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NBA Trade Rumors: Warriors’ Klay Thompson To Pacers, Paul George To Bucks In Blockbuster Seven-Player Deal

By Adrian Lawhorn
Published on: 10:45 PST, Nov 12, 2016

NBA trade rumors continue to pop up with respect to shooting guard Klay Thompson and the Golden State Warriors. Parent Herald opines that Thompson is the odd man out in the Warriors’ lineup now that superstar forward Kevin Durant is on the roster, and Thompson’s shooting struggles early in the season have just added fuel to the fire.

Another star who is rumored to be on his way to a new team is NBA All-Star small forward Paul George of the Indiana Pacers. According to SB Nation, if the Pacers’ chemistry issues and losing ways continue, George may want out of Indiana so he can then be part of a contending team.

In another related story, Yibada has published a piece that discusses the Milwaukee Bucks’ desire to move John Henson, and the article singles out the Golden State Warriors as one of the most likely teams to pursue Henson, the six-foot-eleven center out of North Carolina.

Current NBA trade rumors are swirling that the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, and Indiana Pacers may be considering a three-way deal. The trade scenario being discussed online has the Warriors acquiring shooting guard Khris Middleton, shooting guard Monta Ellis, and John Henson. The Bucks would receive Paul George and center Zaza Pachulia. Klay Thompson and power forward Jabari Parker would land with the Pacers in the final segment of this three-team, seven-player swap.

When blockbuster deals like this one begin to gain steam on the internet, that is not necessarily indicative of a legitimate or realistic trade proposal. Sometimes, the rumored trade offer doesn’t make any sense for at least one of the teams involved, and other times, a seemingly plausible scenario can be shot down once it is put to the test regarding the NBA’s trade and salary cap rules. In this particular case, there is a great deal wrong with this NBA trade rumor right from the start.

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The first item of note is that Golden State is not going to trade Klay Thompson or any other significant player this early in the season. It is possible that Thompson could be on the trading block nearer to the NBA trade deadline in February 2017, but that would only happen if Thompson and/or the team are showing strong signs that a change is necessary to keep their 2017 NBA championship hopes alive.

From Indiana’s point of view, they are committed to Paul George as the face of their franchise, and they are currently in talks with George’s agent about a contract extension (per the Indy Star). Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird has stated that the team wants to sign him to a max contract, and that it is up to Paul George if and when he wants to sign an extension to remain in Indiana. George’s current contract has three years remaining, with a player option for the third year. If Paul George is ever dealt by the Pacers, it won’t be anytime soon.

Another huge roadblock that keeps this NBA trade rumor from having any validity is the serious injury that was recently suffered by one of the players mentioned in this rumored transaction. Khris Middleton ruptured his left hamstring before the 2016-17 season began, and the latest update from the NBA website indicates that Middleton is expected to be out for six months, so he will miss most, if not all, of the current NBA season. An injury of this severity makes a player nearly impossible to trade while he is still on the shelf, and that is certainly the case here.

When looking at this trade scenario through the eyes of the NBA league office, it once again looks like a flop. Zaza Pachulia signed a one-year deal with the Warriors over the summer, so he will not be trade-eligible until December 15. Once Pachulia becomes eligible to be included in a trade, this proposal would still not be acceptable to the league, because Golden State would be taking in too much salary by a wide margin ($14 million per year).

The latest NBA trade rumors are pointing toward a potential three-way deal between the Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks and Indiana Pacers. However, once the specifics of this rumored trade proposal are examined, it fails every conceivable test. NBA trade rumors come in all shapes and sizes, and a portion of them do have some basis in fact. However, this creation of the NBA rumor mill does not happen to be one of them.

[Featured Image by Ann Heisenfelt/AP Images]

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