With the NBA trade deadline set to hit here soon, there promises to be a ton of rumors floating around about potential trades. And now that the biggest chip has fallen with the New Orleans Pelicans acquiring DeMarcus Cousins, a market seems to be set.
This reportedly has the Indiana Pacers assessing what they might be able to acquire for All-Star forward Paul George.
“The Pacers are working the trade deadline on parallel fronts: Pursuing deals that will bring talent into Indiana to sell George on signing a long-term extension – and soliciting deal offers on George that would signal a rebuild around center Myles Turner,” The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday.
This is a departure from previous reports suggesting that Indiana potentially looking to solely add at the trade deadline. The team has in the past been linked to both Brook Lopez and Jahlil Okafor.
Whether Indiana actually moves George is anyone’s guess. Trades of that ilk don’t usually go down during the season. But as we saw with the Cousins trade, this might not be a normal trade deadline.
For his part, George has continued to indicate that his ultimate goal is to play for a contender. In this, he has refused to sign a long-term contract with Indiana. George, 26, has two more years remaining on his contract but can choose to opt out following the 2017-18 campaign. That’s surely something he will do in order to maximize his earnings.
Contending teams with he ability to add someone of George’s stature include the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. It will surely be interesting to see what comes of this.
George, a four-time All-Star, is averaging 22.3 points and 6.2 rebounds while shooting at a 45 percent clip from the field this season.