The rumors surrounding Paul George continue to float around the league as teams reportedly become a possibility before falling out. The newest team to be mentioned as a possibility is the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins already in the fold, and a top coach in Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota could take a major step by adding someone like George.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Timberwolves are interested in landing either George or Jimmy Butler:
Minnesota continues to show interest in landing Paul George or Jimmy Butler, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) June 22, 2017
The Timberwolves aren’t the only team in the race however, as Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders reports that Portland and San Antonio are interested as well:
League sources peg Portland and San Antonio as the newest serious players in the Paul George race. Spurs said to have a real shot at him.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 22, 2017
The Spurs would undoubtedly be a situation the Los Angeles Lakers would have to worry about should George land there. The Lakers continue to hold firm on what they will offer for George, knowing that it is very likely he will come to the team in 2018.
The risk of course is that George could be traded to a great situation and want to remain there and there are very few places that are better than the Spurs, next to Kawhi Leonard, and with one of the greatest coaches ever in Gregg Popovich.
The Blazers have three first-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, but very little in terms of young talent. Unless they are willing to offer up C.J. McCollum, it is hard to see the Pacers going that route.
In the end, everything points back at the Lakers. Getting in a bidding war would be great for Indiana and increase their return in a George trade. The Lakers will have to decide if that’s worth it.
