Paul George Informs Indiana Pacers He Plans to Leave Next Summer
It has been an eventful Monday in the National Basketball Association (NBA). First, a pre-draft trade that shakes up the top of the draft has been made official with the Boston Celtics sending the first overall pick in this year's draft to the Philadelphia 76ers for the third overall pick and a future first-round pick.
Everybody was talking about that deal, but soon Paul George became the topic of conversation when Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported that the All-Star forward has informed the Indiana Pacers that he's leaving the team in the 2018 offseason, with the Los Angeles Lakers as his preferred destination.
"George hasn't requested a trade before he can opt out of his 2018–19 contract, but did have his agent, Aaron Mintz, tell new Indiana president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard that he wanted to be forthright on his plans and spare the franchise any confusion about his intentions, league sources told The Vertical," Wojnarowski wrote in his report.
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Informing the team early on that he plans to move on next summer is a classy move. However, the Pacers will now have to find a way to move him if they want to get something back.
The Lakers are unlikely to pursue him right now since they can sign him once he hits the open market next summer. That means Pacers president Kevin Pritchard is going to be quite busy as he explores trade scenarios with several teams including the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Of course, any team that tries to trade for him will have to remember that he wants to join the Lakers next offseason, so they will likely view him as a "one-year rental." However, the Cavaliers appear to be willing to acquire him without any assurances that he'll stay with them beyond next season.
"Cleveland is confident its championship culture and overall atmosphere could sway George to want to stay after playing out the 2017–18 season," ESPN's Dave McMenamin said.
