Chris Haynes: Phoenix can offer a trade package of Deandre Ayton and Landry Shamet to Washington for Bradley Beal, but it’s believed a Chris Paul, Shamet deal is what it would take if Beal chose to force his way to the Suns via his no-trade clause, league sources tell @NBAonTNT, @BleacherReport
Source: Twitter @ChrisBHaynes
Barry Jackson: Source who has spoken to Phoenix says Phoenix owner Matt Ishbia views this as chance to add elite talent, and that’s one reason why Suns are heavily involved for Bradley Beal. But Heat – which has strong interest -has more draft inventory to offer if necessary, and if Miami is inclined.
Source: Twitter @flasportsbuzz
Chris Paul likely won’t be joining the NBA’s coaching ranks once his playing days are over. The veteran point guard was asked if he has any interest in becoming a head coach during a recent appearance on “The Shop” and was quick to shoot down the idea. “No,” Paul said. “Honestly, I’ll tell you, I don’t wanna travel like that.”
Source: Caitlyn Holroyd @ The Score
As reported here Friday, Portland is widely believed to be telling teams it is willing to package Anfernee Simons with the No. 3 pick in Thursday’s draft for win-now talent to put beside star guard Damian Lillard. The fear in the nation’s capital is what happens if the Trail Blazers are unable to swing a win-now trade. It is only a presumption at this point, but there is legitimate concern percolating for the Wizards’ new front office headed by Michael Winger that Lillard would finally start pushing... Читать дальше...
If that’s how things played out, Miami would surely be at or the near the top of Damian Lillard’s list of preferred destinations — with the Heat said to prefer the idea of acquiring Lillard over Beal if they had the choice. Miami, at present, does not have that choice. Only Beal is in play. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported Saturday afternoon that the Wizards are “in serious talks with two finalists — Miami and Phoenix — on a Beal trade.” The needle that the Wizards are trying to thread gets... Читать дальше...
Anthony Chiang: As expected, the Heat is trying to get the Bradley Beal trade done without including Tyler Herro, according to league sources. Beal is entering the second season of a five-year, $251 million contract. He has a no-trade clause.
Source: Twitter @Anthony_Chiang
Shams Charania: Developing: Washington is in serious talks with two finalists – Miami and Phoenix – on a Bradley Beal trade, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium . The Suns have emerged as a serious threat for Beal, who holds a no-trade clause.
Source: Twitter @ShamsCharania
Some fresh hope, perhaps, if you’re rooting for James Harden to stay with the 76ers: There have been some rumbles this week that, despite the undeniably strong lure that a return to Houston holds for Harden, he is said to be giving renewed consideration to staying put. There is a loyalty factor for Harden to weigh after Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey spent the bulk of his first 15 months in the City of Brotherly Love trying to acquire him, finally succeeding in February 2022. Читать дальше...
My podcast partner Chris Haynes reported Friday that Boston is looking to move out at least one of its guards to ease a backcourt logjam. Word is the most likely of the group to be dealt, entering the weekend, was Malcolm Brogdon rather than Marcus Smart, Derrick White or Payton Pritchard.
Source: Marc Stein @ marcstein.substack.com
The Hawks and Mavericks, league sources say, have found no common ground to date on their discussions about the veterans that would be involved in a deal to potentially swap first-round picks Thursday. Atlanta wants John Collins attached to its No. 15 pick in exchange for Dallas’ No. 10 selection and Dāvis Bertāns, as first reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer. Dallas wants Trae Young favorite Clint Capela swapped in for Collins to import Capela for the clear upgrade at center that the Mavericks seek this offseason. Читать дальше...
Ja Morant filmed himself holding a toy gun back on May 14 in an effort to show his family and friends that he did not have a real firearm during his now-infamous Instagram Live sesh … and TMZ Sports has just obtained the footage. In the video, you can see Morant — easily identified by his unique tattoos — attempting to show the weapon was nothing more than a lighter. Morant used the flames that came out of the phony gun to ignite some candles … before he appeared to say in the clip, “You hold it... Читать дальше...
Christos Tsaltas: Sacramento Kings count on Sasha Vezenkov as part of their summer build and they have a specific and important role for him ahead of the 2023-24 season. Story on @SportalgrG. #SacramentoProud #BeamTeam sportal.gr/basket/nba/202…
Source: Twitter @Tsaltas46
Ja Morant filmed himself holding a toy gun back on May 14 in an effort to show his family and friends that he did not have a real firearm during his now-infamous Instagram Live sesh … and TMZ Sports has just obtained the footage. In the video, you can see Morant — easily identified by his unique tattoos — attempting to show the weapon was nothing more than a lighter. Morant used the flames that came out of the phony gun to ignite some candles … before he appeared to say in the clip, “You hold it... Читать дальше...
