NBA Trade Rumors 2017: Paul George Ready for Trade? Move to Lakers Rumored
The Cleveland Cavaliers has just swept the Indiana Pacers clean off the National Basketball Association (NBA) 2017 Playoffs with a 4–0 tally. Indiana Pacer star Paul George might be looking around as his contract expires in 2018, as the Pacers are faced with limited options after this year's performance.
Meanwhile, speculations of Paul George wanting to move to Los Angeles to join the Lakers has been afloat even before the playoffs, during the last days of the February trade deadline. According to Sporting News, George is pretty straightforward about a possible move to the Lakers, and has been for some time, according to CBS Sports.
Mitch Lawrence, covering for Sporting News, learned from George's former teammates no longer with the Indiana team that the Pacers star has not been bashful about him wanting to go over to his hometown team. "A SoCal native, he's been talking about playing for his hometown team, the Lakers, for a long time. He's never made his long-term intentions a secret within the Pacers' locker room, according to former teammates. He wants to wear the purple and gold," Lawrence noted.
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Magic Johnson, the new president of basketball operations for the Los Angeles Lakers, made the talk show rounds as he took the reins for the franchise. It just happened that the subject of George was brought up during his time sitting down with Jimmy Kimmel on his late night talk show.
Johnson was circumspect about it in a way that also confirms the question. Magic told Kimmel that he would just be "wink-winking" at George if they happen to see him this summer, albeit very meaningfully. Johnson playfully implied that only because they know each other as friends, of course, and not because "hey, I want you to come to the Lakers."
