Knicks Rumor Roundup (Including Some Paul George Smoke)

A starting five of Brunson, DDV, PG, OG and iHart, with Josh Hart, Deuce and Mitch Rob off the bench, would be a phenomenal 8-man rotation.

Are you guys and gals almost ready? The start of free agency is rapidly approaching, the draft is just days away, and we've already had a trade with some potential Knicks-related ramifications…

🏀 Paul George leaving LA?

Last week, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweeted that the 76ers' interest in pursuing Paul George has "significantly waned," and the franchise is expected to be aggressive elsewhere. 

George has until June 29th to decide whether or not to decline his $48.8 million player option for the 2024-25 season. The expectation was that if PG did not sign an extension with the Clippers before the start of free agency, it would be because a team like the Sixers had let it be known via back-channels that they planned to throw near-max money at him. If Philly is walking away from the table, George may be forced to re-access his options. OKC and Orlando have the cap space to entice George, but this news could impact his leverage with the Clipps. 

The most Los Angeles can offer is $221MM over four years, but thus far, they reportedly have been dangling a deal similar to the one that Kawhi Leonard signed, which was $152 million over three seasons. 

A couple of potential Knicks-related ripple effects here… First, if Philly chooses not to pursue PG-13, that could mean they plan on making a serious run at Anunoby, who, in my opinion, is the second-best small forward on the market. 

Secondly, as ESPN's Brian Windhorst has noted, "If Paul George changes teams, it's very likely going to be a situation where he opts into his contract and requests a trade." 

Windy has frequently mentioned New York as a possible suitor if PG decides to go that route. The Knicks have "a whole bevy of trades that they can make with their draft picks, plus they have tradable pieces on their roster," Windhorst explained. "Their front office has done a great job to do this, specifically Bojan Bogdanovic, who has a team option for around $20 million in his contract. They could pick that up and use it with the draft picks as a big trade piece. You could add another big piece there."

The other big piece would be Julius Randle, who started his career in LA.  

"That's why people are talking about the possibility of Paul George going to the Knicks," Windy added. "The Knicks, if Paul George wanted it, could manufacture a trade without too much sweat and still keep their core pieces together."

It's also worth noting PG is repped by CAA.

On Sunday night, Marc Stein reported in his Substack that " the Knicks on the list as a potential trade suitor for George if the All-NBA swingman indeed opts into the final season of his current contract."

There seems to be plenty of smoke, huh?   

A starting five of Brunson, DDV, PG, OG and iHart, with Josh Hart, Deuce and Mitch Rob off the bench, would be a phenomenal 8-man rotation. 

George will likely be the first substantial superstar-sized domino to fall this summer. 

🏀 iHart Staying Put?

We witnessed our first offseason swap last week, as Chicago sent coveted defender Alex Caruso to Oklahoma City in exchange for Josh Giddey. First off, I thought this was an absolute steal for the Thunder. It has been reported that teams offered multiple first-round picks to the Bulls before February's deadline, yet OKC didn't give up a single selection to acquire Caruso. And while Giddy has a promising upside, he was unplayable at times during OKC's playoff run (Mark Daigneault opted for Isaiah Joe over Giddey by Game 5 of the Mavs series).

The trade bummed out some Knicks fans, as they were hoping New York would be the team to steal Caruso away from the Windy City. However, this deal may indirectly benefit the 'Bockers. 

According to Yahoo's Jake Fischer, "The Thunder were once considered a possible purveyor of another short-term balloon payment, with Isaiah Hartenstein frequently labeled by league personnel as a potential recipient. The Caruso deal doesn't entirely eliminate that possibility, although multiple figures with knowledge of OKC's thinking indicated the Thunder are far more likely to pursue a situational reserve big man to support Chet Holmgren in the frontcourt, as opposed to dramatically shifting the effective five-out style of the Thunder's overall offense."

"Hartenstein, at this moment, is now generally expected to return to New York," Fischer adds, which is very welcomed news to New Yorkers. 

I still believe that iHart will end up accepting a four-year, $72 million deal to remain in NYC.

🏀 Mitch Rob on the Move?