NBA Rumors: Knicks-KAT alternative, James Harden future trade, Pelicans starting center

The NBA season is right around the corner, but that does not mean every roster is set in stone. Several teams are still searching for the proper personnel balance, while others are attempting to stave off what feels like an inevitable combustion (are the Los Angeles Clippers cooked?).

Others are wondering what could’ve been. The New York Knicks liquidated their depth for Karl-Anthony Towns, but was that their best option? The New Orleans Pelicans let Jonas Valanciunas walk, but never actually picked up his replacement.

So, here are the latest NBA rumors circling the league.

The Pelicans’ decision to let Jonas Valanciunas walk in free agency was a long time coming, but their decision to just… not replace him — that was a real choice.

New Orleans burned the No. 21 pick in June’s NBA Draft on 20-year-old center Yves Missi, but he is not ready to start games on a contender. The only free agent big of note that New Orleans landed was Daniel Theis, whose days as a starting center remain in the distant past. So, without a real option at the five spot, the Pelicans simply won’t start a traditional big man.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Herb Jones “is essentially going to serve” as the Pelicans starting center.

Listed at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, Jones does not fulfill the parameters of your standard “center,” but truly, what other option does New Orleans have? There are bound to be semantic arguments over the Pelicans roster, but of the five projected starters — Herb Jones, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, and Dejounte Murray — Jones is the easiest to peg as a defensive anchor, screen-setter, and rebounder.

New Orleans has always relied on Jones as the backbone of its defense, but those responsibilities will be more robust than ever in 2024-25. Dejounte Murray should help ease some of the burden on the perimeter, assuming he’s back in vintage form on defense, but Jones will be tasked with weak-side rim protection and covering a ton of ground on the back end. He’s capable of doing it, but New Orleans’ lack of size and physicality seems like it will be problematic sooner than later. The Pelicans probably should’ve poured more resources into adding a bankable 7-footer.

James Harden has now forced his way out of three different organizations. He battled his way from Houston to Brooklyn, then from Brooklyn to Philly, then from Philly to LA. Harden even went as far as to dissolve his longtime friendship with Daryl Morey in an effort to burn every possible bridge in the 76ers organization. His commitment to not sticking around where he doesn’t want to be is admirable.

That said, it’s worth keeping tabs on Harden and the Clippers this season. Paul George is gone. Kawhi Leonard is still hurt. And Harden, well, he’s not good enough to lead a contender on his own these days. It won’t take much for this Clippers team to fall apart at the seams if Leonard isn’t up to speed and consistently on the floor. If the Clippers do fall apart, well, we historically have no reason to believe Harden will toil idly on a mediocre team.

From Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report:

“Harden has forced his way out of far better situations than this. The only potential saving grace is that LA’s lack of other options means Harden might wind up getting to play much like he did as an ultra-high-usage alpha with the Rockets. But it’s not so hard to imagine him struggling with those responsibilities at age 35 and deciding he’d like to play someplace with more supporting talent. Ultimately, Harden hasn’t stayed happy for long on any of his last three teams. Why should we believe anything will be different now?”

It’s certainly something to chew on. Harden should get more dominion over the offense than he has in a couple years, which could appeal to his well-documented ego. Another factor here is Harden’s waning value in league circles. He still got a nice two-year, $68.7 million contract in free agency, but that four-year max he didn’t get in Philly (that caused him to force his way out) is just not available anymore. Not many teams would line up to offload premium assets to acquire Harden. He has fewer options at this point, just in terms of which teams he could actually force a trade to. How many contenders are holding out hope that Harden’s fickle nature leads him to their doorstep? The 10-time All-Star does not have the cachet he once did.

Nothing has happened yet, of course. Maybe Kawhi gets back quickly, stays healthy, and the Clippers surprise folks. Harden is probably better than he gets credit for at this point. But, with Los Angeles so clearly on the ropes, don’t be shocked if we start to hear about Harden getting disgruntled.

The New York Knicks shocked the NBA world with a last-second trade for Karl-Anthony Towns right before training camp. It was the final feather in Leon Rose’s cap after a productive and transformative summer in the Knicks front office. KAT now joins Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby on a Knicks team that should challenge Boston and Philadelphia atop the Eastern Conference.

Of course, there is some measure of risk with every trade. The Knicks gave up two bonafide rotation pieces in Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, which has left New York’s depth in a compromised state. Especially with Mitchell Robinson out until at least the new year. Sacrificing depth for a talent of KAT’s caliber is almost always the right move, but it does leave the Knicks more vulnerable to the particular stresses of playing for Tom Thibodeau.

Before the KAT trade, however, the Knicks tried to land a different center — one who wouldn’t have required the same level of outgoing talent. From NBA insider Marc Stein:

“Before coming to terms on a blockbuster swap with Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Towns mere days before the start of training camp, New York made multiple trade runs at Utah’s Walker Kessler to fill its well-chronicled void at center, league sources say.”

KAT is a special talent and the Knicks were right to acquire him, but Walker Kessler would’ve been a fascinating alternative. The Utah Jazz famously asked a lot for the third-year big man (thus why he’s still in SLC), but Kessler better fits the traditional mold of a Thibs starting center. The Knicks are committed to drop coverage and built their impressive 2023-24 defense around the rim protection expertise of Isaiah Hartenstein. Kessler plateaued somewhat in his sophomore campaign, but he’s already one of the best per-minute shot blockers in the NBA. He would’ve been a seamless, if slightly less exciting fit compared to Towns.

The ceiling is much higher with Towns, but Thibs’ defenses in Minnesota were famously porous with Towns starting at center. Maybe Towns moves to the four once Robinson is back in the lineup, but that setup comes with its own concerns.

It’s certainly fascinating to ponder what could have been, not only for New York, but for Utah and Minnesota as well.