Paul George Won't Commit to New Pacers Contract, Wants to Play on 'Winning Team'

As Paul George prepares to play in his fourth NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, the Indiana Pacers forward is not committing to signing a contract extension with the team. 

During an interview with ESPN's Marc Stein on ESPN Radio's Meet The All-Stars (h/t ESPN.com), George explained that he wants to be playing for a team capable of winning a championship: 

"

As I told [Pacers president] Larry [Bird], I always want to play on a winning team. I always want to be part of a team that has a chance to win it [all]. That's important. Say what you want; I want to compete for something. It's frustrating just playing the game for stats or for numbers or to showcase yourself. Man, I want a chance to play for a chance to win a championship.

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George went on to say his ultimate goal is to be the one who leads the Pacers to their first-ever NBA championship: "So that's still on my mind...and something I definitely want to achieve in Indiana."

The Pacers do have the option of offering George a max contract extension this offseason worth up to $219 million over five years, though he can't opt out of his current deal until after the 2017-18 season, so they have some time to work things out. 

Bird has said on multiple occasions the Pacers' goal is to lock up George, most recently in a January interview with Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star:

"

Before the year started, I told Paul and I said, 'Look, if you want to sign a long-term deal, we're willing to do that max (contract) and if you want to wait, I understand.' But this year, we're not going to worry about it, we're not going to talk about it and he's going to make the decision that's best for Paul when it comes down to it.

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This has been an up-and-down season for the Pacers. They enter the All-Star break with a 29-28 record after losing six straight games, though they occupy the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. 

The Pacers are just three years removed from making back-to-back trips to the Eastern Conference Finals. They have largely been a non-factor in the playoffs since, losing in the first round against the Toronto Raptors last year. 

George is in the midst of another strong season. The 26-year-old is averaging 22.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting a career-high 38.3 percent from three-point range (minimum 50 games played). 

Re-signing Jeff Teague could be a more pressing issue for the Pacers this summer since the point guard is set to become a free agent. The core of Teague, George and Myles Turner gives the Pacers a lot to build around. 

The ball will be in George's court whenever he decides to go to the negotiating table with the Pacers.