Recent Lakers rumors have all been about Indiana Pacers forward Paul George. According to reports, a deal isn’t close that would send him elsewhere.
During the NBA Draft, there were plenty of Lakers rumors surrounding the future of Indiana Pacers forward Paul George.
After saying that he wasn’t going to be re-signing with the Pacers, the organization had to move quickly to try and trade him. Since George is a great player, the Pacers would be really set back if they lost him without getting anything in return.
Unfortunately for the Pacers, it also became known that George would prefer to play in Los Angeles after hitting free agency. This has certainly scared a lot of teams away from trying to acquire George as a potential rental player. Also, it has knocked down the value of him quite a bit.
Recently, George’s name came up in talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, according to Joe Varden of Cleveland.com, those talks are all but dead.
"As first reported by ESPN, the Cavs engaged the Nuggets as a possible third team to facilitate a trade for the All-Star George on draft night, but a source said the discussion was “nothing serious” and “very unlikely” to happen now.The Nuggets had the No. 13 pick in Thursday’s draft and traded it to Utah for Trey Lyles — obviously giving up on getting Love, at least for the time being."
For the Cavaliers to try and acquire a player like George, it is going to cost them either Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving. While it certainly appears that the Cavaliers would prefer to move Love in a potential deal, his value isn’t what it once was.
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The George talks going quiet to Cleveland is certainly good for the Lakers. So far, they have been patient in a deal for George, and the longer this process goes, the strength of the Lakers in possible negotiations will only grow. Continuing to be patient will be key for the Lakers.