Tag: rumor

Paul George-Sixers free agency rumor tracker: Where will the nine-time All-Star end up? paul,george,sixers,free,agency,rumor,tracker,where,will,the,nine,time,all,star,end,up,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-analysis,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news,nba-rumors-news

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Buckle up Sixers’ fans.

Paul George has opted out of his $48.7M player option and is set to take some meetings this weekend. What the SoCal native decides to ultimately do next will begin a chain of dominoes around the NBA. Reports indicate he will meet with the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers sometime after 6 p.m. Sunday once rival teams can make their pitches to UFAs.

Teams like the Sixers and Magic can offer George up to $212M on a four-year deal. Because of the NBA’s over 38 rule, the Clippers can only offer him up to a max salary beginning in the same range, although L.A. — possessing PG’s Bird Rights — can offer 8 percent raises increasing the total to $221M. But they don’t seem to have any interest in even offering him a fourth year so far. Whether or not that’s a bluff and they’ll cave to his demands is yet to be determined.

Players like Klay Thompson, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DeMar DeRozan and a handful of multi-billion dollar franchises’ fates hang in the balance of what’s the 2024 summer version of “The Decision.”

George was rumored to be considering an extension with the Clippers at multiple points during this season and offseason. More recently, we also learned that he was considering opting in and seeking a trade. Well, neither of those materialized, and perhaps Daryl Morey and the Sixers’ $60M in cap space might have appeal, along with stars in place like Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey.

Here we’ll track some of the latest rumors before he makes his big decision.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, appearing on Sports Center:

Per Woj:

“Paul George has had a year to negotiate a deal with the Clippers that he wants to take and they’ve gone back and forth, certainly in the last several months…. He wants that fourth year on his contract, the Clippers have not offered it. And certainly he’s looking at that Clipper roster and asking himself too ‘are we a championship contender?’ All other factors. I think being in Southern California and being part of the Clippers as they go into the new Intuit Dome, I think those are things that are still very appealing to him but Philadelphia out in the marketplace, Orlando to an extent out in the marketplace for him, can offer him that fourth year. And Philadelphia certainly. Is there a clear path in the Eastern Conference to try to win? Although you still have to be able to go through Boston and Philly sees Paul George as a player that can help them get through the Celtics.”

According to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, there is more than a bit of room for optimism here.

Per Pompey:

“Sources believe Philly is the frontrunner to acquire the 6-foot-8, 220-pounder. However, the Orlando Magic, another potential destination, cleared up available cap space to offer the max. And you have to wonder if he’ll remain in Los Angeles if the Clippers give into his demands for a fourth year….If he comes to Philly, sources believe George will help recruit solid role players for the Sixers’ pursuit of an NBA championship-caliber roster.”

If the Sixers whiff on PG, they may continue to look at names above like KCP and Klay as free agents, although Thompson has now been connected with the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.

Pompey adds that Brandon Ingram is another possibility via trade:

“But the Pelicans are “unlikely” to offer a maximum salary and will look to trade him if no deal is reached. However, their asking price has been steep.”

The problem there is that Ingram isn’t as good as George, and would cost them significant draft capital to acquire. What more they can add with those picks should PG sign into Philly’s cap space will definitely be part of Daryl Morey’s pitch to George this weekend.

Chris Haynes of TNT and Bleacher Report thinks the Sixers are a legitimate threat in this race.

Monte Poole with NBCS, who covers the Golden State Warriors, believes the Clippers still have the inside track here.

With this much interest around the NBA, I can’t help but wonder if the Clippers don’t find SOME number in between their current three-year bid and the four-year max Philly and Orlando will likely offer — ultimately retaining PG.

Heck, the Clippers could always sign him and then turn around and try to trade him before February’s 2025 NBA Trade Deadline in exchange for some draft picks and maybe a young player or an expiring contract at least then, right? That all seems better than nothing. But then again, maybe PG would remember what happened once to Blake Griffin (signing a max then quickly getting shipped off to Detroit) and worry he’d later land somewhere far less preferable than Philadelphia and their live title aspirations.

If I were PG, weather, and family aside, I’d head to the Sixers. He’s already considered one of the best to ever do it. A championship ring on his finger would vault him way up that all-time ladder, and since Morey would still have up to four first-round picks to play around with, this would be his best chance to get there, in our biased opinion.

Game on.

We will continue to update this post as news develops over what’s set to become a landmark weekend for the Joel Embiid era.

