Paul George Trade Rumors: Latest News, Speculation Surrounding Pacers Star
With the Indiana Pacers recently stringing together a seven-game winning streak and creeping up the Eastern Conference playoff standings, it seems that trading Paul George right now wouldn't be on their radar.
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Celtics Watching George
Wednesday, Feb. 8
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the Boston Celtics are keeping an eye on the Pacers All-Star as they try to upgrade their roster for a playoff push.
"Boston's shown minimal interest in (Carmelo) Anthony, preferring to continue its pursuit of persuading Chicago (Jimmy Butler) and Indiana (George) to engage in trade talks that involve two younger, more well-rounded stars," he wrote.
The Pacers entered play on Wednesday with a 29-22 record, sixth in the Eastern Conference, thanks to their hot streak. They seem unlikely to catch the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Central Division but were only two games behind the Toronto Raptors for the No. 3 seed.
George remains the Pacers' most prolific scorer with 22.5 points per game, and his 45.2 shooting percentage is the second-best mark of his seven-year NBA career.
The emergence of Myles Turner, who is tied with Jeff Teague for the team lead in Basketball Reference win shares (5.3), could give Indiana's front office some push to entertain dealing George for a blockbuster package.
Based on where the Pacers are in the standings and how the team seems to be building some momentum, it seems like a long shot. Their upcoming schedule will show just how good they are with a combined seven games against the Cavaliers, Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Houston Rockets before the trade deadline on March 1.
George is signed for two more seasons after this year, so there's no pressure on the Pacers to make a deal now. If the right offer were to come along, especially from a Celtics team in need of another scorer to put alongside Isaiah Thomas, it would be something for the Pacers to at least entertain.
