Category: Rumors

Report: Hawks ‘have discussed’ Steven Adams as potential trade target

Per The Athletic, Steven Adams ‘has been discussed’ as a player the Atlanta Hawks could pursue via trade in an effort to help at center.

Thus far things have been fairly quiet on the trade front since the restrictions on free-agents singed over the summer were lifted on December 15.

But that doesn’t mean that discussions haven’t been going on in front offices across the league.

Oklahoma City has made it known that Chris Paul, Danilo Gallinari, and Steven Adams are available to be traded. Paul so far hasn’t drawn any interest, but Adams has apparently caught the eye of a team in the East.

Per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Hawks General Manager Travis Schlenk “told season tickets holders the team will have to address the center position in the coming months”. To do that, one of the players Atlanta has its eyes on in Oklahoma City big man, Steven Adams.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Oklahoma City is open to accepting the higher salaries that teams want to move, including long-term deals. The Thunder’s Steven Adams is one of those players who could be dealt before the deadline, and he is someone who has been discussed by the Hawks, according to a source inside the organization.

A trade for Adams would be appealing for the Hawks because Adams is slated to make $27 million before becoming a free agent in 2021, which, as noted by Kirschner “would not impact the Hawks during what could be a loaded free agency class”.

That being said, to give up Adams, Sam Presti would certainly want something significant in return.

Should Atlanta want to move forward in a deal for Adams, Kirschner believes that the player the Hawks would be most likely to part with would be Chandler Parsons, “because the salaries would match.”

Parsons is making $25 million this year and will hit unrestricted free agency this summer.

Atlanta does have a first-round draft pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, but don’t get too excited, Kirschner doesn’t think that the Hawks would be willing to part with it unless it got them a bonafide NBA star in return.

Chris Paul’s big contract a big problem for potential trades

Chris Paul is set to make almost $80 million over the next two seasons, which could keep CP3 with the Oklahoma City Thunder through the end of 2019-20.

Oklahoma City may make Chris Paul available during the trade period, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily going anywhere.

It’s no secret that Paul’s contract makes him tough to trade. The Thunder ran into that issue over the summer when they were unable to make a deal to send the 14-year veteran to Miami.

At 34-years-old, age isn’t helping CP3 any either.

But the hope in Oklahoma City has been that Paul would get off to a great start, that potential playoff teams would need some help and, ultimately, that a deal would be able to get done. However, it appears league executives don’t believe that is going to be the case.

According to Tim Haberstroh of NBC Sports, the consensus around the NBA is that Paul will end this season exactly where he started – in Oklahoma City, due in part to his “enormous contract”:

After polling executives, the league-wide sense is that Paul will remain with the Thunder this season simply because of his enormous contract. While it’s theoretically possible that Paul could agree to turn down his $44 million player option for 2021-22 to grease the wheels on a potential trade, right now, that is the longest of long shots.

Thanks to Paul being the president of the players’ union, Haberstroh also notes, the optics of turning down such a sizable option wouldn’t look particularly good:

Besides overcoming the idea of giving up 44 million buckaroos, Paul is also the president of the players’ union and it would be a bad look to set that precedent of turning down that amount of money to make it more palatable to a team.

As pointed out by Bleacher Report, Paul is set to make just under $80 million over the next two seasons ($79.7 million, to be exact), and “holds a $44.2 million option for 2021-22.”

Currently, Paul is averaging 15.7 points and 6.1 assists for the Thunder, shooting right around 45% from the field.

Oklahoma City, though not expected to contend for the playoffs, is currently in seventh place in the Western Conference standings with the Kings and the Suns.

Rumor: Sam Presti could ‘be allowed to leave’ for Knicks

Presti’s name has been mentioned in conjunction with the New York Knicks front office. He’s has been the GM of the Thunder since 2007.

Chris Paul, Steven Adams, and Danilo Gallinari might not be the only members of the Oklahoma City Thunder organization that are rumored to be available.

Executive Vice President and General Manager, Sam Presti, could be as well.

Although clearly not a trade, Presti’s name has been mentioned previously in conjunction with the front office of the New York Knicks, and now, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Presti’s relationship with Thunder owner Clay Bennett is such that Bennett would be “unlikely to block Presti” if he wanted to move on from Oklahoma City.

Bondy hinted at the Knicks’ interested in Presti back in November, and said that should James Dolan move to fire then head coach David Fizdale that “president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry would then find themselves in the crosshairs”.

Fizdale was fired on December 12.

According to Sports Illustrated, both Bondy and Ian Bagley of SNY have stated that Dolan’s first choice for the front office would be Raptors General Manager, Masai Ujiri, however, if Ujiri can’t be lured away from Toronto, Presti could be their next target.

Presti has been the general manager of the Thunder since 2007.

Report: Chris Paul and Steven Adams among players on the trading block

The rebuilding Thunder probably won’t hesitate to trade away some of their veterans. That includes both Chris Paul and Steven Adams, according to The Ringer.

In recent years, December 15 has become regarded as the unofficial beginning to NBA trade season, as that date is when players who signed free agency deals the preceding summer can be traded.

As the date approaches this season, Chris Paul, Steven Adams and Danilo Gallinari have been made available, according to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor.

The news should come as no surprise, as the three veteran players have remained productive in their own rights. Still, none of the three seem to fit with a rebuilding team, which Oklahoma City appears to be. That designation is a bit interesting, though, as the Thunder enter play on December 10 as the seventh seed in the Western Conference.

