NBA trade rumors: Rockets pursuing Paul George; Celtics interested in Porzingis
The NBA draft is today, and the rumor mill continues to buzz as usual, particularly near the top of the draft, where there are multiple scenarios in play.
Boston traded the No. 1 pick to Philadelphia, who will likely take Markelle Fultz. Los Angeles is expected to take Lonzo Ball second. Paul George, Kristaps Porzingis and other big names could be on the move. There’s plenty going on.
Free agency begins July 1, and teams are busy making last-minute moves before the new collective bargaining agreement takes place.
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Here’s a look at the latest news and rumors from around the league. (All times ET.)
11 p.m.
• Dwyane Wade will still exercise his player option to stay with the Bulls next season. (Vincent Goodwill, CSN Chicago)
• The Clippers are acquiring the No. 48 pick Sindarius Thronwell from the Bucks and the No. 39 pick Juwan Evans from the 76ers. (Shams Charania, The Vertical)
• The Warriors paid $3.5 million for the draft right to Jordan Bell. (Marcus Thompson, Mercury News)
• The Cavaliers had a deal in place with the Kings to draft Ivan Rabb of Cal at No. 34, but it stalled at the deadline. (Marc J. Spears, ESPN)
10 p.m.
• The Jimmy Butler trade will impact Dwyane Wade's decision to pick up his player option. (Alex Kennedy, Hoops Hype)
9 p.m.
• Talks between the Celtics and Pacers about Paul George have stalled for now. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
8 p.m.
• The Kings will trade the No. 10 pick to the Trailblazers for the No. 15 and No. 20 picks and Portland will select Zach Collins of Gonzaga. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
7 p.m.
• Indiana and Boston "are engaged in serious talks" about Paul George. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
• The Timberwolves are close to acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Bulls. The deal was expected to include the No. 7 pick, Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
• The Raptors are looking to move Jonas Valanciunas and the No. 23 pick. (Michael Grange, Sports Net)
6 p.m.
• The Rockets remain in trade pursuit of Paul George. (Marc Stein, ESPN)
• The Jazz are "very active" in trying to move up to the 12-17 range to draft a shooter and are also getting interest from a variety of teams regarding Derrick Favors. (Jody Genessy, Desert News)
• The Suns and Nuggets are discussing a trade involving Eric Bledsoe in exchange for Emmanuel Mudiay and the No. 13 pick. (Chris Haynes, ESPN)
• The Nuggets are also among the teams interested in Jimmy Butler. (Jeff Goodman, ESPN)
5 p.m.
• The Cavaliers and Spurs have been in trade talks involving Danny Green but San Antonio's asking price may be too high to match. (Brian Windhorst, ESPN)
4 p.m.
• Kansas State senior shooting guard Wesley Iwundu may have risen into a possible early second-round draft pick. (Sam Amick, USA Today)
• Add the Timberwolves into the Paul George talks as well. Ricky Rubio has been one of the names in Minnesota's trade discussions. (Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical)
3 p.m.
• The Trailblazers and Spurs are the newest teams interested in trading for Paul George. (Steve Kyler, Basketball Insiders)
• The Knicks met with Zach Collins last night. The Gonzaga big man had dinner with Phil Jackson. The meeting comes as the Knicks are reportedly considering trade offers for Kristaps Porzingis. (Jake Fischer and Jeremy Woo, SI.com)
2 p.m.
• Several teams are engaging with the Knicks on Kristaps Porzingis, including the Celtics are so far unwilling to meet Knicks demands for deal. (The Vertical)
• Boston is interested in Porzingis and the asking price for Porzingis is Boston No. 3 pick, Brooklyn’s 2018 pick plus Jaylen Brown and Jae Crowder. (New York Daily News)
• The Celtics have spoken to the Minnesota Timberwolves about acquiring the 7th pick in the draft. (Basketball Insiders)
11 a.m.
• The San Antonio Spurs have spoken to at least three teams about a possible trade involving power forward LaMarcus Aldridge. (ESPN.com)
• The 76ers are looking to get another first–round pick and are offering two of their second–rounders (No. 36 and No. 39) to move up. (TNT/NBA.com)
• Knicks are looking to package the No. 44 and 58 picks to move up in the second round of the draft. (Basketball Insiders)
• Gordon Hayward is torn on if he should stay in Utah or leave via free agency. Hayward can opt out of his contract on July 1. (Salt Lake Tribune)
• The NBA salary cap for next season is expected to be $2 million less than the most recent projection. The cap is now expected to be set at $99 million, an increase of $5 million from last season. (ESPN.com)
9 a.m.
• New York Knicks have reportedly set their sights on Malik Monk or French guard Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 pick in the draft, there's a "clear division within the organization" about who to take. (New York Post)
• The Wizards will let Trey Burke walk in free agency after acquiring Tim Frazier via trade on Wednesday. (CSNmidatlantic.com)
• Many teams trying trade to into the top four of draft to select Kansas guard Josh Jackson. (The Vertical)
7 a.m.
• Former NBA player Chauncey Billups is still weighing a front-office offer from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavaliers reportedly offered him a five-year deal. (The Athletic)
• The New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns have discussed a trade centered around Porzingis. (ESPN.com)
• The San Antonio Spurs have discussed Aldridge in trade talks, as they are trying to gain a top-five pick in the draft. (Arizona Sports)
• The Celtics are interested in NC State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. and may trade down again in order to acquire another pick. (Boston Herald)
• The New Orleans Pelicans traded Frazier to the Washington Wizards for the No. 52 pick in draft. The Pelicans also have the 40th pick. (Team announcement)
