Well isn’t this fun. The week leading up to the trade deadline is ripe with all sorts of rumors for about half of the teams in the NBA. This time around feels like it has a little more juice, mostly due to the names involved. We are still reeling from the shocking DeMarcus Cousins trade on Sunday night, but that looks to have stirred the pot across the league. By 3 p.m. eastern time tomorrow we’ll know who’s on the move and which teams stood pat. Outside of the top three teams in the league, seemingly everyone is in buy or sell mode right now. Less than 24 hours away from tomorrow’s trade deadline, let’s dive into some news, notes, and rumors from around the Association.

Jeanie Buss Cleans Out Lakers Front Office, Magic Johnson Now In Power

In a move rarely seen this time of year, Jeanie Buss took control of the Lakers from her brother Jim and wasted no time moving on to the next chapter of the franchise. Heads rolled like a scene straight out of Game of Thrones, which led to Laker legend Magic Johnson moving from an advisory role to the president of basketball operations. Long time general manager Mitch Kupchak couldn’t avoid the ax either, and Buss even fired the PR director.

This move was long overdue in Los Angeles, as the Lakers have suffered the three worst seasons in franchise history. The reputation of the franchise under Jim Buss had been tarnished to the point where Kevin Durant wouldn’t even meet with the team last summer. Far cry from the time where all you needed to hear was that the Lakers were interested in a player and you knew it was only a matter of time before he signed on the dotted line with Los Angeles.

It does make me wonder if the Lakers failed negotiations with Sacramento for DeMarcus Cousins was the straw the broke the camel’s back in the ongoing power struggle between the Buss siblings. Reports indicated that the Lakers could have outbid New Orleans had they just included Brandon Ingram in the deal. Kupchak balked at that offer, and Sacramento went with the offer from the Pelicans.

Magic didn’t wait very long to get on the job, trading Sixth Man of the Year contender Lou Williams to Houston for Corey Brewer and a 2017 first round pick. The Lakers are now in a full on tank in an effort to keep its top-three protected 2017 first rounder away from Philadelphia. Clearly this rebuild will take some time, but the Williams trade is a signal of revamped thinking in the LA front office. Keep an eye on the Lakers in the next 24 hours. They may not be done dealing just yet.

Indiana Pacers Assessing the Market for Paul George

The big news today in the league was the Pacers reportedly looking to shop All Star forward Paul George. Indiana is currently the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, but could be in danger of losing the four-time All Star down the road. George has a $20 million player option for 2018, and there has been no indication that he would return to Indiana.

Obviously, Pacers president Larry Bird has to do his due diligence to figure out what the market would be for his star player. While there is some sentiment out there that the obvious move is to build around George, Indiana could get quite a return if they decide to trade him.

The most recent development is that the Lakers are making a push to acquire George. Los Angeles has some pieces to make a move, but the looming threat of losing its first round pick to Philadelphia this year or next year could stop those negotiations in its tracks. The Lakers do have three young building blocks in Brandon Ingram, DeAngelo Russell, and Julius Randle, but the draft picks are the issue.

While this is the first legitimate news we’ve heard so far on this front, this will be the top trade situation to watch over the next few hours. George could be a game-changer for any franchise that can swing a deal to acquire him.

Will Boston Go All-In?

Quite possibly the biggest question over the next 20 or so hours will be what will Boston do with its abundance of trade chips? The Celtics have potentially eight first round picks (two from Brooklyn) over the next three seasons, two 2016 first round picks playing overseas, and two solid players with very friendly contracts (Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder). Isaiah Thomas is already a MVP candidate and Al Horford is a solid second option, so could Boston make a move to vault ahead of Cleveland in the Eastern Conference?

Boston didn’t make a play for DeMarcus Cousins, and we have yet to hear if they will make a move on Paul George or try to pry Jimmy Butler away from Chicago. The Celtics have the ammunition to acquire just about any player in the league, but it’s all about making the right deal.

The Brooklyn picks alone could net them George or Butler considering they are likely going to be top-three picks. From what we’ve seen from this latest incarnation of the Celtics is that they are perfectly willing to bide their time and strike a deal at the perfect moment. If the Celtics do decide to go all-in with its trade chips, it would have a seismic effect on the landscape of the NBA.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a full recap of the NBA trade deadline. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.