Paul George trade rumors: 5 deals the Pacers should explore
By Trey Daubert
What five trades should the Indiana Pacers consider for Paul George?
It’s just about official, Paul George reportedly wants out of Indiana. George has apparently informed the Pacers that he will skip town in Summer 2018. Not only will he jettison Indiana, George prefers to sign with the Lakers in 2018 which only complicates his trade value. With George being hell-bent on landing in Los Angeles, the 28 other teams calling about Paul George likely know they don’t have much of a chance to retain him.
Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reported that George has not requested a trade per se but did notify Indiana of his future plans. The 2017-18 season will be his last with the Pacers unless the team trades him.
If George is not traded, he can sign a deal worth four years and $130 million with Los Angeles or any team of his choosing. However, there is some incentive for George to seek out a trade for financial reasons. If the LA native is traded, he can earn a deal worth five years and $177 million for re-signing. With George missing out on All-NBA honors, Indiana essentially lost a major advantage in retaining him as they could have offered him a five-year, $207 million Designated Player Veteran Exception.
The Pacers forward is one of the biggest stars in the NBA today and could potentially change the landscape of the league. George, 27, averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game over the course of the 2016-2017 regular season. George’s capable, play-making shooting ability, and scoring prowess make him an attractive get for any team. The question is what would teams be willing to trade for a possible one-year rental of Paul George? Let’s examine five potential trades the Pacers should explore.
Honorable Mention: Houston Rockets
The Rockets could potentially be an exciting destination for Paul George. Would a superstar combo of James Harden and George create exhilaration to convince George to stay? A potential lineup of Harden, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, George, and Clint Capela is something to marvel at. With Lou Williams off the bench, maybe it doesn’t put them on par with Golden State but it gets them close.
Mike D’Antoni’s up and down system is something that is designed to replicate the Warriors style. With George potentially being a Kevin Durant stopper, all of the sudden Houston matches up pretty well.
For Indiana, I’m not sure if Sam Dekker and Ryan Anderson is enough but I guess it’s better than nothing. Maybe they need to tweak the offer to include some picks or swap out Eric Gordon for Ryan Anderson. Maybe a high-flying big like Montrezl Harrell is enough to sweeten the deal for Indiana. Dekker does show some promise as a stretch-four shooting .473 percent over 18.4 minutes per game. Ryan Anderson also gives the Pacers immediate help to win now. A front court of Anderson and Myles Turner could be tough to guard and could create some interesting spacing.
Financially if Houston can pull off this trade, they have some incentives to offer to keep George around. Texas has no state tax compared to California’s 13 percent state tax so he would be keeping much more on a potential pay day. If George departs anyway, they only gave up Sam Dekker and Ryan Anderson’s $80 million contract that could look ugly on the back end anyway.