Sixers free agency and trade rumor roundup: Warriors pushing for Paul George, Clippers on clock, Brandon Ingram’s price & Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Klay Thompson latest! sixers,free,agency,and,trade,rumor,roundup,warriors,pushing,for,paul,george,clippers,on,clock,brandon,ingram,s,price,kentavious,caldwell,pope,klay,thompson,latest,liberty,ballers,front-page,nba-free-agency,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news,76ers-trade-rumors

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The Sixers drafted a guard in Jared McCain in round one.

McCain already seems like a lot of fun, with an infectious personality and drive, reminiscent of the enchanting “he’ll smile dazzlingly while going full Mortal Kombat Kano fatality on you,” Tyrese Maxey.

McCain’s TikTok videos and nail polish all clearly belie a dude with an obvious hypomaniacal drive to perfect his footwork on movement triples. At 20 years old, the Duke product’s shooting form is already flawless, which makes it impossible not to reminisce about another Duke alum and former Sixer in JJ Redick — whose offseason and pregame form-work obsession was simply unmatched for the better part of two decades spanning the Lakers’ new head coach’s college freshman days as a Blue Devil through his final NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks.

In round two of the draft the Sixers selected big man, Adem “The Nigerian-Turkish Terminator” Bona, the hardest competitor in the entire draft (that nickname I cooked up isn’t working so you’d better help us workshop some better ones in the replies section below).

So with Joel Embiid, Maxey and McCain all penciled in, possessing options to retain Paul Reed, Jeff Downtin, Jr. and Ricky Council IV, they’ve got somewhere between 3-6 players in tow as Bona is still unsigned.

At 6 p.m. Eastern Sunday, teams can negotiate with rival free agents. Saturday is the deadline for Paul George, the NBA’s biggest story now, to opt in or out of his $48.7M player option with the Los Angeles Clippers.

What’s going to happen? Let’s get to the latest rumors.

KCP looking more and more likely to join the bell-ringing bunch

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope makes a lot of sense for the Sixers. He is currently what they once hoped Danny Green could be for them.

He’s a multi-time champion who plays stalwart D and knocks down over 40 percent from distance on roughly four tries per battle. He’s willing to dive and get dirty, and doesn’t need the rock to be effective. The price won’t be cheap, but he’s a terrific fit that won’t force Daryl Morey to put all of his eggs in one basket. By signing KCP to a $20-plus million dollar deal, it would still leave room to sign another high-end free agent or two, plus a big-time trade acquisition as well — since the Sixers have over $60M to spend.

Jayson Tatum sure wouldn’t be as thrilled to have to square off against KCP as he would have facing Kyle Lowry or Tyrese Maxey; neither would Jalen Brunson.

It does not sound as if the Nuggets intend to retain the Thomaston, Georgia native’s services:

According to Marc Stein, via recent Substack newsletter:

“Denver’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is emerging as one of the focal points of NBA free agency. A difference-maker, league sources say, who suddenly appears more likely than not to switch teams. The Orlando Magic and the Philadelphia 76ers, meanwhile, appear especially well-positioned to capitalize on Caldwell-Pope’s expected availability if they choose. The Nuggets have been unable to come to terms on a contract extension with Caldwell-Pope, who is expected to decline his $15.4 million player option for next season to become a free agent before this season’s marketplace officially opens Sunday at 6 PM ET.”

Stein mentioned that the reigning West champs, the Dallas Mavericks, are also interested in landing the former Georgia Bulldog, but Denver has little interest in helping a team that recently supplanted them in the conference pecking order. Dallas almost certainly doesn’t have the cap space to make a winning KCP bid so they’d need help from the Nuggets via sign-and-trade. That seems farfetched.

With Paul George’s situation in flux, this KCP-to-Philly scenario is beginning to feel more and more realistic by the hour.

Klay Thompson ring that bell brother?

Philadelphia 76ers v Golden State Warriors

Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images

Stein continued:

“[Klay] Thompson is said to be seeking a three-year deal at a minimum. The cap space teams [Philadelphia and Orlando] are believed to prefer shorter contract structures than Thompson covets but can offset that with higher dollar amounts than teams like the Nuggets and Mavericks can muster.”

More on Klay from The Athletic. Sam Amick and Anthony Slater combined to confirm reports that the Sixers have interest in the five-time All-Star and four-time NBA Champion sniper.

