NBA Rumors: Pacers Want 'King's Ransom' For Paul George; Celtics Talks Not Close

The Indiana Pacers might not be in a hurry to trade Paul George after all.

Despite an earlier report saying the Pacers might not want to wait for the Boston Celtics to sequence their master plan by trading for George after potentially signing Gordon Hayward, Indy isn’t budging from its “King’s Ransom” ask for George,” according to Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler.

Furthermore, the latest Celtics-Pacers talks aren’t “remotely close,” as Kyler put it in a series of tweets Friday morning.

As much as Celtics fans want to see Danny Ainge do something with all the assets – view of latest Pacers/PG talks is it's not remotely close

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 30, 2017

Pacers still holding the line on a "King's Ransome" for Paul George, mainly because they can do that. They are not on the clock

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 30, 2017

Pacers seem to clearly understand Celtics need the idea of Paul Geroge and are charging for it. Rockets, Cavs and Spurs still in the mix

— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 30, 2017

Indiana reportedly is asking for two first-round draft picks from Boston — the 2018 Brooklyn Nets pick and protected 2018 Los Angeles Lakers selection — plus starting players, which is a pretty steep ask for a player who can opt out of his contract after the upcoming season. But the Pacers apparently aren’t budging yet.

Plus, Indy still has potential trade partners in the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs, according to Kyler, which could complicate things further for the Celtics.

Thumbnail photo via Brian Spurlock/USA TODAY Sports Images