Paul George Trade Rumors: Talks Between Celtics, Pacers Reportedly Ongoing

The Boston Celtics are still discussing a possible trade with the Indiana Pacers that would include Paul George, the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach reported Thursday.

Himmelsbach added that it's unclear how close the teams are to completing a deal.

The Celtics' pursuit of George shouldn't have an impact on their ability to sign Gordon Hayward. The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Boston is working to ensure it has the salary-cap space to add both players.

ESPN.com's Marc Stein reported Hayward plans to visit with the Celtics when the free-agent negotiating window opens Saturday.

While the Celtics have the combination of young stars and draft picks to make an enticing trade offer to the Pacers, Boston still has plenty of competition to land George.

ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst (via CBSSports.com's Jack Maloney) reported the Houston Rockets are still targeting George even after acquiring Chris Paul on Wednesday. The Cleveland Cavaliers are likely still in the mix as well despite the fact that a three-team trade that included the Denver Nuggets fell apart, per Stein and ESPN.com colleague Chris Haynes.

The Vertical's Chris Mannix questioned whether the Los Angeles Lakers should begin getting aggressive when it comes to the four-time All-Star:

With Jimmy Butler now a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, George is by far the most attractive player on the NBA trade market. He averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, and he's a career 37.0 percent shooter from beyond the arc.

Although George only has one more guaranteed year remaining on his contract, it's worth it for a contending team to get him now and then hope a successful 2017-18 season is enough to convince him to re-sign next summer.