The offseason is slowing down but the NBA rumors aren't — Kawhi Leonard might not get his extension, the Pelicans want Jarrett Allen and more.
NBA rumors: Pelicans have explored a Jarrett Allen trade
According to a recent mailbag conversation between John Hollinger and Will Guillory of The Athletic, the Pelicans have looked into trades for both Jarrett Allen and Isaiah Stewart. The report clarifies that the conversations haven't gone anywhere yet but the Allen trade has interesting potential for both teams.
The Cavs have reportedly explored Allen trades this offseason, looking for wing and backcourt upgrades and trusting that their Twin Towers approach could be transformed into a similarly effective defensive unit with Evan Mobley as the lone interior defensive anchor.
Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are almost certainly not going to be included in any hypothetical deal but 23-year-old forward Trey Murphy would be a very interesting piece with his versatility, elite shooting and defensive upside and versatility. A deal of Valanciunas and Murphy works on paper would be an offer the Cavs at least have to think about. However, the Pelicans may not be willing to include Murphy. Another option would be a three-way deal that routes Valanciunas to the Mavericks and send Herbert Jones and Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Cavs with Allen and Isaac Okoro to the Pelicans. Although Jones isn't eligible to be traded until Jan. 15 which complicates things.
Regardless, this is another interesting wrinkle in offseasons for both the Cavs and Pelicans.
NBA rumors: Clippers aren't in a rush to off Kawhi Leonard an extension
The contract status of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is casting a long shadow over the future of the Clippers. Leonard is currently eligible to sign an extension and George will become eligible in a few months. Both have player options at the end of next season and could theoretically leave for greener pastures without the Clippers receiving any compensation.
However, the Clippers need to weigh that risk against the risk of throwing good money after bad. George and Leonard have been with the Clippers for four seasons. Over that stretch, they've been paid roughly $300 million combined and made just one Conference Finals appearance. George has played in just 189 and Leonard has played in just 161 of a possible 308 regular season games.
Given that injury history, the Clippers have a lot to think about.
According to Ohm Youngmiusk of ESPN in a recent Lowe Post podcast appearance, "There is no rush on an extension for Kawhi Leonard."
It makes sense, and expect the Clippers to take both of these decisions right down to the deadline.
NBA rumors: P.J. Washington might need to take the Hornets' qualifying offer
P.J. Washington wasn't in the top tier of restricted free agents this offseason but he was a solid option and it's a bit of a surprise to get to the end of July with him still looking for an offer sheet.
He's 24, a 6-foot-7 combo forward, a solid positional defender for 3s and 4s and a 36.6 percent career 3-point shooter. Over the course of his four-year career, all with the Hornets, he's averaged 12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.9 steals per game. Washington is young and versatile with a skill set that could be valuable to a number of contenders and playoff teams. There's also plenty of reason to think he could be even more productive with better teammates and in a more stable organization.
However, he appears to have been just far enough down most team's wishlists to have gotten squeezed out of the initial surge of signings, putting him in a tough position. According to Rod Boone of The Charlotte Observer, his options are limited at this point:
"Since he's a restricted free agent, the Hornets hold all of the power. The only true way for Washington to get the upper hand is to follow a path similar to that of Bridges. And that is to sign the qualifying offer and try his best to ball out, creating a larger market for his services that would require Charlotte to pay up in order to keep him around beyond 2023-24 since Washington would be an unrestricted free agent."
No team really has the cap space at this point to offer him the kind of deal he's likely looking for which means playing this season on the qualifying offer and hitting unrestricted free agency next season may be his best option for long-term financial security. Still, he's a very talented player, with the ability to help a contender and he's still theoretically available.