Well it only took a week for the NBA to descend into chaos. The league seems to be coming to terms with the budding Golden State dynasty, which means everyone is trying figure out how to stop the champs. It may only be two days until the draft, but no one is waiting to make a move to improve the team. Today’s “Heat Check” is will be examining the Sixers-Celtics trade and reviewing some of the other hot headlines and rumors heading into the NBA Draft.

The Process Gets Another #1 Pick

Photo Credit: NBA.com

The 2017 NBA offseason got a shotgun start over the weekend as the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers shook up the top of Thursday night’s draft. Late Friday afternoon Twitter went ablaze with reports from all the insiders that both teams were in “deep negotiations” in a trade that involved Boston’s number one overall pick. This then led to reports that top prospect Markelle Fultz would be heading to Philadelphia on Saturday, lending more credence that the trade was imminent.

Finally the trade became official yesterday, which now means Philadelphia will have the top pick in the draft for the second consecutive season. Boston now owns the third selection on Thursday. Philadelphia will also give Boston a future first round pick. If the 2018 Lakers pick falls between 2-5, Boston gets the pick otherwise they will get the better pick between the 2019 Kings or Sixers pick.

Overall, this is win-win for both teams involved, which is not something you often see out of a trade involving Boston GM Danny Ainge. Philadelphia gets Markelle Fultz, who is not only seen as the best player in this draft, but is seen as the best fit within the core of the Sixers. The Process gains another cornerstone to build around, and leaves Philadelphia in a terrific position to take the next step towards becoming a contender.

Boston picks up another high value first round pick in the future and stays within the top five on Thursday night. The Celtics now have eight first round picks over the next three drafts, but the real question is what are they doing with those assets? On The Bill Simmons Podcast yesterday, Simmons and Kevin O’Connor theorized that Boston is potentially building for 2018 and 2023.

It’s a long discussion, but the thinking is that Boston could try and trade for a player like Jimmy Butler now. Then the Celtics could control the East if LeBron leaves Cleveland next summer, but also become a viable landing spot for Anthony Davis in a few years.

One final note about this trade, it is just the fourth time in NBA history that the number one overall pick has been traded. This is a rare occurrence and this could be a trade we look back at in a decade as a turning point in the NBA.

 

With Trade Negotiations Underway, Cavs GM Griffin Steps Down

Amidst all of the rumors that surfaced after the press conference in Philadelphia yesterday, Cleveland had some big news of its own as general manager David Griffin stepped down just days before the draft. The draft isn’t the interesting bit of the timing though, because many of yesterday’s trade rumors involved the Cavaliers.

It is no secret that the Cavaliers are looking to retool the roster in order to matchup better against Golden State. Cleveland has been linked in trade talks to players like Paul George and Jimmy Butler. These rumors also led to reports that the Cavs had been looking for a third team in any trade that would land either of the All-Stars from Indiana and Chicago. Griffin is the one who negotiated the trade to bring Kevin Love to Cleveland, so this is a very bad time to be shaking things up.

Much of the blame for the sudden departure has fallen on Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, who has never extended a general manager in his tenure as team owner. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reported that Griffin and Gilbert had differing opinions on the future of the team, which put the writing on the wall for the now former general manager. Even more alarming was that not even LeBron James was consulted before any of this went down.

This doesn’t necessarily sound like things are peachy in “The Land” but there does seem to be a backup plan in place. ESPN analyst Chauncey Billups is reportedly being looked at by Cleveland to become the President of Basketball Ops. Either way, it was a wild day for the Cavs.

Jimmy Butler: The Big Ticket Item of Summer 2017

Photo Credit: Getty Images

After limping into the playoffs after a season of issues, it looks like the Bulls are ready to hit the reset button on the franchise. The first move would be trading All-Star guard Jimmy Butler. He is 27 years old and has two years left on his contract, so this could be the perfect timing for the Bulls to get maximum value for their superstar. Cleveland and Boston will likely be the two top potential landing spots for Butler, and this could turn into quite the bidding war.

Boston could seemingly snap their fingers and have Butler in a Celtics uniform tomorrow, but they could have done that four months ago as well. Either way the Celtics have the most to offer for Bulter, which could make for very high priced negotiations over the next few weeks.

The Cavaliers need to get very creative in order to acquire Butler. Despite the fact that there have been conversations between Kyrie Irving and LeBron James with Butler about joining the Cavs, it will take much more than charm to get this done. Cleveland has no cap room and very little trade assets outside of Kevin Love, so a third team would need to be roped in for the Cavs to get their man.

Interestingly, the third team reportedly at the front of the line for Butler is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Butler has a previous relationship with Minnesota coach Tom Thibodeau, and there are considerable assets that the team could offer in a trade. Karl-Anthony Towns will likely be untouchable, but Minnesota does have players like Zach Levine and Andrew Wiggins to help sweeten a potential deal.

The Summer(s) of (Paul) George

Photo Credit: USA Today Sports

After Paul George failed to make the All-NBA team a few weeks ago, the Indiana Pacers lost its leverage to keep star Paul George. Jokingly known as the “sack of money” extension, Indiana can no longer offer George more than $70 million more than other suitors to keep George in a Pacers uniform long term. George then made it known to the Pacers organization that he does not intend on resigning with the team in 2018.

Now the fun starts. Indiana may not be able to get full value for George now that other teams know he is on his way out, but the team’s top priority will be to get something for him sooner rather than later. The bidding war could already be underway with teams like Cleveland, Boston, and Los Angeles (Lakers) all in the mix to acquire the All-Star. Even if a team can strike a deal, the concern for them would be getting him to sign long-term.

When George told the Indiana front office that he did not intend to resign with the team, he also made it know that he would prefer to sign with the Lakers. Obviously that would put the Lakers in the driver’s seat to acquire him this summer or next. As of about 3 P.M. today, we can also add the Clippers, Rockets, and Wizards among the teams that are vying to acquire George.

Did the Knicks Really Put Porzingis on the Block?

In today’s bit of wild and crazy news, the New York Knicks are entertaining trade offers for Kristaps Porzingis. This comes on the heels of a tumultuous end of the season for the Knicks, leaving Phil Jackson at the mercy of Carmelo Anthony’s no-trade clause in order to make this team any better. Now it seems that after skipping his exit interview with the team, Porzingis may be on the move.

Nothing is concrete, but there are plenty of teams that would line up to acquire the budding superstar. The 7’3” Latvian has been tabbed as the next Dirk Nowitski and is on the forefront of the evolution of NBA centers. It will likely take a king’s ransom to pry Porzingis away from the Knicks but the fact that Jackson is weighing his options really speak volumes about the dysfunction at Madison Square Garden.

 

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with a look ahead to the NHL expansion draft for the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.