In the lead-up to the NBA Draft, one of the rumored trades surrounds Clippers veteran Paul George. According to March Stein, the Clippers have been gauging interest in George's services. The veteran forward has been with the Clippers since 2019 and has a player option year in 2024/25.
"League sources tell The Stein Line that the LA Clippers have left various rival teams with the impression through their Draft Week conversations that they are, at a minimum, attempting to gauge Paul George’s trade value and, to hear some describe it, giving real consideration to the idea of disassembling the Kawhi Leonard/George tandem,” Stein reported.
Furthermore, Stein identified the Portland Trail Blazers and Houston Rockets as potential suitors. Both teams are in search of veteran talent. Furthermore, they have been reportedly willing to part with their high draft picks to acquire George. However, these trades, and other potential moves, appear to be in doubt.
Related: Paul George doesn't want the Rockets to pursue James Harden
Clippers Not Moved By Current Offers
Reportedly, the Clippers have received several offers for George from around the league. According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Blazers had an offer featuring the third-overall pick rejected. Meanwhile, Ian Bagley of SNY reported that the Knicks had made contact with LA about George. However, talks did not progress very far.
Furthermore, the Clippers were briefly involved in a failed trade for the Celtics' Malcolm Brogdon. However, Brogdon's injury history nixed the deal. While the Clippers could still make a move, it appears that their gauging of George's value did not yield the results they were hoping for.
As a result, the Knicks will look to run it back with a team anchored by their tandem of George and Kawhi Leonard. Since George and Leonard joined the team in 2019, the team has had minimal success. After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2021, the team missed the playoffs in 2022 and were eliminated in the first round in 2023.
Related: Boston Celtics snag Kristaps Porziņģis in three-team deal with Wizards, Grizzlies
Zion Williamson Also Unlikely To Be Traded
Another player who has been linked with a move but will likely stay with his current team is Zion Williamson. The young New Orleans Pelicans star, who is currently in the midst of an infidelity scandal, has been linked with a potential move away from New Orleans.
One potential trade partner was the Charlotte Hornets. This would have sent Williamson to Charlotte in exchange for the second-overall pick in the draft. These rumors were based on the idea that the Pelicans were especially keen on the highly-touted prospect Scoot Henderson.
“Zion getting traded before Thursday’s draft is fairly unlikely [according to] multiple league sources” reported The Athletic. “The Pelicans have yet to even include Williamson in any formal offers made to the teams holding top-3 picks, league sources tell The Athletic. There have been varying reports about how much interest Charlotte or Portland would even have in shipping off the No. 2 or No. 3 picks in a potential Williamson trade.”
Related: Moriah Mills speaks out about Zion Williamson in the live chat of The Stephen A. Smith Show
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