Indiana Pacers: The Pros And Cons Of Trading Paul George This Summer
Con: …But It Won’t Be Full Value
One trade does not set the market value for another, so don’t go thinking the minimal return Sacramento got in the DeMarcus Cousins trade somehow influences what the Pacers could get for Paul George.
However, there’s no question that PG-13 has put Indiana in a very tough spot now that everyone knows how serious a threat the Lakers are to win his heart in 2018 free agency.
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If Bird started listening to any and all offers, there would be plenty of teams that would make sense as trade suitors, and plenty of them could put together an enticing offer.
Teams with young superstars of the future like the Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns could put together a great package to aid Indiana’s rebuild around Myles Turner. Teams hoping to pursue higher playoff spots like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, Washington Wizards would have to at least consider picking up the phone, even if they might not be able to put together a Godfather offer.
But if the Pacers trade Paul George, it’s because they fear losing him in free agency next summer to the Lakers for nothing. That same worry considerably narrows down the list of teams who’d be interested, since they’d need to have a championship-caliber roster to entice him into re-signing for the long-term.
Denver reportedly put together a monster offer for George at the trade deadline, but were told (presumably by George’s camp) that they’d lose him in free agency.
Basically, the list of teams that could both put together an adequate offer and have a good chance of re-signing George is narrowed down to the Lakers and the Boston Celtics, who engaged with discussions with both the Pacers for George and the Chicago Bulls for Jimmy Butler at this year’s trade deadline. However, it’d make no sense for the Lakers to trade for him when they could just sign him in 2018, so it’s really just Boston.
General manager Danny Ainge has probably overvalued his assets at this point, but once we know where that valuable Brooklyn Nets first round pick falls in this year’s draft, he could very easily have a top-three pick — or, most likely, the No. 1 overall pick — to dangle in front of Larry Bird’s face.
If it turns out to be the No. 1 overall pick and Ainge is willing to play ball rather than clog his backcourt even more in a guard-heavy draft, Bird would have to think about taking that kind of offer, even after resisting the offers that poured in at this year’s trade deadline.
The Celtics could offer something like Jae Crowder, Tyler Zeller (as salary cap filler) and the No. 1 overall pick, possibly even throwing in a young sweetener like Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown or another future first round pick as well. That would help put young talent around 21-year-old Myles Turner for the long term.
Boston wants to contend now and it has the assets to make a big offer for a superstar who’d complete the roster. That need helps balance out the disadvantage Indiana has due to the Lakers rumors, since the Celtics would have a better chance of contending for a title with George and, therefore, stand a better chance of re-signing him in 2018.
However, the Bulls could very easily swoop in and pull off a Jimmy Butler blockbuster deal with the Celtics if the Pacers hesitate, and a possible trade partners list with one team on it doesn’t leave much room for leverage in negotiations.
With everyone afraid that trading for George would mean sacrificing future assets for a one-year rental, his trade value is not as high as it should be for a player of his talents. That could very well force Bird to either kid himself into thinking he can make PG-13 happy for the long-term and subsequently lose him for nothing, or it could put Indiana in a corner where they have to accept far less value than they would’ve, simply to avoid losing him for nothing.