Lakers Rumors: Indiana Pacers turned down Paul George trade offer
Los Angeles Lakers Rumors: The Indiana Pacers have a good offer on the table from Los Angeles but they were greedy and it could hurt them in the long-run.
There have been plenty of Los Angeles Lakers rumors popping up in recent days, most of which revolve around Paul George. With Jimmy Butler being traded during the 2017 NBA Draft to the Minnesota Timberwolves, George is the biggest fish on the trade market.
The Lakers are not the only team that has interest in acquiring George. The Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, and Timberwolves have all been rumored to have an interest in George. But, the Lakers have a huge advantage over all of those teams.
Unlike the other teams, George has stated his interest in playing for the Lakers. About two weeks ago, George informed the Pacers that he would not be leaving the team next offseason. His preference when leaving the Pacers is landing with the Lakers.
Upon hearing this, the Lakers got going on trying to acquire George via trade. Los Angeles cleared a lot of cap space in their trade with the Brooklyn Nets. They had to trade D’Angelo Russell to get Timofey Mozgov off their books, acquiring Brook Lopez and the 27th pick in the process.
The Lakers reportedly packaged the 27th pick with the 28th pick along with either Jordan Clarkson or Julius Randle hoping to land George.
There was confirmation, from Jason McIntyre of Fox Sports 1 that the Pacers did, in fact, receive that package. But, the Pacers did not accept the deal, as they were hoping to get more in a package from the Boston Celtics.
The Pacers are free to try and find a better package, but their hands are tied. They are unlikely to receive anything of much value, especially with George already sharing his intentions to head to Los Angeles once he is a free agent.
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With that known, teams are unlikely to trade much for George very well knowing he could be a rental. Holding out for more from a team such as Boston, who McIntyre notes is in the running for Gordon Hayward, is a poor approach by Indiana.
The Pacers have no leverage in George talks, so Indiana could just be doing this out of spite. They are not going to get anything better than two picks and a young player for what is essentially a rental.
The Pacers may have dug a hole that they will not be able to get out of. Trade talks with the Lakers have reportedly died, taking their best-reported package for George off the table. That has not stopped George from setting up his future, as he has been talking to other players, trying to convince them to join him in Los Angeles next season.
Next: 3 Reasons The Lakers Should Trade For Paul George
The Pacers are in a very difficult spot, but it is one that could have easily been avoided. They are unlikely to receive an offer that comes close to the one the Lakers put on the table prior to the 2017 NBA Draft. Now with that offer off the table, the Pacers will be hard pressed to deal George.