Paul George has been at the center of NBA trade rumors for quite some time, but it seems as though the Indiana Pacers don’t have a sense of urgency to deal the star forward.
According to the Indianapolis Star’s Nate Taylor, the Pacers are considering offers for George, but they don’t feel pressure to deal him by Thursday’s draft.
And there’s no shortage of teams kicking the tires on PG13. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Clippers all have reached out to Indiana to talk trade, per Taylor.
A trade for George certainly comes with risk, though. The four-time All-Star has one year remaining on his contract and will hit free agency next summer. A deal for George likely would be for a one-year rental player, albeit a great one.
The Lakers appear to be the team most committed to bringing in George, and the feeling might be mutual. George reportedly notified the Pacers that the Purple and Gold are his preferred destination once he moves on from Indiana at the end of next season.
The Lakers will have as good a chance as anyone to sign George on the open market, but it looks like L.A. might not want to wait around until next summer. They reportedly have been attempting to put together a package to trade for George, including new assets acquired in the reported D’Angelo Russell trade with the Brooklyn Nets.
But as Taylor notes, Indiana is hoping teams’ offers will increase in value as the offseason progresses. And when it comes to a player of George’s caliber, the Pacers likely could bring in a large haul in a deal for the star forward.
So it looks like Indiana is banking on patience when it comes to finding a trade partner.
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