10 Realistic Paul George Trade Offers Pacers Can't Refuse
If you're interested in trading for Paul George, get in line.
But as you're queueing up, keep in mind that this particular bidding process is a strange one.
George's intentions to leave the Indiana Pacers and sign with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 complicates everything. It robs the Pacers of leverage, diminishing the value of incoming offers and scaring off especially careful suitors altogether.
If you're not the Lakers, why give up assets for a rental?
And if you are the Lakers, why trade for a guy you think you'll get for free in a year?
Some teams in pursuit of a title might think they can convince George to stay. Others, like the Cleveland Cavaliers, are in such full-bore win-now mode that the idea of a rental doesn't scare them. But if they're trying to secure a title, they can't give up too much of their current core to get George.
The Pacers are going to trade their best player. General manager Kevin Pritchard made that clear in a pre-draft press conference. And everyone from ESPN.com's Marc Stein to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting on interested teams discussing trade ideas with Indy.
There are several squads with the assets to bowl the Pacers over...but none of them have to make their best offers. In fact, none of them should.
So how do teams formulate trade packages that'll definitely net George without giving up as much as they might under normal circumstances?
Like this.
Washington Wizards
1 of 10
Pacers Get: Otto Porter, Jr.
John Wall has some ideas, according to comments he made to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated:
"Look at our team. We are one piece away. We have the point guard, we have the shooting guard, we have the center, we have the power forward. Our 3-man (Otto Porter Jr.) did great for us. You can't take nothing away from what he did. But [George] is a guy that can guard LeBron and go back at LeBron. It's a piece that you're going to need to win. If you don't have a guy who can do that, you don't have a chance."
From Washington's perspective, Wall's endorsement removes a lot of the organization's responsibility if George leaves in a year.
At least then the Wizards can say they were doing everything they could to be bold, win now and appease Wall in his prime. That's to say nothing of the potential bullet the Wizards might dodge by not paying Porter—a fine player but probably not one deserving of a max salary—on a fat, multiyear contract.
The calculus would be different for the Pacers, who'd get Porter locked in via a sign-and-trade, putting him alongside Myles Turner in a stretchy duo that should fit well in the modern NBA, particularly if Porter plays more power forward in the future.
Adding George to Washington's current core of Wall, Bradley Beal, Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat would seem to give the Wizards a fighting chance against absolutely anyone.
Even if it's a one-year shot that costs Porter, the Wizards have to go for this. And for Indy, a team that needs another building block alongside Turner, getting Porter as he enters his prime makes a lot of sense.
San Antonio Spurs
2 of 10
Pacers Get: LaMarcus Aldridge and Dejounte Murray
The San Antonio Spurs now know they can't depend on LaMarcus Aldridge to meaningfully change a series against the Golden State Warriors. No shame there, as that distinction puts LMA in a category with about 99 percent of all NBA players.
And, critically, that's different than saying he's without value.
The Spurs wanted to move Aldridge for a pick, so you'd have to think they'd be open to dealing him for a star.
Aldridge and Turner could stretch the floor like few other frontcourt combos in the league, and even if Aldridge can opt out of his deal in 2018, the Pacers could still look to flip him before that. Murray might be the key piece here, as the Pacers could slot him in as a starter and avoid overpaying to retain free agent Jeff Teague.
The Spurs should do what they can to keep Murray out of this package. But if he's what it takes to get the thing done, San Antonio won't be without options.
It could sign former Spur George Hill, clear mountains of cap space to add Chris Paul to a George-Kawhi Leonard core or just grow another selfless prospect in their lab (I've said too much).
It's going to be hard for the Pacers to get an asset like Aldridge—an All-Star who has anchored offenses in the past—for George. And adding a possible long-term starter on a rookie deal only sweetens the pot.
Los Angeles Lakers
3 of 10
Pacers Get: Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, 2020 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
No team has less incentive to give up assets for George than the Lakers.
But while paying for something you'll probably get for free with a little patience makes little sense, there's a small risk that George, after signing on as a rental with another team, will like what he sees enough to change his plans.
Suppose he wins a ring with the Cavaliers or Spurs. Is it a lock the Palmdale, California, native will leave for L.A. anyway?
Maybe, but maybe not.
So if the Lakers want to get out ahead of this thing, grab George now and avoid the risk of him sticking with another team, they can put together a package to make that happen.
Dealing Clarkson or Randle and the 27th and 28th picks in the 2017 draft apparently wasn't enough to sell the Pacers, but the Lakers can do better. If they're serious about getting George, they could offer both Clarkson and Randle, plus a protected 2020 first-rounder.