Per Amick and Slater:

“A league source said Philadelphia has interest in Thompson. If the Nuggets lose free-agent-to-be Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who has decided to decline his player option and enter the market, a league source said Denver has pegged Thompson as a possible replacement. Caldwell-Pope, as it were, is believed to be a strong possibility for Orlando. There are a handful of other rival teams also in play for Thompson, depending on his price tag.”

So if the Sixers were to sign KCP, that might diminish their ability to acquire Klay, creating scenarios where The Splash Brother lands in Denver (or Orlando). But Philly does sound interested in Thompson as a fallback plan, provided they could get him on a one or two-year deal; even if that short-term deal approached similar totals as the three-year iterations.

“Overpaying” for Klay (or KCP) on purpose, heading into a potential expiring contract by summer of ’25 or ’26 might also keep Philly’s big game-hunting options open since they’d have a solid player on a hefty short-term annual deal — helping to match for the next disgruntled star to seek a trade.

These types of “fallback plans” would also likely leave the Sixers more total spend if they intend to keep Kelly Oubre, Jr., De’Anthony Melton, or Buddy Hield; names expected to command more money than a Kyle Lowry or a Nico Batum.

So if Philadelphia executed a Jimmy Butler blockbuster by February via draft picks and large short term-deals for example, they might still be able to keep a few players on their current roster in addition; something they could probably not do if they sign Paul George outright next week.

And yeah, it’s no secret that Joel Embiid is simply dominant when there’s spacing around him, and who’s to say Thompson can’t thrive in a reduced role, as his catastrophic injuries wane further into the rearview mirror?

Brandon ‘Tiny Dog’ Ingram

New Orleans Pelicans v Philadelphia 76ers

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, a Liberty Ballers alum, offered the latest on Brandon Ingram — long connected to Philadelphia this offseason as another possible fallback plan.

Per Fischer:

“Ingram has been listed among Philadelphia’s targets this offseason, sources said, somewhere below George, although it’s not exactly clear where Ingram ranks among the Sixers’ proverbial group of wing targets to slot between Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. In the event George spurns Philadelphia, the Sixers could easily acquire Ingram into their $60-plus million in cap space, but could Philly’s three first-round picks prove enough for Ingram?”

This is the first I’ve heard of a potential price tag discussed regarding Ingram to Philly.

It’s my current understanding that the Sixers can trade up to four first round-picks: 2026 (their own or the HOU/LAC/OKC pick), 2028 (their own or LAC’s), 2029, 2031.

They’d have to put some conditional language on the 2029 and 2031 picks, but there are swaps and possible second-rounders (which still occasionally hold considerable value as evidenced by day two of the 2024 NBA Draft). If Ingram could be had for three future firsts, would the Sixers pony up? If so, they’d still have some draft ammo remaining, as well as another ~$30Mish in cap space to work with. Former Lakers’ BI and KCP to P anyone?

High-stakes PG-13 game of chicken

LA Clippers v Philadelphia 76ers

Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

Alas, no roundup is complete without the deluge of speculation regarding Paul George’s future.

According to Hoops Hype, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently offered the following, on a “Brian Windhorst & the Hoop Collective” pod:

“To my mind, there’s only three real options that I know about that Paul George really has. Stay in LA, which I would still put as the highest percentage chance of happening. Stay in LA for similar to what Kawhi got. Opt-in and trade, probably to the Warriors. The Warriors I know are interested in this. Third, sign straight up with the Sixers.”

And it’s sounding more and more like the Golden State Warriors could offer PG a max extension worth north of $212M should he opt in by Saturday — then quickly extend him upon trade; as well as the opportunity to remain on the West Coast — something that is reportedly quite important to the Cali native, who has family there.

But the Clippers may not want to take on Andrew Wiggins’ lengthy and exorbitant price tag. That makes Wigz a third-team trade candidate and has the Dubs playing some real hardball with the 2022 champ, apparently barring Maple Jordan from even taking part in the Olympic games, fearing an injury that could derail trade talks.

Still, Stein emphasizes that Steph Curry’s team is basically all-in on landing PG here.

The Golden State Warriors could also choose to guarantee Chris Paul’s $30M 2024-2025 salary and use him as trade bait.

But that doesn’t mean Clips’ owner Steve Ballmer and Team Prez Lawrence Frank have to cooperate in helping a Conference rival.

