What Would Knicks' Paul George Trade Have Looked Like?
For the time being, anyone who believes Paul George is on his way to the New York Knicks is California Dreaming.
After discussions with the Los Angeles Clippers during last month's NBA Draft, the Knicks are reportedly out on the George sweepstakes as his West Coast future lingers in mystery. A report from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype has revealed the deal, which would've taken sent some of the Knicks' younger talents to the opposite side of the country.
The Knicks and Clippers originally had trade talks surrounding Paul George at the NBA draft," Scotto says. "At the time, New York was considering a package featuring Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes, Evan Fournier, and three first-round picks in exchange for George, league sources told HoopsHype."
A plan is in place to trade Toppin to the Indiana Pacers, but a renovated version of the deal would've included one of the Knicks' other building blocks: fifth-year man RJ Barrett. That, however, caused the Knicks to stop fielding the Clippers' calls.
"RJ Barrett’s name was brought up briefly in trade talks by the Clippers in place of Toppin, league sources told HoopsHype," Scotto said. "However, the asking price of parting with Barrett, Grimes, three first-round picks, and then having to negotiate a long-term extension for George, who’s 33 years old, was too high for the Knicks."
It's no surprise to see the Knicks dangle both portions of their excess pick cabinet and the services of Fournier, a three-point shooter who has long fallen out of the rotation and whose move from New York is inevitable.
But in their major moves ... or lack thereof ... the Knicks have been reluctant to deal away Barrett and Grimes, two first-round picks who were fixtures of last year's starting five en route to 47 wins and the team's first playoff series victory since 2013. Both players' names, for example, repeatedly surfaced in rumors and hypothetical trades involving former Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell before he was instead traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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