The rumors surrounding Indiana Pacers star forward Paul George have been plentiful in the past couple weeks, as he made it known that he plans to leave the Pacers next summer when he becomes a free agent with the intention of joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
Because of that, the Pacers are shopping him via trade so they can begin their rebuilding process before they lose him for nothing in a year.
Among the teams that have expressed interest in acquiring George are the Lakers, as they may not want to risk waiting until next summer, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics, and possibly the Washington Wizards.
While the Wizards seem to be the underdog in this, that is not stopping their All-Star point guard John Wall from recruiting George, via Marc J. Spears of ESPN:
I am talking to some guys — Paul. I know his ultimate goal of where he wants to be. I’m trying to see if we can make something happen,” Wall told The Undefeated before the NBA awards show on Monday night.
Wall believes that George could be the missing piece for Washington to compete with LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference:
“Look at our team. We are one piece away,” Wall said. “We have the point guard, we have the shooting guard, we have the center, we have the power forward. Our 3-man [Otto Porter Jr.] did great for us. You can’t take nothing away from what he did. But [George] is a guy that can guard LeBron and go back at LeBron. It’s a piece that you’re going to need to win. If you don’t have a guy who can do that, you don’t have a chance. …
“You got to add another star. You got to add another piece. You got to have three guys. And that’s what it’s looking like.”
George would be a nice fit alongside Wall and Bradley Beal in Washington, but since he isn’t a free agent until 2018, it is not up to him where he gets traded this summer.
With Wall and Beal being off the table, and Otto Porter Jr. set to hit free agency, the Wizards do not have any young assets that the Pacers would covet in a potential deal, leaving it very unlikely that a deal for George happens.