According to The Athletic’s John Hollinger:

“The cleanest way to do this would be to guarantee Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins, except that would cap the Clippers at the first apron and make it impossible for them to re-sign James Harden. A simpler pathway would be to cut Paul and aggregate Wiggins, Gary Payton II and Moses Moody; the Warriors can also trade up to two first-round picks and three pick swaps to bait the hook for LA.

However, several other options exist if you prowl deeper in the weeds; for instance, it’s possible to do a Paul-Payton-Moody deal with the Clippers for George, trade Kevon Looney to a third team and get under the apron that way. Even more options exist if a Wiggins side deal emerges. The new complication of the tax apron has made putting together blockbusters a much more tangled, confusing business than it was 12 months ago.”

So the NBA world, Golden State, L.A., Philadelphia, and Orlando, in particular (but who knows what other teams may be lying in wait to pounce) will wait and see what George does next.

His opt in deadline is now a matter of hours away and this thing could be finalized swiftly, or drag on into the season. If the Clippers call PG’s bluff and he does opt out, would they then cave in and offer him a four-year, $200M deal, and then look to shop him between July and February?

Or even just keep him in the fold, new CBA-be-damned if they like how the team looks by Christmas?

Would they just take whatever deal the Warriors come up with in order to avoid a worst-case scenario where they get nothing, George walks, and Frank has to sell Leonard on a cap-space pipe dream by 2026?

We’re watching the clock closely on PG. And we’re starting to get a sense for what fallback plans may be in place for Joel Embiid and co. I’d be lying if I said it’s safe to feel too comfy about any one scenario playing out.

But my gut says the Clippers are smart enough to find some way to get something back for PG here. That helps the Warriors who should probably considered the favorites to land PG if he moves; and that should really limit Morey’s chances of hitting a cap-space homerun here. But still we’re in a holding pattern for good reason.

Sixers rumor roundup: Has interest in Paul George really waned? Plus more on Kyle Lowry, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope sixers,rumor,roundup,has,interest,in,paul,george,really,waned,plus,more,on,kyle,lowry,kentavious,caldwell,pope,liberty,ballers,front-page

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On Sunday afternoon we got a pair of reports from Marc Stein, via Substack and Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Within each report there is key intel confirming much of what we recently speculated about Paul George’s situation and dispelling the notion the team’s true interest in the nine-time All-Star has “significantly wanted.”

It wasn’t difficult to buy the idea that George may opt into his $48.7M one-year deal and seek trade and a max extension. But it was hard to believe the Sixers’ interest in signing George to a four-year $212M max deal had suddenly cooled — if he opted out and hit free agency.

Stein and Pompey’s reports are similar and lend credence to our prior hypothesis. We also got more intriguing updates on names like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brandon Ingram, OG Anunoby and a couple other names we’ve been following in connection to Philadelphia.

With the 2024 NBA Draft now just a few days away, let’s get to the free agency and trade rumors.

Kyle Lowry

First off, we’ve heard numerous times now that the Sixers are hoping to keep Kyle Lowry. Stein, a former NY Times reporter, dropped a loaded Sixers-centric edition of his Substack newsletter:

“I’ve been hearing for weeks now that the Clippers- even though Russell Westbrook possesses a $4M player option for next season- have interest in both [Chris] Paul and Kyle Lowry to supply backcourt depth. Lowry, though is a Philadelphia native who is widely expected to re-sign with the 76ers.”

And Pompey echoes much of the same sentiment.

Paul George via cash or trade, anyone?

According to Pompey, the idea that the Sixers’ interest in PG has “significantly waned” simply doesn’t add up:

“Clippers swingman Paul George had been listed as the Sixers’ top free-agent target for some time before Thursday’s report about their interest having “significantly waned.” But that doesn’t make sense, considering the nine-time All-Star fits with Embiid and Maxey and how long the Sixers coveted him…..

He has until [June 29] to opt into his $48.8 million contract for next season or become an unrestricted free agent. The Clippers can offer him a four-year, $221 million deal. However, they haven’t been willing to offer more than the three years, $152.3 million they gave Kawhi Leonard. The problem is George wants a four-year deal. The Sixers and other squads can offer four years and around $212 million.”

Stein’s sources apparently feel the same way:

“I am struggling to pinpoint third-party teams that put much stock in the recent leakage suggesting that the 76ers have cooled on the idea of pursuing George. Only the Sixers know their true intentions, but let’s just say there will be a healthy bit of skepticism leaguewide about the Sixers bowing out completely until PG-13 has either come to terms with the Clippers or landed somewhere other than Philly.”

