NBA trade rumors: Latest on Paul George, Knicks could move Mitchell Robinson, surprising Jazz player on block

Thursday’s trade between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls that sent Alex Caruso west and Josh Giddey north marked the unofficial beginning of trade season in the NBA. The draft is less than a week away, free agency will come soon after, and now teams are beginning to seriously engage on the moves that will ultimately set up the beginning of the 2024-25 season.

As they always are at this point on the calendar, the rumors have started to fly in. On Friday, Yahoo’s Jake Fischer dropped a few bombs relating to players that we knew were available (Zach LaVine) and ones we didn’t (Mitchell Robinson, Walker Kessler), so let’s dive in on today’s fresh batch of rumors.

Knicks shopping Mitchell Robinson?

The Knicks are in a difficult position when it comes to re-signing key center Isaiah Hartenstein. Because of his Early Bird Rights, New York can only offer him a 75% raise on his previous salary. That would take him to roughly $72.5 million over four years, a figure they’d be happy to pay, but one that opposing teams could top. At first, it looked like the Oklahoma City Thunder were prepared to do so, but now, after landing Alex Caruso, they have seemingly cooled on him. For now, it looks like Hartenstein will remain with the Knicks.

But New York’s other primary center, Robinson, is now reportedly on the block. It makes sense financially for the Knicks. While Robinson’s salary is relatively low, his injuries have made him somewhat unreliable, and if New York trusts Precious Achiuwa to serve as its backup center at a lower price, turning Robinson into value elsewhere could help the roster overall. The tag-team of Hartenstein and Robinson has been a major weapon for New York in recent years. They Knicks have frequently shifted minutes towards one or the other depending on matchup and who is playing well on a given night. Achiuwa doesn’t merit that same treatment. He would firmly be a backup. But a healthy, affordable backup can sometimes be more valuable than a better, but more expensive and injury-prone player.

Jazz open to moving…

Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-trade-rumors-latest-on-paul-george-knicks-could-move-mitchell-robinson-surprising-jazz-player-on-block/

Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2024-06-21 19:00:21

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