Pacers' Interest in FA Paul George Would Depend on Fit, GM Kevin Pritchard Says
One year after Paul George was traded by the Pacers, Indiana general manager Kevin Pritchard laid out a potential scenario in which the team could pursue the five-time All-Star as a free agent.
Appearing on The Dan Dakich Show on Wednesday, Pritchard was asked about possibly pursuing George if he opts out of his current deal this summer, via Slam Online's Ryne Nelson:
"I would want to know first that he would fit us. We're different now.
"I think everybody would recognize one of the things we're about… we don't care about big names, we don't care about big personalities. We're not about big brands.
"What we are about is being a humble, tough, unselfish team. Anybody that fits in that, yeah, we're interested."
Born in the Los Angeles area, George has been linked to the Lakers if he becomes a free agent this offseason.
George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis last July. Indiana went 48-34 this season, its best record since 2013-14, and Oladipo turned into an All-Star who averaged 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
The Thunder also went 48-34 with George playing alongside Russell Westbrook. He finished second on the team with 21.9 points per game. The 28-year-old ended the season on a sour note, scoring five points on 2-of-16 shooting in Oklahoma City's Game 6 loss against the Utah Jazz.
George holds a $20.7 million player option for the 2018-19 season, per Spotrac. He spent the first seven years of his career with the Pacers, who selected him No. 10 overall in the 2010 NBA draft.