Stein reiterates prior reports indicating George would like to remain in SoCal, where the Palmdale native grew up. But like some have reported in the past, Stein says the Clippers remain reluctant to “extend George a longer or richer deal than Kawhi Leonard’s recent three-year contract extension in the $150M range has put George’s future in legitimate flux.”

So no surprises there but the closer we get to next Saturday (PG’s deadline to opt in or out) without news that PG has opted in should be music to Morey’s ears. Philadelphia’s chances to nab PG for cash (and not have to use picks to trade for him, should he opt in) will have increased dramatically in that scenario.

Would PG opting in preclude Morey from landing him?

Pompey continued:

“One option for George is a sign-and-trade with the Clippers to a destination he desires. Los Angeles, which doesn’t have a first-round pick, would most likely ask for one in a package deal.

The Sixers could include the No. 16 pick and consider even adding Tobias Harris via a sign-and-trade as part of a package. L.A. has some level of interest in Harris, a soon-to-be free agent and former Clipper, according to a league source. And if George opts to become a free agent, don’t rule out Philly going after him.”

Philadelphia would obviously prefer to just sign PG to a max, and retain their picks. But if the former Pacer, Thunder, and current Clipper opts in, the idea of expending precious draft assets to acquire him, all before committing a max salary extension to the 34-year-old would be the instance The Athletic’s Shams Charania talked about on Friday, where the 76ers’ interest has really cooled off.

My guess is Morey, Elton Brand and Co. would still be over the moon if the type of proposal Pompey lays out (no. 16 and Tobias Harris via sign-and-trade, lol) were available to them.

The problem is first George would have to be amendable to coming to the Sixers (news from Briain Windhorst he’s likely to opt in indicates he most likely isn’t keen to) and Los Angeles would also have to prefer a Philly package to likely better offers from rivals.

Beware of the CAA Knicks

You’ve heard of the Nova Knicks. But there’s also the CAA Knicks.

PG has at times been connected to the Knicks simply because he is repped by CAA, and the former top agent for that company happens to be the current Knicks President, Leon Rose.

That’s a scenario I worried about from the Sixers’ POV back in early May since PG shares an agent in Aaron Mintz with Jalen Brunson. Jake Fischer, for Yahoo Sports, at the end of May reported that perhaps LeBron James as well as multiple players could be concerned with Joel Embiid’s future playoff availability too making Morey’s job here more challenging. Brunson doesn’t carry quite the same concerns, even if Embiid is the better player when healthy.

Heck, the Knicks could even look to pay OG Anunoby, and still acquire PG via trade by offloading a few of Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson (recently rumored to be in trade offers already), Bojan Bogdanovic, and perhaps (I’m speculating) Deuce McBride.

Per Marc Stein:

“Another trusted source has advised me to keep the Knicks on the list as a potential trade suitor for George if the All-NBA swingman indeed opts into the final season of his current contract at 48.8M. That would position George to push for a trade to another team.”

OG Anunoby

Per Pompey:

“OG Anunoby’s situation with the New York Knicks is something to pay close attention to as well. The Knicks unrestricted free agent reportedly isn’t happy with what the team is offering him to stay. Could the Sixers entice him with a maximum-salary contract and a larger offensive role than he has in New York?”

Per Stein:

“The Knicks, despite some recent murmurs about Anunoby considering his options elsewhere, have been painted as a strong favorite to re-sign the former Toronto Raptor since acquiring him in late December.”

So the Knicks, the team who eliminated a banged-up Joel Embiid-led Sixers group in round one, continue to be a large pain in the neck here for Philly.

The Knicks may be waiting to see if a team like the Sixers or Orlando Magic (the 2023-2024 playoff teams with the most cap space available next month) forces their hand in paying OG a max. If the Sixers cannot land PG, they may try to do just that and at least force Rose to pony up a max for the former Hoosier.

Pompey says the Sixers have three top FA options. Most likely he’s referring to LeBron, PG and OG. LeBron, it appears, is most likely staying with the Lakers. But if PG and OG are also two of the Sixers’ top free-agent targets, Morey will certainly hope he can get at least one.

Because if he can’t…

Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram

Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler and Pelicans’ former All-Star Brandon Ingram as trade targets could be the next on their list.

