The Los Angeles Lakers are “in the process of trying to land” Indiana Pacers star forward Paul George, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick, who also reported that the “landscape is complicated elsewhere, too, in large part because of (George’s) desire to sign with the Lakers if the Pacers experience simply doesn’t pan out.”
If you’re wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey right now and jumping up and down, there’s more, via The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
For teams considering a trade for George, here’s the risk: As a free agent in the summer of 2018, he has considered re-signing with Indiana or joining his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell The Vertical.
Teams trading for George run the risk of losing the four-time All-Star to a Lakers franchise that will have the salary-cap space to sign him in 2018. The Lakers’ hiring of Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations will be an interesting twist to George’s free-agent recruitment, given that Johnson has been something of a George family icon going back to George’s childhood in nearby Palmdale, Calif.
George has said publicly and privately that he wants to win a championship in Indiana, but he is not ready to commit to signing an extension this summer, even if he makes an All-NBA team and qualifies for the designated player exception. George had a taste of postseason success a few years ago, making the conference finals with the Pacers in 2013 and 2014. Since then, Indiana has almost completely turned over its roster, and it is now barely over .500. He wants to win, and he has put pressure on the front office to get him help. The Pacers are in a tough position — they could just trade him and start over, or they could continue to make moves on the margins to try to satisfy him. USA Today reported that they have looked at Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor, Sacramento Kings guard Arron Afflalo, Portland Trail Blazers guard Allen Crabbe and Blazers big man Ed Davis.
If I was a Lakers fan, I might be hoping that Indiana decides not to trade George, and that its plan of building around him continues to fall short of the front office’s hopes. If he goes on the trade market now, the Boston Celtics have a distinct advantage over the rest of the league because they can trade the Brooklyn Nets’ pick in this June’s draft. If he goes on the trade market in a contract year, his value will be lower. Los Angeles’ best-case scenario would be getting him in free agency without having to surrender any of its young talent.
Here’s our question about all of this: If George is so fixated on competing for a title, why are the rebuilding Lakers his preferred choice? I get that they’re his hometown team, but he was linked to them before he signed his last extension with Indiana, too. If he ends up there even a year and a half from now, there’s a good chance their young players are still deficient defensively and trying to figure out how to play together. I love their potential, but George will surely have other options that give him a better chance of playing in May and June right away.
Source: CBSSports