The latest Lakers rumors have the organization ‘pretty confident’ All-Star Paul George will be heading to Los Angeles in 2018.
The latest Lakers rumors are encouraging for fans hoping the team can land Southland product and Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George … just not this year.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, there is a growing sense within the organization that George is on his way to Los Angeles in 2018.
On the Thursday edition of “The Woj Report,” Wojnarowski said:
"The Lakers “are pretty confident and have a great deal of belief” that George is coming to L.A. next year."
Los Angeles received the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft for the third straight year on Tuesday, putting the team in good position to possibly land Lonzo Ball at that position.
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And now that the All-NBA team has been revealed, those selections could bode well the Lakers as well. The reason: George wasn’t on it.
Because George didn’t make an All-NBA team this year, he won’t be eligible for the Designation Player Exception outlined in the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement. The exception allows teams to extend their own players to a “super max” deal.
But there’s a catch. Players eligible for the super max have to meet certain criteria, one of which is being named to one of the three All-NBA teams. George didn’t make it, which equates to no extra money for him should he re-sign in Indiana.
However, if George makes an All-NBA team next season with the Pacers, he would still qualify for the exception.
Point of clarification: George could still get the super max from Indy if he makes an all-NBA team next year. But he'd still be UFA in '18.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) May 18, 2017
But that stuff doesn’t seem to matter the the Lakers. Wojnarowski said in the video below that the Lakers feel confident they’ll land George in 2018, even if he gets traded in the offseason to another team.
Woj added that he believes the Lakers are being told not to give up any assets in a trade for the Pacers forward because George would want the team to be as good as possible when he arrives.
There’s already plenty of speculation on Twitter from the media that think because of George not making an All-NBA team this season, his bags are mentally packed and on their way to a condo in L.A.
Paul George missed out on All-NBA teams, making it easier for Lakers to acquire him https://t.co/QLLCddJC4V pic.twitter.com/p7kdz9YNkA
— Silver Screen and Roll (@LakersSBN) May 18, 2017
No All-NBA for Paul George = $30m less for Pacers to offer him to stay, increases volume of already rampant PG-to-Lakers buzz. pic.twitter.com/a4OHLI1EHC
— Ric Bucher (@RicBucher) May 18, 2017
Whether or not the Lakers are confident, George not having as much incentive to stay in Indiana definitely makes it more interesting to see what he’ll do in the offseason. The Pacers made the playoffs this year, but only to get swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If George gets traded to another team — say, the Boston Celtics — he has a better chance of winning now than he would if he joined a rebuilding Lakers team. So if he still decides to test free agency in 2018, it’ll be a matter of how badly he wants to return home.
Next: Options Aplenty At No. 2 For The Lakers
George grew up in the L.A. area — Palmdale to be exact — but if he wants to win, the Lakers are going to have to do some hard selling to convince him to join them.