Report: Paul George will leave Pacers in 2018, pursue future with Lakers
By Josh Hill
Indiana Pacers superstar forward Paul George has reportedly decided he will leave the franchise in 2018 and pursue a future with the Los Angeles Lakers.
One of the worst kept secrets in the NBA seems to be inching closer to confirmation. The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday that Indiana Pacers forward and face of the franchise, Paul George, is going to enter free agency when his contract expires in 2018.
It’s been well documented that the Los Angeles Lakers have interest in George and that said interest appears to be mutual. The repot from Woj on Sunday all but confirmed what we’ve been hearing through whispers for months.
The WojBomb:
"All-Star forward Paul George has informed the Indiana Pacers that he plans to become a free agent in the summer of 2018 and will leave the franchise – preferably for the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources told The Vertical."
It’s not so much a surprise as it has seemed an eventuality that this news would come out. George isn’t directly saying it, which gives Pacers fans some sort of hope things will turnaround. In fact, just a few days ago George was quoted as saying he’s focused on the Pacers this year since he’s under contract with them for another season.
That wasn’t really the cozy statement anyone in Indiana wanted to hear. In fact it was pretty much the setup for the news that came out on Sunday.
Anyone truly surprised by this hasn’t been paying attention. George has been one foot out the door for a while now and the Pacers have done little to convince him to stay. The question now is do they trade George and recoup something or do they continue to let hubris (or arrogance or something) stand in the way.
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One scenario could be to try and get the No. 2 overall pick from the Lakers this year. George wants to go to Los Angeles and the Pacers probably won’t find a better deal than that. Another option would be to raid Cleveland’s cabinets, albeit for much less long term value.
Either way, the Pacers now know that George is as good as gone. Now comes the part where they either screw this up even worse than it already is, or do they save face and come out only slightly scathed?