There was a ton of wheeling and dealing on draft day as big names were moved and draft picks were swapped. The Lakers took part in a couple moves of their own, but the name many expected to be moved, Indiana Pacers star Paul George, ultimately stayed put.
It had been previously been reported that the Pacers had hoped to deal George before or during the draft, but nothing came to fruition on this night. That doesn’t mean that a deal couldn’t come very soon.
Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard spoke to the media and said that they could pull the trigger on a George trade at any time, via Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star:
Kevin Pritchard on trade market for Paul George: "There’s enough on the board we feel good about. We could pull the trigger at any time."
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) June 23, 2017
Pritchard also added that some of the options on the table include All-Stars and potential All-Stars, via Doyel:
Pritchard on PG offers: "There’s a lot of options where we take back players, potential all-stars and all-stars, that keep us competitive."
— Gregg Doyel (@GreggDoyelStar) June 23, 2017
There are plenty of teams who have been rumored to be interested in a George deal with the most recent mentioned being the Boston Celtics. The two sides had reportedly made progress on a deal before things stalled.
For the Lakers, it seems as if they are content to not overpay in a deal for George and believe that he will join them in free agency next summer. Whether or not that is the right move will remain to be seen as George could find a new home and not want to leave.
As it stands, a George deal could happen at any time so everyone will continue to watch closely and see when this ordeal finally comes to an end.
