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.

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