Paul George trade talk has begun between Indiana, Los Angeles
By Keith Rivas
The Lakers and Pacers are now officially talking about a Paul George trade.
Free agency is already going to fun this summer, imagine what next year will look like. Given that current Pacers star Paul George has clear intentions of joining Los Angeles, trade talks right now are a little eye-opening.
According to a Marc Stein tweet, both teams are exploring their options. Thanks to George’s honesty, the Pacers seem to be looking to just get something in return for him instead of nothing.
It’s unclear what Los Angeles has already offered to Indiana. It was previously thought that players like D’Angelo Russell or Julius Randle would be available.
Instead, as indicated by Trevor Lane on our pre-draft podcast, Jordan Clarkson could be the most trade worthy asset.
Because of the fact that George’s agent is the same as Russell and Randle, that puts the Lakers in a predicament. Stein followed up in the Twitter thread he created by clarifying some important details.
By not giving up the second overall pick, the Lakers would trust their immediate future to that rookie. One major reason that they’d want to trade for George, though, is to avoid him losing interest.
Stemming from potentially teaming up with a contender, the Lakers clearly feel the need to push now. Pressing the issue, they can force Indiana’s hand.
And all the leverage remains with Los Angeles.
Also, Paul George could get them into the playoffs as soon as next season. Depending on who they do trade — or if it’s just picks — the Lakers could possibly make the postseason.
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They’ll have to keep in mind that a trade now has implications on chasing future free agents. Players like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook have to be in the back of their mind in this scenario.