for LaVine that seems most likely at this juncture, it would be the Kings.”
So if you’re tracking the Ingram and Caldwell-Pope markets, it seems their odds of becoming Sixers have each increased, even if they wouldn’t ultimately both land here.
Names like George, LaVine and OG don’t seem nearly as realistic. As for Jimmy Butler, I cannot imagine Riley would enjoy sending him to play with Embiid and Maxey and would try to move heaven and earth before he let that happen. But you never know.
