Paul George Trade Rumors: Celtics and Pacers Talks Have Reportedly Stalled

The Boston Celtics drafted Duke's Jayson Tatum with the No. 3 overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft, but they reportedly have bigger plans.

On Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported the Celtics and Indiana Pacers "are engaged in serious talks" regarding a potential Paul George trade, citing league sources.

Wojnarowski cautioned even though the discussions "gained significant momentum," the two teams were still apart on a finalized trade.

Wojnarowski later reported talks had "stalled" as the lottery portion of the evening's proceedings came to an end. 

This comes after Wojnarowski reported last week that George told the Pacers he plans on opting out of his contract during the summer of 2018 and entering free agency, where he sees the Los Angeles Lakers as his preferred destination.

In theory, that would make him a less attractive trade target from Boston's perspective considering he could simply leave for the Lakers after a single season.

However, the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season and are on the short list of teams that could realistically challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors in the coming years. Were George to play in Boston for a season and thrive—and maybe even reach the NBA Finals for the first time in his career—the thrill of winning could convince him to stay put instead of heading to Los Angeles.

Whether it's for a season or the long-term future, George would provide a significant boost to Boston as it chases the three-time defending conference champion Cavaliers in the East.

He is a four-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA and All-Defensive team member who's capable of guarding LeBron James in a potential Eastern Conference Finals rematch while serving as a go-to scorer after posting a career-high 23.7 points a night in 2016-17.