NBA Rumors: Pelicans, Herb Jones, Kings, Domantas Sabonis, Celtics

Pelicans

Herb Jones is drawing calls. A lot of them.

The Lakers, Pacers, and Pistons are among the teams that have recently checked in on the Pelicans’ All-Defense wing, and the interest is not subtle.

Jones is exactly the type of player contenders covet. Elite defender. Switchable. Tough. Team-first. Plug him into a playoff rotation and feel good about it.

New Orleans, however, is not eager to play along.

Sources tell Hoops Wire it would take a significant haul for the Pelicans to even entertain moving Jones. This is not a casual shopping situation. This is a “blow us away or stop calling” stance.

In short, he is available in theory. Very expensive in reality.

Kings

Sacramento is not tinkering. Sacramento is torching the blueprint.

The Kings are signaling openness to a full-scale teardown at the deadline, with a long list of recognizable names available for the right price. That includes Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keon Ellis, Malik Monk, and Dennis Schroder.

Yes. Basically everyone. That said, the Kings would want the sun, moon and the stars for Sabonis, sources indicated.

But the direction is clear. Reset. Rebuild. Start over. The Kings appear ready to move off the current core and pivot toward a longer-term plan, even if that means painful decisions and short-term losses.

Fire sale is the word around the league. And it does not feel like an exaggeration.

Celtics

Boston is hunting a center. A real one.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Celtics have been aggressive in trade talks while searching for a high-level starting big. Their strong play this season, even with Jayson Tatum sidelined, has given the front office confidence to think bigger.

This is not about trimming salary. This is about upgrading the rotation and pushing further into contender territory in a wide-open Eastern Conference.

The Celtics have assets. They have contracts. And they have momentum.

Now they are trying to turn that into size, rim protection, and another gear.