Should champion Boston Celtics guard and former Celtics team president Danny Ainge be in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame? If you ask his teammate from the 1986 Celtics title team, Bill Walton (himself a Hall of Famer), the answer is an unequivocal yes. “I got to know Danny over some of his life,” shared Walton in a recent interview with Bally Sports’ Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson. “He’s quite a bit younger than I am. And then I got to rebound for him on the Boston Celtics; (there) wasn’t a lot of rebounds to be had there. Читать дальше...
The Lakers are considered very unlikely to acquire a player like Kyrie Irving or Bradley Beal. “There’s no big game hunting out there for this Lakers’ organization,” said Adrian Wojnarowski. “In this league right now, with a new collective bargaining agreement, you can’t really have three max superstars and expect to have any depth on your roster. It’s going to look a lot the same.”
Source: RealGM
Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson: LeBron James as a Laker NOT comparable to MJ with the Wizards says Dwyane Wade to @BallySports . “No. I mean, MJ averaged 20 when he came back and he was STILL very good, but LeBron has stayed at a level that we haven’t seen.” Full Interview via @BallySports Herehttp://youtu.be/0KPplLCwfaE More from @DwyaneWade : “And so, the conversations of greatness, he makes it hard and all the older guys before that were like, It’s about Wilt, it’s about Kareem, it’s about these guys… because of his consistency; I mean... Читать дальше...
“The Warriors expect Draymond Green to opt out of the final year of his $26 million contract, I’m being told,” Spears stated. “But Joe Lacob, [Mike] Dunleavy, the Warriors are going to do everything in their power, if he does as expected, to bring him back.”
Source: ESPN
Clutch Points: “Just from the financial standpoint, it’s as bad of a penalty as we have seen in the history of professional sports.” — ESPN’s Brian Windhorst estimates that Ja Morant is looking at over $50 million in losses due to his suspensions from the NBA 😬 pic.twitter.com/8OhCIKaLMs
Source: Twitter @ClutchPointsApp
Clutch Points: “That’s about the number that they were expecting. Do not be surprised if this suspension is appealed, if they try to get this situation in a matter which would reduce the number of games he’d be suspended.” Chris Haynes on Ja Morant’s 25 game suspension. pic.twitter.com/iCjiIWZ8I3
Source: Twitter @ClutchPointsApp
They heard him blame the poor decision making inside that Glendale, Colo., strip club on the heavy drinking, recalling how the events of that night were all so fuzzy because of the booze that was flowing so freely. They believed him when he shared a message that was both humble and contrite. A lot can be said in more than an hour — that’s plenty of time to get extremely personal — and Morant had managed to convince the commissioner that he was genuine.
Source: Sam Amick @ The Athletic
Trae Young and Damian Lillard are names that have been discussed internally by the Lakers but appear nothing more than a pipe dream, given the current asking prices for stars on the trade market.
Source: Jovan Buha @ The Athletic
Two names to keep an eye on in Phoenix’s trade pursuits: Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins and Boston Celtics guard Malcolm Brogdon. The Suns acquiring either of those veterans might require a third team to accept Paul’s outgoing salary — such as the Houston Rockets with their $60 million of cap space and counting — but Brogdon and Collins are a pair of players Phoenix has registered interest in during trade conversations with Boston and Atlanta, respectively, that date back to the trade deadline, sources said. Читать дальше...
One player believed to be on the Hawks’ radar of potential trade targets is Raptors forward Pascal Siakam, sources said, and Toronto marks another team front offices are closely monitoring for trade activity. Similar to the team’s position leading up to the trade deadline, the Raptors are said to still be deliberating various pathways to proceed with their roster.
Source: Yahoo! Sports
The Lakers would have strong interest in signing Chris Paul if the guard is waived or stretched by the Suns, multiple team sources told The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know. Signing Paul to a veteran’s minimum contract would allow the Lakers to use one of their exceptions on another player to bolster their depth.
Source: The Athletic Staff, Jovan Buha, Jovan Buha and The Athletic Staff @ The Athletic
Fred VanVleet has officially declined his $22.8 million player option for 2023-24. It was coming for a while and it paves the way for him to earn more as a free agent this summer. The Raptors had an opportunity to trade him as well as other veterans ahead of last season’s trade deadline but chose not to. Instead, they doubled down on their roster by acquiring an upgrade at center in Jakob Poeltl. Toronto would go ahead and miss the playoffs following a loss in the Play-In Tournament to Chicago.
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