Knicks KAT alternative, James Harden trade, Pelicans starting center

The NBA season is just around the corner, but that doesn’t mean every roster is set in stone. Some teams are still searching for the right personnel balance, while others are trying to stave off a seemingly inevitable burnout (are the Los Angeles Clippers done?).

Others wonder what could have been. The New York Knicks traded up their strength for Karl-Anthony Towns, but was that their best option? The New Orleans Pelicans let Jonas Valanciunas walk but never brought in his replacement.

Here are the latest NBA rumors circulating around the league.

The Pelicans’ decision to let Jonas Valanciunas into free agency was a long time coming, but their decision to simply… not replace him – The was a real choice.

New Orleans selected 20-year-old center Yves Missi with the No. 21 pick in June’s NBA draft, but he isn’t ready to start games against a contender. The only notable free agent New Orleans signed was Daniel Theis, whose days as a starting center are long in the past. So without a true option at fifth, the Pelicans simply won’t start a traditional big man.

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

At 6-foot-8 and weighing 210 pounds, Jones doesn’t fit the parameters of your standard “center,” but what other option does New Orleans really have? There will inevitably 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 project as a defensive anchor, screen-setter and rebounder.

New Orleans has always relied on Jones as the backbone of its defense, but that responsibility will be stronger than ever in 2024-25. Dejounte Murray should help ease some of the load on the outfield assuming he’s back to form on defense, but Jones will be tasked with protecting the weak side and covering a lot of ground in the back end. He’s capable of it, but New Orleans’ lack of size and physicality makes it seem like it will become problematic sooner or later. The Pelicans probably should have put more resources into creating a bankable 7-footer.

James Harden has now forced his way out of three different organizations. He fought his way from Houston to Brooklyn, then Brooklyn to Philly, then Philly to LA. Harden even went so far as to sever his longstanding friendship with Daryl Morey in order to burn every possible bridge in the 76ers organization. His commitment to not staying where he doesn’t want to be is admirable.

Still, Harden and the Clippers are worth keeping an eye on this season. Paul George is gone. Kawhi Leonard is still injured. And Harden isn’t good enough to lead a contender on his own these days. It won’t take long for this Clippers team to fall apart at the seams if Leonard isn’t up to speed and consistent on the floor. If the Clippers do indeed fall apart, we have no historical reason to believe that Harden will languish idly on a mediocre team.

From Bleacher Report’s Grant Hughes:

“Harden has fought his way out of much better situations than this. The only possible salvation is that the lack of other options in LA means that Harden can end up playing the same way he did as an extremely high-stakes alpha with the Rockets.” But it’s not that hard to do To imagine him struggling with this responsibility at the age of 35 and deciding to play as a supporter somewhere with more talent. Ultimately, Harden hasn’t stayed happy for long on any of his last three teams. Do you think things will be different now?”

It’s definitely something to chew on. Harden should gain more control of the offense than he has in a few years, which could appeal to his well-documented ego. Another factor is Harden’s dwindling value in league circles. He still got a nice two-year, $68.7 million contract as a free agent, but the four-year maximum he didn’t get in Philly (which led to his forced retirement from the organization) is simply no longer available . Not many teams would line up to offload premium assets to acquire Harden. At this point, he has fewer options just in terms of which teams he could actually force a trade to. How many contenders are holding out hope that Harden’s mercurial nature will lead him to their doorstep? The 10-time All-Star no longer has the cachet he once had.

Of course nothing has happened yet. Maybe Kawhi comes back quickly, stays healthy and the Clippers surprise people. Harden is probably better than he gets credit for at this point. But given that Los Angeles is so obviously in trouble, we shouldn’t be shocked to hear that Harden is unhappy.

The New York Knicks shocked the NBA world with a last-second trade for Karl-Anthony Towns just before training camp. It was the final sign for Leon Rose 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 at the top of the Eastern Conference.

Of course, every trade carries some risk. The Knicks gave up two true rotation players in Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, leaving New York’s depth in a vulnerable 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 leaves the Knicks more vulnerable to the unique stresses of playing for Tom Thibodeau.

Before the KAT transfer, however, the Knicks tried to bring in another center — one that wouldn’t have required the same level of outgoing talent. From NBA insider Marc Stein:

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

KAT is a special talent and the Knicks were right to sign him, but Walker Kessler would have been an intriguing alternative. The Utah Jazz famously asked a lot of the third-year big man (which is why he’s still in the SLC), but Kessler fits the traditional mold of a Thibs starting center better. The Knicks are looking to reduce coverage and have built their formidable defense for 2023-24 on Isaiah Hartenstein’s experience in rim protection. Kessler has hit a bit of a plateau in his second season, but is already one of the best shot blockers per minute in the NBA. He would have fit seamlessly, if slightly less excitingly, compared to Towns.

The ceiling is much higher with Towns, but Thibs’ defense in Minnesota was notoriously porous with Towns starting at center. Perhaps Towns will move to the four once Robinson is back in the lineup, but that lineup comes with its own concerns.

It’s certainly fascinating to think about what could have been not only for New York, but also for Utah and Minnesota.