ESPN reported the Cavaliers, Pacers and Nuggets engaged in serious three-way trade talk that would have landed George in Cleveland and Kevin Love in Denver.
“The three teams could not agree to a final trade construction in time to complete a deal on draft night Thursday”. Butler was moved at the 11th hour to Minnesota, but Paul George remains at large, with insiders believing that the trade would send Love to Denver, George to Cleveland, and a package of picks and/pr prospects to the Pacers.
The Lakers would rather acquire the All-Star forward right now rather than wait to sign him next summer, but they should be wary of trading too many of their assets for him.
ESPN’s Marc Stein, in a longer piece centered mostly on the failed three-team trade for Paul George, says that the Cavs will be the “leading contenders” for Anthony if he ends up getting a buyout from the New York Knicks this offseason. Faried is only 6 feet 8 inches tall, but like Tristan Thompson, he plays a little bigger than he is. That could be Anthony’s way of forcing Jackson to release him, though he’d lose the trade-kicker bonus.
A team that would suffer if George went to Cleveland is the Los Angeles Lakers, who were hoping to nab George to serve as a leader in their locker room, which is budding with young talent.
“If things work out in the Cavaliers favor, they will have the firepower necessary to feel like they can contend with the Golden State Warriors”, Haynes said. A trade would be much more hard because of his huge contract and the fact the Knicks probably wouldn’t just give him up without getting something of value in return.
Boston does have more young players and draft picks, however, which might be what IN wants.