NBA Rumors: Chris Paul warns teams about "vocal" Warriors
The Golden State Warriors made a firm commitment to the present this summer, trading away 24-year-old Jordan Poole for 38-year-old Chris Paul. Paul has a long history of animosity with the current Warriors core, but he will have to make friends fast. That process appears to be going very well.
"Yeah, Draymond [Green] is uh… I feel sorry for the other teams that's got to play against both of us," said Paul. "Because he's always been very vocal, as I am. I've always thrived with guys like that."
Paul has spent years battling Green both physically and verbally. Now, opposing teams will bear the unfortunate burden of facing two of the league's chippiest, chirpiest stars. Paul has also spent the summer working out with Stephen Curry and familiarizing himself with his new surroundings.
The Warriors will probably wait until training camp, maybe even the regular season, to confirm Paul's role with the team. The 11-time All-NBA guard has never once come off the bench, but he may transition into sixth-man duties with Curry and fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson cemented in the starting five. It's hard to imagine the Warriors starting games small and incurring the physical toll of such a decision over 82 regular season games.
Either way, Paul still has plenty in the tank. He averaged 13.9 points and 8.9 assists on 55.5 TS% last season. He has lost a step, sure, but intellect of his caliber doesn't fade away. Paul is one of the smartest players ever. He should fit right into Steve Kerr's complex offense.
NBA Rumors: James Harden fiasco lands 76ers under league investigation
James Harden put the Sixers in an unavoidable bind with his recent comments at a media event in China. Harden, who demanded a trade after opting into the final year of his contract, called Daryl Morey "a liar" and vowed never to play for Philadelphia ever again.
There was rampant (and frankly, well-founded) speculation that Harden was upset about the Sixers' decision to not pay him a long-term max contract after he took a discount last summer. Any such "wink-wink" agreement would have been expressly illegal under the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, but then again, NBA teams never adhere strictly to free agent guidelines.
Such speculation was rebuffed in a report from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Adrian Wojnarowski on Saturday, when it was revealed that Harden was simply upset about the Sixers' decision to shut down trade talks. As Woj and Shelburne also report, however, the Sixers and Harden are now under league inquiry.
"The league office is believed to be pursuing an understanding of whether Harden was portending a 2023-24 holdout in violation of the league's collective bargaining agreement or had been referencing past contract discussions with the organization that might constitute salary cap circumvention, sources said."
It would appear this inquiry could go one of three ways. The league finds nothing and brushes it under the rug, Harden gets reprimanded for threatening to hold out, or the Sixers get punished for trying to finagle the salary rules to appease Harden (and benefit last year's roster).
No matter the outcome, Harden doesn't want to be in Philadelphia and he's unlikely to stop shading the front office. The outcome of this inquiry may force Harden to more delicately approach the matter, but the partnership between player and franchise is officially untenable.
NBA Rumors: Heat on list of teams 'circling' Joel Embiid
With the Harden drama escalating in Philadelphia, it's only natural that teams prepare for the potential fallout. If Harden worms his way to a new team and the Sixers are left floating directionless in NBA purgatory, it only stands to reason that Embiid will eventually ask out too. There is even speculation around the league that Morey is "covertly hoping for" a rebuild, per Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo! Sports.
Embiid would draw a long line of interested suitors. The reigning MVP, despite all the concerns tied to his injuries and his postseason failures, is one of the most dominant regular season forces in the NBA. He can efficiently lead the league in scoring and anchor a top-ranked defense. Few players are on Embiid's level, no matter how vociferously his detractors point to his injury-riddled playoff woes.
The Knicks have been connected to Embiid for a while, with New York currently under the management of Embiid's former agent, Leon Rose. The Knicks have been patiently saving up draft capital and young players, waiting for the right moment to strike up a big trade. Donovan Mitchell fell through last summer, but that patience could be rewarded if the end result is Joel Embiid.
We have also seen reports of Houston potentially getting into the Embiid mix due to his connection with Ime Udoka, who used to work the sidelines in Philadelphia under Brett Brown.
Now, another team is "circling," per Goodwill: the Miami Heat.
It's not hard to connect the dots, of course. Jimmy Butler was Embiid's favorite star teammate by a mile and he has openly pined for the days of old since Butler left in the summer of 2020. Embiid and Butler share a certain competitive streak and one has to imagine Butler would love to re-team with his buddy in sunny South Beach.
The Heat have a potential ace in Embiid trade conversations in the form of Bam Adebayo, himself a top-25 player and perennial All-Star who would instantly win over the Philadelphia faithful with his defensive edge.
It's too early to predict an Embiid trade with any real certainty, but the Sixers are fast approaching oblivion if Morey can't pull a rabbit out of his hat. Resetting with Adebayo and Tyrese Maxey isn't the worst outcome, frankly.