Paul George: 'Best PF' in NBA Wanted to Team Up on Pacers Before Thunder Trade

The Indiana Pacers aren't generally thought to be a marquee destination for free agents and trade candidates, but at least one prominent name was prepared to join Paul George before his Pacers tenure ended in July 2017.

During an appearance on Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on Tuesday, George recounted a conversation he had with Pacers management in which he relayed to them "the best power forward wants to come play here."

He explained how he grew frustrated when the team declined to pursue a trade for the player in question and targeted somebody he thought to be a worse option.

George made sure to provide little in the way of hints as to whom he was referencing, as calling somebody the "best" is a subjective measure. 

According to the Indianapolis Star's J. Michael, Anthony Davis is the player in question.

Davis checks the box as "the best power forward." The likelihood of acquiring Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans in 2016 or 2017 would've been so slim as to effectively be a non-starter for the Pacers, though.

The Pelicans got back Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and a slew of draft picks last July when Davis was only one year away from free agency.

Assuming Davis reached out to George during the 2017 offseason, he would've just finished the first year of his five-year, $127.1 million extension with the Pelicans. Compared to New Orleans' return last summer, his value would've been orders of magnitude higher during the period George was discussing.

George was clearly upset with how the Pacers handled the situation, but there was no plausible way in which they could've landed him.