Paul George’s future with the Indiana Pacers remains uncertain. All signs point to George eventually parting ways with the Pacers, but where his next destination in the NBA will be or how he’ll get there is yet to be determined.
The trade rumors involving George kicked into high gear back in February. George was linked to the Los Angeles Lakers with talk of the All-Star forward wanting to go home to play for his hometown team, and the Boston Celtics were also a potential trade suitor.
Now it appears the Atlanta Hawks were also interested in George and made a sizable offer to Indiana, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst:
Several teams made trade offers for George in February, including the Atlanta Hawks, who offered four first-round picks in exchange for him. George, who grew up as a Kobe Bryant fan in Southern California, has expressed an interest in playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the past.
With it seeming like a foregone conclusion, at this point, that George leaves Indiana, the Pacers brass may regret leaving four first-round draft picks on the table for the 27-year-old. Indiana will likely receive plenty of trade interest in their star forward this summer, but it remains to be seen whether they’ll get a better deal than the one offered by Atlanta.
Although there’s still a chance things get worked out with the Pacers, new team president Kevin Pritchard and company will likely be receiving a lot of phone calls this summer from interested teams. The Lakers could try to get talks with Indiana started with the team now armed with the No. 2 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and Boston may do the same considering they’re loaded with trade assets including the top pick in the draft.