It seems like the Lakers are pulling every thread to get Paul George, ever since George has expressed his interest in signing with the Lakers once his contract is done this 2018, Magic has wanted George to come early even if it means passing on Lonzo Ball. Another Big news just announced earlier is the arrival of Dwight Howard to Charlotte, this is his fifth team in 7 seasons in the NBA.
Kings reject trade offer from the Lakers
Per NBA.com source David Aldridge, the Lakers had discussions with the Sacramento Kings regarding the swapping of certain picks to make their deal with George much more enticing.
Specifically, the Lakers offered their number 2 pick and hoped to get pick number 5 and ten from the Kings. This will then enable the Lakers to offer the 5th, 10th, 27th and 28th pick for the Paul George.
But sadly the Sacramento Kings rejected that offer, but that did not stop the Lakers from offering yet another offer to the Indiana Pacers. Brad Turner of Los Angeles reported that the Lakers offered the 27th, 28th pick, Jordan Clarkson, and Julius Randle for Paul George, but that did not sit well with the Pacers because they wanted at least a top ten pick included in the package for George.
If the Sacramento Kings would have accepted that offer George would likely be a Laker by now. Despite all the news and rumors, Medina reported that Geroge is highly likely to be traded before the draft, that's around 24 hours from now as the NBA draft is right around the corner.
Howard moves on to Charlotte to play for Michael Jordan
Along with The Lakers news, the Hawks reportedly send the eight-time all-star and three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Dwight Howard along with this year's 31st overall pick to Charlotte and acquire Miles Plumlee, three-point specialist Marco Belinelli and the 41st pick in this year's draft.
It was only a rumor but was finalized Tuesday evening, Howard is in his second year of a three-year $70.5 million deal.
Howard was averaging 13.5 points and 12.7 boards per game for the Atlanta Hawks, he was reportedly unhappy after being benched a couple of times especially in two of games against Washington in the playoffs.
This deal marks the first deal for Travis Schlenk as the new general manager of the Hawks but is now facing a tough time in re-signing Paul Milsap.
With moves made early by the Lakers, Hawks and a rumored blockbuster trade for Paul George the NBA will certainly undergo its biggest roster change this upcoming season.