Lakers roundtable: Should Paul George still be a target after the playoffs?

The Los Angeles Lakers have been connected with Paul George for over a year. However, his latest playoff performance may have loosened that bond.

Out of every star and every team in the NBA, not one connection has been talked about more than the Los Angeles Lakers landing Paul George. This eventual coming home party for George has been talked about for over a year, with the Lakers not doing much to slow down the speculation.

Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka were able to free up not one, but two larger contracts to give the team $61 million in practical cap space this summer. This is a big deal for George, who said in a Sports Illustrated interview with Lee Jenkins last June that it would take another star in LA for him to make the eventual move.

"“It’s too early for L.A.,” he says. “It would have to be a situation where the ball gets rolling and guys are hopping on. This guy commits, that guy commits. ‘Oh s—, now there’s a team forming.’”"

With Julius Randle progressing into stardom and the rest young Lakers core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma all looking to be just a year or two away from serious contention, the ball has already started to roll. With so much cap space, other guys may begin to commit as well.

However, Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder had a lackluster 2017-2018 season and an even more lackluster performance in the playoffs. George scored just five points in game six before being eliminated by the Jazz.

Thus, the Paul George to the Los Angeles Lakers scenario is harder to imagine, especially with LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard as potential options.

NBA experts Redan Lopez and Isaac Gutierrez joined me in this Lakers roundtable to discuss this question; is Paul George still a target for the Los Angeles Lakers?