Tag: trade

During an episode of ESPN’s “The Jump” …

During an episode of ESPN’s “The Jump” on Tuesday, former Celtic Paul Pierce and longtime NBA reporter Jackie MacMullan touched on the difference in the team’s leadership. Specifically, the departure of Kyrie Irving and the arrival of Kemba Walker. “They got better leadership in there,” Pierce said. “Let’s just call it how it is.”

After ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols — …

After ESPN reporter Rachel Nichols — the show’s host — offered a clarification that the leadership was simply “different,” Pierce jumped back in. “It’s better,” reiterated Pierce. “Kemba, he’s known throughout the league as being a great leader. I mean, he played on losing teams, he stayed positive. He went out and played hard every night, and that can be infectious. That can be the difference between losing and winning and chemistry. That’s what he’s brought to the Celtics.”

The Houston Rockets made the …

The Houston Rockets made the signing-and-trading for veteran Chris Paul in the summer of 2017 the landmark move of their offseason, but the All-Star floor general only experienced two seasons in Clutch City before being quickly shipped off again on his career. Speaking to comedian and actor Kevin Hart on his cold tub show that we all knew existed before this moment, the 34-year-old Paul called his 2019 offseason trade to the Oklahoma City Thunder a “stab” in the back (via Dan Feldman of NBC Sports). Hart: Do you feel like there’s been times where, “Damn, that’s a little eye-opening. I got stabbed in the back”? Paul: Absolutely. This last situation was one of them. The GM there in Houston, he don’t owe me nothing. You know what I mean? He may tell me one thing but do another thing. But you just understand that that’s what it is.

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.”

Porzingis, who makes his highly …

Porzingis, who makes his highly anticipated return to Madison Square Garden on Thursday, has accepted that it will be a challenging progress to regain his groove while adapting to a new system and teammates. “It’s not going to happen overnight,” he said. “We’re 6-4 with me playing below the level that I’m used to. Once I find my game and be effective out there, we can be doing much more damage.”

“I don’t care what the trend is,” …

“I don’t care what the trend is,” Lillard told USA TODAY Sports. “Players are taking control of the power and influence they have. I don’t have an issue with it because there’s been times in the league that players didn’t have that and players were taken advantage of and put in tough situations. So I understand it. But I play for a great organization. I play for a great coach. I love where I live. I have a great situation.”

As for Lillard and McCollum? They …

Jerry West: So at the end of the day, …

Jerry West: So at the end of the day, we gave up three of our draft picks and a terrific young player in Shai, who I think we all feel horrible about. And Gallo (Gallinari), who is a very good player himself. Those are the difficult things, letting players go who you really like. I think Shai is going to be an All-Star player in this league for a long time, and he’ll keep getting better. But we have two finished products right in the prime of their careers (in Leonard and George) – or just getting in the prime of their careers. Two of them who have the same DNA – great offensive players, but more importantly really great defensive players. And I’m not talking about good defensive players, I’m talking about great defensive players. Those players decide games on both ends of the floor.