That locks in a core of George, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball for next summer's big free-agent push with all that "sacred" Lakers cap space.
For the Pacers, two young talents (one of whom is still on his rookie contract) and the chance to for another lottery pick should be enough to make them pull the trigger.
Houston Rockets
4 of 10
Pacers Get: Eric Gordon, Clint Capela, 2019 first-round pick
The Houston Rockets are always ambitious, which is why their pursuit of George comes as no surprise.
On his Lowe Post podcast, ESPN.com's Zach Lowe said the Rockets were offering Gordon and two first-round picks (h/t Ethan Rothstein of The Dream Shake). While that sounds like a worthwhile package, the fact that it hasn't been consummated yet suggests it's still not enough.
So why not swap out one of the picks for promising big man Clint Capela?
If you're the Pacers, you probably aren't itching for two of Houston's first-rounders because there's little chance they'll be inside the top 20. Bottoming out has never been part of Houston's plans, and it's certainly not going to change that with James Harden in his prime.
Capela positionally overlaps with Myles Turner, but he doesn't cost much ($2.4 million next year), and Turner should theoretically continue expanding his game farther out toward the three-point line. Eventually, a Capela-Turner tandem could work on offense and really defend the rim on D.
Gordon is a homecoming play, and the Indiana product showed last season that he's got more than enough left to slot in as a starter and potential leading scorer. And hey, maybe George leaves the Rockets for L.A. after the 2017-18 season and that 2019 pick looks pretty good.
Houston should do this because it gives up two fungible goods (you can always find a lob-catching center and a scoring guard) for one in George that's far tougher to find. Let's also remember how much more valuable George would be against Golden State than either Capela or Gordon.
Meanwhile, Indy gets two starters, one of whom is local, plus an unprotected first.
Who says no?
Boston Celtics
5 of 10
Pacers Get: Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, 2018 first-round pick (via Lakers, protected 2-5) or 2019 first-round pick (either Sacramento Kings or Philadelphia 76ers, top-1 protected)
Enjoy the buffet, Pacers!
Indy can pick from the Boston Celtics' bottomless pit of assets to find the combination it likes best for George, grabbing either of Boston's last two lottery picks plus a first-round selection almost guaranteed to be highly valuable.
If a rebuild is in the offing for Indiana, this is the way to do it.
Look, we know the Celtics are all over the George sweepstakes. Wojnarowski reports the only holdup may be Boston's preference to sign Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin in free agency first. This is a deal that should get done, as it makes the most sense for both parties.
For salary-matching purposes, the Celtics have to add some combination of Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder or Marcus Smart to the exchange. No biggie.
If Hayward and George are the new wings, the need for so many others diminishes. Depth is great, but the Celtics can't play all of those guys big minutes, which saps their value for the Celtics but not for the Pacers.
And though it feels like I should whisper this part, I think the Celtics should even consider making Isaiah Thomas available—either in this deal or another. His ball-dominant game is far less necessary with Hayward/Griffin and George. In fact, it'd probably detract from the new additions. Better to move him now, to Indy or somewhere else, before he comes due for a new deal in 2018.
Los Angeles Clippers
6 of 10
Pacers Get: Gary Harris, Juancho Hernangomez, Kenneth Faried, Denver's 2019 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
Though the temptation to toss out sign-and-trade deals involving Blake Griffin is there, it's just not plausible to think Griffin would agree to an extension with the understanding that it'd result in his playing for the rebuilding Pacers.
That means a third team would be necessary.
Let's keep it simple and say the Denver Nuggets jump in, offering Juancho Hernangomez, Gary Harris and Kenneth Faried (to make the money work), plus a first-round pick to the Pacers. Griffin goes to Denver with a new deal, and George winds up in L.A.—albeit not in the locker room he prefers.
Pretty good, right?
Otherwise, we're stuck trying to trade the Clippers' only real asset currently under contract: DeAndre Jordan.
Jordan's salary works in a one-for-one swap for George, which is a start. But it's hard to see the Pacers picking him over draft assets and young players.
Sean Deveney of the Sporting News reports the Clips are interested in George, so maybe there's something here.
Indiana would be foolish to pass on two quality young talents and a pick for George, but it's the other parties involved that make this one of the trickier offers so far.
