NBA Draft Rumors: Lakers to pursue trade for Paul George
By Tom West
The Los Angeles Lakers are ready to trade their 2016 lottery pick to make a ‘big run’ to acquire Paul George.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ future looks bright. They’re not going to contend immediately of course, but they’re slowly improving and have a talented young roster that includes Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and D’Angelo Russell (provided the Nick Young video incident is left behind). With a lottery pick near the top of the 2016 NBA draft and tons of cap space, they have an opportunity to improve further this summer.
But it seems the Lakers aren’t going to be patient with a rebuild that has been nothing shy of painful for fans so far. According to Bill Simmons, they want to make a serious attempt to trade their high draft pick (along with other key assets, too) for Indiana Pacers superstar Paul George.
Also hearing that the Lakers want to make a BIG run at Paul George with their top-3 pick plus other stuff. (Not that they'd get him...)
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 4, 2016
Well, it’s important to emphasize this is only something the Lakers want, not something they’ll get. As Simmons said, the Pacers won’t be giving up Paul George lightly, and they certainly won’t be sacrificing him for a high lottery pick and young talent, which is all the Lakers have to offer right now.
Regardless of whether they offer the opportunity to draft a talent like Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram and throw in pieces such as Randle or anyone else at their disposal, George won’t be leaving Indiana for such a return.
It would simply make no sense for the Pacers. George made a spectacular return from injury this season with the best numbers of his career, once again showcasing why he’s a thoroughly deserving All-Star and one of the top two-way players in the NBA. Plus, after almost upsetting the Toronto Raptors by taking them to seven games in the first round of the playoffs, primarily due to George’s stellar play at both ends of the floor, the Pacers know just how much they need him.
Now that Kobe Bryant has rode off into the L.A. sunset along with his $25 million salary, it’s no surprise the Lakers are desperate to move on and make a blockbuster acquisition to jump-start the next stage of their rebuild. Unfortunately for them, it’s hard to see such a trade materializing.
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