Lakers may not be best Los Angeles destination for Paul George
By Asha Doucet
Paul George has been linked to the Los Angeles Lakers in trade and free agency rumors and the forward is reportedly “hell bent” on suiting up in purple and gold, but could the Los Angeles Clippers be a better destination for the SoCal Native?
It’s no longer a secret, if it ever was, that both the Lakers and Paul George have an interest in joining forces, especially with the L.A. heading into a fourth straight draft lottery and George suffering his fourth straight playoff loss at the hands of LeBron James.
When you also consider that after being swept from the postseason, Larry Bird resigned as the president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers, it seems the door has just widened for George’s welcome to L.A. However, are the Lakers the best L.A. landing spot for George?
If George is set on playing for no other SoCal team than the Lakers, then it seems inevitable that if not by trade, they will acquire him in free agency in 2018.
But if George is just set on returning home to pay near family and friends, the Lakers could have competition from the Clippers for the All-Star forward.
Although there haven’t been many rumors that link the Clippers to George, if playing in L.A. is his main goal, the Clippers are in a much better position to win now and that’s always attractive to a veteran player.
On an episode of The Herd, Chris Broussard said that George to the Clippers makes more sense.
"“I think the Clippers are in great position to snatch Paul George. I would offer Blake Griffin; I don’t know if the Pacers would do it. I would offer Blake Griffin this summer in a sign-and-trade; now Blake would have to sign off on it. Or I re-sign Blake and then come trade deadline, I’m shipping him to Indiana for Paul George.”"
In all honesty, a move like this does make sense — certainly for PG13. The Lakers are still rebuilding and their top-three protected pick is not guaranteed.
To join the Lakers this year or even in 2018 would be signing up for a few growing seasons, even if players such as D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram take substantial leaps in the offseason.
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George is 26 and in his prime. The opportunity to play alongside a future Hall of Fame point guard in Chris Paul who is still at the top of his game may be hard to pass up if presented. The trio of George, Paul and DeAndre Jordan could make a splash of their own and even make a deep playoff run when you consider that teams like the San Antonio Spurs may not be quite as elite moving forward.
George also hasn’t shown to be injury prone like Blake Griffin, so one would assume having him on the Clippers in Griffin’s place would mean a full roster for them in the postseason for the first time in a long time.
Of course, Laker fans don’t want this potential move to happen. Not only because they want George for themselves, but they also want to see the Clippers fail.
If this move were to happen, it would be the second time an All-Star was supposed to join the Lakers, then ended up with the Clippers.
But again, any moves involving PG13 this year will require a trade and the Pacers’ willingness to let him go, but if they’re certain he will walk in free agency, they’re better off trading him to ensure they get something in return.
Although it would come to the dismay of Laker fans everywhere, a sign-and-trade deal for Blake Griffin is a fairly equal swap for George.
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Is Paul George better suited for the Clippers? Will the Clippers steal yet another All-Star from the Lakers? Let us know what you think in the comments below!