NBA Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers jumping into the Paul George sweepstakes

The Indiana Pacers are searching for a trade partner to acquire Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers should jump in and pursue a deal.

Paul George is officially available in trade talks and it is clear that the Indiana Pacers are looking to make a deal before Thursday’s NBA Draft. After news broke that George’s agent, Aaron Mintz, had told the Pacers that George does not intend to re-sign with the team, Pacers’ general manager Kevin Pritchard has been busy working the phones looking for a trade partner.

Teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers are the early teams rumored to be potential landing spots, but the Los Angeles Clippers should jump into the sweepstakes and try to acquire George.

According to a report from Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Clippers are indeed interested in a sign-and-trade for George. That would take the Pacers not finding a deal ahead of the draft, but would allow the Clippers to do a sign-and-trade that sent Blake Griffin, Chris Paul or J.J. Redick. The two sides could also find a third team for one of the Clippers’ three free agents to go to if the Pacers favor young talent.

Adding a player like George would immediately make the Clippers a serious contender in the West. If they were able to retain both Paul and Griffin, a Big Three with George would be enough to concern the defending champion Golden State Warriors.

George has been very adamant about signing with the Lakers next offseason when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. Returning home to Los Angeles is something that he has wanted to do throughout his entire career. Could the Clippers convince him to re-sign long-term if they give him the homecoming that he is searching for first?

At 27 years old, George is coming off of the best season of his career. He averaged 23.7 points per game to go along with 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. George shot 46.1 percent from the field overall and knocked down 39.3 percent of his three-point attempts.

Those numbers show exactly why so many teams are still interested in acquiring PG-13, even though he might only be a one-year rental. Very rarely does a star with the talent that George possesses become available.

Doc Rivers has never been scared to make big moves and is the type of coach that can convince a player to stick around. George has never played for the type of person that Rivers is in L.A.

The Sporting News article does mention that the chances of the Clippers acquiring George are not very high. There are plenty of teams that can offer the Pacers the kind of young talent and pick combination that they are looking for, without having to wait past the draft.

All of that being said, it isn’t surprising that the Clippers are interested in jumping into the Paul George trade sweepstakes. There are plenty of reasons why he would be a perfect fit and they are one of the few destinations that could have a chance to convince him to re-sign. While it isn’t likely that he would choose the Clippers over the Lakers in 2018, Rivers might be willing to give it a shot.

Expect to see the Pacers come to an agreement on a George trade at some point in the next few weeks. More than likely, George will be dealt before the NBA Draft on Thursday. The end of an era has come to Indianapolis and it will be interesting to see what they end up getting in return for the face of their franchise.

Next: 5 potential Paul George trades

Do you think the Los Angeles Clippers are a legitimate landing spot for George? If not, who do you think will end up acquiring the young star? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!