Tag: Rumors

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.

Why trading Chris Paul for Eric Bledsoe makes sense for OKC

Brian Sampson of Forbes suggests that trading Paul for Bledsoe gives the Bucks a veteran guard while clearing cap space for Oklahoma City.

The original plan when bringing in Chris Paul was to try and trade him immediately.

When that didn’t pan out the way that Oklahoma City intended, plan B was to hold on to him and hope that he would get off to a stellar start while teams that could be in need of CP3’s service were somewhat sluggish and would need him to help push for a postseason run.

With the way things have shaken out across the NBA over the first month of the season, the trade market for Paul looks exceptionally dry.

But there are still teams were a deal could be mutually beneficial. One of those potential landing spots: the Bucks.

Here’s why a trade between Milwaukee and the Thunder makes sense:

As noted by Brian Sampson of Forbes, from the Bucks perspective, trading Paul for Eric Bledsoe is an upgrade at the position.

“The fit would be pretty good. Despite his advanced age, Paul would stabilize the point guard position. It’s a coin flip to decide who’s better, but he doesn’t go through the extreme highs and lows Bledsoe does.”

Sampson points out that Paul could play alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo since “he showed in Houston he can play second fiddle when necessary”.

So what would Oklahoma City get out of the deal?

Bledsoe, a guard that’s in his 12th year in the league, brings a veteran presence. He’s four years younger than Paul, as so far this season, his numbers are fairly comparable.

Through 12 games, Bledsoe is averaging 15.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 27.1 minutes per game. He’s also shooting 46.7% from the floor.

The biggest thing that OKC would get, however, is the freeing up of their salary cap space.

JB Baruelo of Inquisitr adds that trading Paul for Bledsoe would allow the Thunder to move some of their younger talent, like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, into the forefront, “focusing on their development”.

The biggest snag in this potential deal would be if Bledsoe alone would be enough for the Thunder to move CP3. Considering everything Oklahoma City had to give up, it wouldn’t be shocking if Sam Presti wanted more than a single player to offset the experience and guidance that Chris Paul provides.

NBA Rumors: Sam Presti a candidate in potential Knicks front office overhaul?

Could Sam Presti be a potential candidate for the Knicks if James Dolan decide to make changes in New York’s front office?

Rumors about trades and deals have been swirling around the Oklahoma City Thunder for months, ever since General Manager Sam Presti negotiated deals to send away OKC’s top two stars in Paul George and Russell Westbrook.

It seems no one has been immune to gossip. As it turns out, neither is Presti.

There’s a lot to unpack, but first, as difficult as a rebuild in Oklahoma City could be, at least the Thunder aren’t the New York Knicks.

The saga of James Dolan and David Fizdale continued this week, thanks in part to the Knicks’ 120-102 blowout loss to Chicago. Although they recovered nicely with a win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night, Fizdale is still considered to be on the hot seat, especially following the team’s previous loss to the Bulls—one in which rookie Coby White outscored the entire Knicks team by himself in the fourth quarter of the contest.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News believes that if Dolan moves to fire Fizdale during the regular season, it could also jeopardize the status of those in the front office. Should a scenario unfold where team president Steve Mills or GM Scott Perry be out of a job, one of the names reportedly being tossed around is Presti.

“There is already speculation around the league about potential front office replacements, with two names surfacing most often: Toronto president Masai Ujiri and Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti. Presti (meanwhile) sprouted from the Spurs tree and has served as the Thunder’s GM since 2007. He drafted Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden but has been hamstrung by running a team in one the league’s smallest markets. After 12 years in OKC, it’s easy to envision him being tempted by New York.”

Right now, that’s certainly a lot of speculation. Fizdale, Mills, and Perry are all still employed and other names as potential candidates would likely come up should there be an opening in New York.

But it wouldn’t be completely unreasonable for the Knicks to make a run at Presti, should the opportunity present itself.