Denver Nuggets
7 of 10
Pacers Get: Emmanuel Mudiay, Juancho Hernangomez, Kenneth Faried
We've cut out the middleman for the Nuggets here, eliminating the Clippers from the three-team exchange and letting the Nuggets deal directly with Indiana. This costs Denver Blake Griffin on a new deal but gets them George on a short one.
The downgrade in long-term certainty results in swapping out Harris, a beast of a two-way threat on his rookie contract, for Mudiay, a less tantalizing prospect but not one without upside.
The Pacers are getting loads of potential between Mudiay and Hernangomez. Even if Mudiay's not on Harris' level, he's still young and gifted with all the physical tools you'd want in a cornerstone point guard. Maybe a change of scenery would help him realize all that promise.
Meanwhile, Denver adds George to a core of Jamal Murray, Harris, Wilson Chandler and Nikola Jokic. That group could play some fearsome small ball—whether or not Danilo Gallinari decides to stick around in free agency.
The West is brutal, but that starting five gives Denver the chance to win against almost anyone. And though George couldn't solve all of the Nuggets' defensive problems on his own, he'd at least give Denver a chance to slow down opposing wings.
That's a start, and it might not take much more than a slightly below-average overall defense to get the Nuggets over the 50-win plateau. Their offense was already best in the league after Dec. 15 last year, and that was without George.
Oklahoma City Thunder
8 of 10
Pacers Get: Victor Oladipo and Alex Abrines
This feels like a good time to remind everyone that these deals are supposed to be no-brainers for the Pacers, which necessarily means the other party is losing out on the exchange.
For the Oklahoma City Thunder, one year of Paul George for Oladipo and Abrines might not be worth it. But then again, maybe George and Russell Westbrook wreak havoc on the league, reach the conference finals and decide to stick together.
That's a slim possibility, but it's one that makes it a little easier for OKC to surrender two assets like this.
Oladipo is an Indiana product and isn't an ideal running mate for Westbrook because of his still-developing outside shot. He's worth more to Indy than he is to the Thunder, and Abrines is a sweetener with lots of upside and a solid stroke.
The terrifying possibility here for the Thunder is that George and Westbrook do decide they like playing together and agree after the season to keep doing it for a long time...with the Lakers.
Portland Trail Blazers
9 of 10
Pacers Get: Allen Crabbe, Zach Collins, 2019 first-round pick (top-10 protected)
Indiana adds a shooter in Crabbe, a lottery pick in Collins and another potential lottery selection in 2019—when the Blazers, perhaps, pick a little higher after losing George for nothing in free agency after the 2018-19 season.
That's a long way off, but if Indiana's really starting over, gambling on George ditching the Blazers and plunging them back into the late lottery two years from now is a shrewd tack to take.
Portland's calculus here is easy. Collins and a pick for George makes sense, particularly if you think culture and entrenched stars in Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum make extending George's stay possible. Crabbe has real value as a standstill shooter, but adding George on the wing makes him wholly expendable.
The only problem with this deal is it doesn't get Evan Turner off the Blazers payroll.
The Pacers are desperate to move George, but having endured the Turner experience firsthand, they're not that desperate.
Milwaukee Bucks
10 of 10
Pacers Get: Jabari Parker, Thon Maker and Mirza Teletovic
The Milwaukee Bucks sacrifice a lot here, and it's especially difficult to surrender drafted assets like this when you're in a market that doesn't generally replace talent via free agency.
But if George is even remotely open to sticking with a team other than the Lakers, you'd think one with impending global dominator Giannis Antetokounmpo has a serious shot.
Plus, the Bucks improved following Parker's knee injury last season. That had as much to do with Khris Middleton getting healthy as the absence of Parker's suspect defense, but it illustrates the former No. 2 overall pick is hardly indispensable. And at the risk of being cruel, there's no way for Milwaukee to know what Parker will look like now that he's undergone two ACL repairs.
George, Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon create a fantastic unit capable of switching across four positions. And if you move Antetokounmpo to the 5 in closing lineups (which must be his destiny; the people demand it!), the Bucks pose problems only the Cavs and Warriors seem equipped to handle.
These guys could vault into the East's top two or three with George, and it wouldn't even be that hard.
Indiana gets two lottery tickets for its trouble: Parker, a potential All-Star with leading-scorer capabilities, and Maker, a future stretch-5 with the kind of high motor that means he'll always make an impact. Teletovic is more than a throw-in to make the money work (though that's a factor). He's a knockdown shooter on a fair deal who could either help Indy play respectable ball or be flipped to a contender for picks.
Stats courtesy of Basketball Reference or NBA.com. Salary info via Basketball Insiders.