Not many would consider the club to be a championship contender, though, so it would make sense that Sam Presti would be open to moving the veterans out if he thought it would give him the means to rebuild the team around some of its younger pieces, including, perhaps, 21-year-old Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The following comes from O’Connor’s An Early Primer for NBA Trade Season:

The Thunder are just 11-12, but that’s good enough today for the 7-seed in the West. Despite their moderate success, plans haven’t changed; Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, and other veterans are all available, according to league sources…

The Thunder could be used as a facilitator to take on a salary in a multiple-team trade, or simply take back big salaries in return if it means receiving more assets. Cap space is scarce across the league, and teams are already looking to dump salaries to open space for the loaded 2021 free-agent class, headlined by Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Over the years, if there’s one thing Presti has been—aside from stellar—it’s proactive. Although not all of his moves have worked out in his favor, the trades involving James Harden, Reggie Jackson, Serge Ibaka, Paul George and Russell Westbrook were each done somewhat proactively.

Although Paul is the most accomplished of the mentioned players, he remains the most difficult to move because he stands to earn almost $86 million next season and the following. He could obviously help a team win, but not many clubs are believed to be clamoring to add that kind of salary to their books because Paul will be 37 years old by the time his current deal ends.

As December 15 approaches, however, one should certainly expect that Presti will be working the phones. Traditionally, he hasn’t been afraid to roll the dice, and with O’Connor’s report, it appears that this season will be no exception should the opportunity present itself.

Billy Donovan has had ‘no conversations’ about a Gallinari trade

The Thunder head coach addressed the situation surrounding Gallinari on Wednesday prior to the team’s loss 107-100 to the Pacers.

The rumor mill has been churning around the clock in Oklahoma City since July when the Thunder traded away Paul George and Russell Westbrook in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, Chris Paul and a boatload of future draft picks.

Paul has been constantly mentioned in potential trades. Steven Adams has also gotten a lot of chatter. And as the December 15th date draws closer, it’s Gallinari’s name that is picking up steam.

Gallo was never expected to be in Oklahoma City for long. He’s been considered a potential target for teams looking to make a playoff push ever since he got to OKC.

Prior to Wednesday’s game against the Pacers, Billy Donovan was asked about the likelihood of Oklahoma City trading Gallinari. He told Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman that as of now, he doesn’t know anything.

“I’ve had no conversations with anybody about that,” Donovan said. “My feeling has always been that all these guys that are here, that they’ll be here. I coach just like that. But in terms of future plans, I have no idea.”

Gallo certainly didn’t seem deterred by any trade rumors. He went out and scored 18 points in OKC’s 107-100 loss to Indianapolis, hitting a career-high four 3-pointers in the third quarter.

His play goes to Donovan’s point that these guys are professionals and potential trades and rumors are part of the gig as NBA players.

“If you’re focused on things that are out of your control, you’re not gonna necessarily be able to do anything very well,” Donovan said. “So, all the things that we’ve discussed here are out of my control, out of their control.”

Through the first 20 games of the season, Gallinari has been one of the most consistent scorers in the Thunder’s lineup, although his numbers are slightly below what they were last year with the Clippers.

Gallo is averaging 18.5 points and 5.6 rebounds a game which shooting 45% from the floor.

NBA Rumors: Could Portland be interested in trade for Danilo Gallinari?

Gallinari has shown himself to be a capable stretch four, which is what the Trail Blazers need to complement their explosive back court.

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Surprise, surprise. Danilo Gallinari’s name has come up in trade rumors again.

Every since Gallo came to Oklahoma City as part of the blockbuster deal for Paul George in July, his tenure with the Thunder has had an expected expiration date.

It’s not really surprising, to be honest. The better he plays during the early part of the season, the more his name is going to get tossed around as a potential player on the move.

And Gallinari has been really good as of late.

He’s second on the team in scoring at 18.6 points per game. His three-point play has been a huge boost to a Thunder team that hasn’t shot three’s well in recent years. Gallinari is hitting 43.7% of his shots from the perimeter, which is sixth-best in the NBA.

Which makes it reasonable to believe that the Portland Trailblazers would be interested in acquiring him.

Per The Ringer’s Paolo Uggetti, Portland may be on the lookout for a big man they can bring in after suffering roster turnovers and inconvenient injuries. Gallo could be the perfect fit.

“Danilo Gallinari is another trade candidate who could fit in well with this team. He would be the perfect stretch 4 to play with Portland’s deadly backcourt. And while it’s unclear what Oklahoma City’s ultimate goals are for this season, Gallinari and his expiring contract could be a tasty asset for Sam Presti to try to swap for another first-round pick.”

Inquisitor’s JB Baruelo likewise believes that Portland could be a good landing spot for Gallinari, should the Thunder still be committed to an overhaul.

“Gallinari would be an incredible addition to the Trail Blazers, giving them an All-Star-caliber power forward who could serve as their third-best scoring option behind Lillard and McCollum. Having a floor-spacing big man like Gallinari would further improve the Trail Blazers’ offensive efficiency, which currently ranks 10th in the league.”

The question is, would a first-round pick being enough to entice Presti to move a guy that has been so integral so far this season. It might have to be.

As Baruelo points out, ‘trading him for future draft assets before the 2020 February NBA trade deadline would be their best option, rather than letting him walk away in the 2020 NBA free agency as an unrestricted free agent without getting anything in return.”