Per Pompey:

“They could also try to trade for Miami Heat six-time All-Star forward Jimmy Butler or New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. The return of former Sixers forward Jimmy Butler, now with Miami, isn’t out of the question as a player the Sixers could pursue in a trade deal.”

And Stein echoes the sentiment — adding that BI being on the trade block is a safer bet than Butler being available.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Denver Nuggets v Philadelphia 76ers

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

And going further down the list, I suppose….

Per Pompey:

“Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could be an affordable role-playing option the Sixers would like if the shooting guard opts out of a $15.4 million deal with the Denver Nuggets. However, the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls are also expected to go after the two-time NBA champion.”

And Stein talked about this idea as well.

“Sources say Philadelphia and Orlando are weighing runs at Caldwell-Pope with their cap space, if, as increasingly expected, he declines his $15.4 million player option with the Nuggets to enter free agency and field richer offers.”

Privately, on Liberty Ballers’ chat circuits we’ve been wondering why the Sixers weren’t connected to KCP even more than they have been. But that appears to be changing as his name keeps coming up lately. Yahoo’s Jake Fischer named him as a fall-back plan in May. And recently ESPN’s Zach Lowe wondered about this idea of KCP to Philly as well.

I suppose if they indeed whiff on PG, OG, and others, if they can’t land a Jimmy or BI….the two-way offguard becomes more and more likely of a salary-cap acquisition. If I were KCP’s Klutch Sports agent, Rich Paul, I’d certainly tell KCP to wait and see if Philly whiffs on PG and OG before taking any low-ball extension offers from Denver.

Same may go for this next dude….

Klay Thompson

Philadelphia 76ers v Golden State Warriors

Photo by Kavin Mistry/Getty Images

Per Pompey:

“The Sixers could also gamble on Klay Thompson, who will be an unrestricted free agent. The five-time All-Star shooting guard is coming off a five-year, $189.9 million deal with the Golden State Warriors.

Thompson reportedly wants at least a three-year contract. But that could be a tough sell for a 34-year-old, who lost his starting spot late in the season and is two years removed from knee and Achilles tendon injuries.”

Klay, now 34 years old, will turn 35 in February. The four-time champ can’t move as well as he used to, but maybe he’d make a solid fallback option if everything else begins to fall apart.

So plenty to unpack. But here’s what you can be pretty sure of: Tyrese Maxey is almost certainly going to get a $205M max extension at some point this summer.

If the Sixers have their way, it’ll be well after they sign a star like PG to a max deal — despite recent Shams’ reports hinting at the contrary

I think despite recent reports, the Sixers’ Plan A is still to sign one of LeBron James, Paul George or OG Anunoby. Of the three, George seems the most likely to change teams.

If they can’t lure one of those three with a max, they’ll likely look at the price tags on trade candidates Jimmy Butler and Brandon Ingram.

If PG opts in, as Pompey hints, they may look to land him via sign-and-trade or simply acquire him and then extend mid-season— for even more money in total than they can pay him July 1. In that instance, at least the Clippers get something, and PG will make even more money in total.

But yeah, beware of the Knicks going all in this summer, cashing in some of their future draft picks haul, and acquiring two of the current Sixers’ top targets.

Sixers rumor roundup: Paul George, Brandon Ingram, Jimmy Butler, OG Anunoby, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Zach LaVine sixers,rumor,roundup,paul,george,brandon,ingram,jimmy,butler,og,anunoby,kentavious,caldwell,pope,zach,lavine,liberty,ballers,front-page,76ers-free-agency-rumors-news

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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.

Sixers free agency rumor roundup: An absolute gallon of fuel dumped on the PG-to-the-Sixers’ fire sixers,free,agency,rumor,roundup,an,absolute,gallon,of,fuel,dumped,on,the,pg,to,the,sixers,fire,liberty,ballers,front-page

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New day, new deluge of Sixers rumors to get to. The 2024 NBA Draft is now less than a week away. Unlike last season, when Daryl Morey was going radio silent on James Harden hoping he’d opt into his one-year player option, teams are now legally allowed to negotiate with their own free agents.

But the Clippers haven’t appeared to gain any traction on keeping their nine-time All-Star, Paul George. (Emoji eyes).

Let’s do a Sixers rumor roundup focused solely on the SoCal native’s potential relocation to Philly.

Photo by Jim Cowsert/NBAE via Getty Images

Okay, so you already know Embiid stole NBA Finals headlines by recruiting PG with a dashing and mischievous smile on national TV days before Boston put the finishing touches on the Mavs.

That marked somewhat of a key change in Embiid’s offseason demeanor. He was no longer staying silent or looking for mere #dawgs like P.J. Tucker. Now he has his sights set on a much bigger fish.

Recent local L.A. reporting

According to Tomer Azarly for ClutchPoints, June 19:

“…there is no indication the Clippers are prepared to drop a max … that offer has not been on the table in recent months and there’s nothing to indicate that line of thinking has changed….George feels that he’s still worth a max contract and, as one league source told ClutchPoints, that Leonard’s three-year, $150 million shouldn’t affect his own.”

Mirjam Swanson, from the SoCal Nes Group, believes the Clippers and George are heading toward a divorce: “that’s why it’s starting to feel, after staring at the tea leaves trying to stitch together a predictive pattern for the past few months, like they’re headed for a divorce.”

The columnist working the Clips beat added, as recently as June 20:

“The 76ers, who are among the collection of teams in contention mode, could – and pretty clearly would – offer George a max deal of four years and $212.2 million. So could the Magic, with whom George could flourish, playing relatively pressure-free basketball – and, in either scenario, paying significantly less state income tax than he would in California.

The Clippers know this. And they’re letting it be known that they’re fine with it.

Perhaps they’re assuming the Palmdale product will find it in his heart to take a hometown discount? I don’t know, though. It’s not been the warmest homecoming; the guy gets booed every time he appears on a Jumbotron outside of Crypto.com Arena….”

Another local voice, Justin Russo, via Substack, sang a similar tune as Azarly and Swanson.

Per Russo, some sourced intel, from Juneteenth:

“[Kawhi Leonard’s January extension] left George out in the cold, awaiting his own fresh deal. It has yet to come, and sources tell Russo Writes at the time of this writing that the two sides…. have grown no closer to agreeing on a new contract for the 34-year-old.”

“…as was first reported by yours truly at Russo Writes in April, George told a rival player late in the season that money is what matters the most to him during these negotiations, not playing close to home.”

George has until June 29 to decide on his player option. At the moment of this writing, George is likely to decline it, a source not authorized to speak publicly on the matter tells Russo Writes.

“..it feels like the marriage is ready to dissolve….”

Did you catch that line? PG told a rival player late in the year that money talks, not playing close to home. (Double emoji eyes).

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently speculated that the Clips think PG is “bluffing” about wanting the money and being willing to leave. Russo’s report suggests otherwise.

National voices weigh in

On a June 19 pod where Marc Stein hosted Chris Haynes, Haynes reminded us that with a new arena opening this coming season the Clippers “…. want all their horses in the fold. They want to have a championship-caliber team going into that arena for next season…” but Haynes adds that PG leaving would be a game changer. In that scenario, Haynes could even see the team pivoting to a name like DeMar DeRozan, another L.A. native.

Stein adds ice water: “I can’t see George leaving…but… they clearly want Paul George to come in under the max, …they clearly want George at their price….” and Stein reminds listeners that hasn’t happened yet.

From PG himself

And of course, amid all of this speculation, George, perhaps in negotiation mode, is doing little to make either side feel extra comfortable.

One nugget now going viral was delivered from PG two weeks ago on the “Podcast P with Paul George.”

Former Blazers’ star Zach Randolph references the Daryl Morey-James Harden divorce as an example of an organization not being straight up with a player.

Minutes after Z-Bo’s point, after discussing his own experiences with perceived front office betrayals, George adds, on the general subject of F.O. chicanery:

“Believe it or not like, players talk, you know what I mean. And then reputations go around, like, ‘hey man, I don’t know about going to this place, because they shit, watch yo’ back, you know what I mean?’ That’s the conversations you have.”

So no, he wasn’t directly responding to the Morey-Harden thing. But you don’t have to use mental telepathy to piece together what Harden has expressed to PG about his own recent divorce with the Sixers’ current President of B-Ball Ops. The question is, would PG care enough to take less? And if so, how much less?

Money talks

According to Spotrac, PG has about $305,332,086M in career earnings. Celebrity Net Worth has ventured he’s worth an estimated $90M.

So if C.N.W is even remotely on the scent here, it makes sense why an extra $30-$40M would sway PG. (If you had $90K in the bank, your last great chance to add an additional $30K, regardless of your career-to-date earnings, might be very important to you.)

If Morey dropped a $212M offer at the first second of free agency making clear PG is his top priority, while the Clippers came in with a significantly lower figure, adhering to some invisible pecking order where PG is beneath Leonard, maybe PG could find a way to trust Daryl. Too bad the Sixers couldn’t offer PG an expiring two-year no-trade-clause.

***OR*** maybe PG is already sick of Harden, lol, get this…

The Athletic’s Law Murray appeared on The Athletic NBA show. Murray thinks he loves L.A. and that his body performs better in warm weather but wants the team to get younger. “But I think Paul wants his money,” Murray concludes.

So is PG sick of Harden already?

PG on play style

PG was asked about what he’s prioritizing with FA on the horizon:

“For sure contributing to winning basketball. I mean at this point… It’s not even about… Like people are saying, ‘chasing a championship.’ Like, it’s not that. But it’s playing the right style of basketball is what I’m chasing.”

The quintessential 3-and-D wing added more context that all seems a bit “anti-Beard:”

“We started the year off rolling, we started year off hot….

“And then we traded to get James [Harden] and it’s not James’ fault of why I think we struggled, but the lost part of that was we lost [Robert Covington] we lost Nico [Batum]. Those were our glue guys….So again, it had nothing to do with grabbing James, it was more so losing those guys. KJ Martin as well…. RoCo was huge for us. Nico was huge for us. So you plug those guys around myself, Kawhi, and [Russell Westbrook] they did a lot of the dirty work. And now you grab James, who is super talented offensively, now myself, Kawhi, we become the dirty guys. Now we have to score too. I think it was just a lot that we were trying to balance and manage at that point.

“But again, it had nothing to do with James. James I thought was awesome for us.”

Lol, Not that there’s anything wrong with James! He’s a fine player!

We’ve come a long way

In early May, Shams Charania reported that “this Clippers team fully intends to keep this group together, they want to bring back Paul George as a free agent or give him an extension, but they have not been able to reach an agreement….”

A week later, Shams shared that people around the NBA “have the belief” George wants to remain a Clipper.

PG himself even noted he’d love to have his jersey retired in both Indy and L.A.

Adrian Wojnarowski also reported on May 29 that the Boats are “determined to keep” the 14-year vet.

Jake Fischer, for Yahoo, on May 24 reported:

“The Clippers, sources said, remain hopeful through continuous dialogue that George and his representatives will agree to terms with his incumbent franchise.” But Fischer added that if there is no max, PG might walk. He also reported: “Rival teams and agents are conducting business, sources said, under the impression the Clippers aren’t keen on committing to guaranteed money beyond the three-year window of Leonard’s deal that runs through 2026-27.”

Now this….

Conclusion

If the Clippers are hoping or assuming PG will give them a hometown discount, it’s one very dangerous game they’re playing.

In the three-plus weeks since top dogs Woj, Shams and Fischer made clear L.A. wants to keep this group together, it feel as if everything has shifted. Or nothing has shifted, and that’s a really big deal.

Are the Clippers reluctant but secretly willing to pay full price, in mere hopes of getting him on a lower all-in number? A “Tobias Harris special” maybe? Remember, (or better yet forget) Harris in 2019 was eligible to sign a $197M five-year deal but he ultimately signed for $180M. Is that something the Clippers might have in mind? $180M for four years? What if they offered $195? Would that get it done? In similar situations with Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, the Clippers benefitted from the star player opting in then being traded — allowing L.A. to at least recoup assets and flexibility. That’s how they got Kawhi and PG in the first place. Perhaps that’s what they’d like most.

Has PG been communicating to them that there is a number below a max but he doesn’t want to play with Harden anymore? Would letting James walk and keeping PG be the cleanest way to alleviate these second-apron hell concerns?

Every day that passes (with no bomb that they’re going to make him a truly competitive offer) must ring like a silent symphony to Morey and Embiid’s star-hunting ears.

There is so much smoke to this fire that I almost feel compelled to wrap it up with a dead fish prediction: the Sixers are still highly unlikely to land PG, and if they do they’ll be highly unlikely to win a title. That’s the safest bet, sadly. If PG wants to stay, and they want him, chances are they will settle upon some large figure that satisfies all parties. And there’s always other teams lurking.

But holy shit, the Sixers might really get Paul George, and still keep some of their five draft picks. What do you think, maybe 30 percent?