Paul George trade rumors: 5 teams that should deal for Pacers’ star

3. Los Angeles Lakers

Yes, the Los Angeles Lakers could very well remain patient, comfortable with the knowledge they’re No. 1 on Paul George’s free agency list a year from now.

However, if someone else swings a deal for PG-1, they risk losing him forever if he falls in love with his new team — especially if that new team is a legitimate contender that can convince him winning will make him happier than a homecoming to a rebuilding franchise.

If that’s the case, and legitimate contenders join the bidding war, the Lakers may feel compelled to acquire George sooner rather than later.

Luckily, even the pain of departing with one of the team’s young franchise pillars like D’Angelo Russell or Julius Randle would be alleviated by getting the contract of Luol Deng ($17.2 million) or Timofey Mozgov ($16 million) off the books, since one of them would have to be included for salary-matching purposes.

Randle and Myles Turner would be fun together in the frontcourt, but if the Pacers are undergoing a rebuild and trading George, it’d make little to no sense to re-sign unrestricted free agent Jeff Teague to a large contract — making the point guard spot a position of need.

Los Angeles Lakers

That would make Russell their prime target as someone they’d try to pair with Turner for the long-term future. Deng would address another position of need on the wing with PG-13 gone, but it’s not a glaring need for a rebuilding team and Mozzy’s contract is a little bit cheaper.

The Lakers would lose a talented young player in Russell, who just averaged 15.6 points, 4.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game despite only turning 21 in February. But that might be the price Magic Johnson is willing to pay to ensure Paul George ends up in Lakerland, especially since they could use the No. 2 pick on a new franchise point guard in Lonzo Ball.

A move like this would give the Lakers the inside track to re-sign Paul George next summer, and if they played their cards right by removing Deng’s deal from the books, they could be looking at adding someone like LeBron James or Russell Westbrook in 2018 free agency as well.

There are definitely worse fates than a core of Lonzo Ball, Jordan Clarkson, Paul George, LeBron James/Russell Westbrook, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr. and Ivica Zubac, even if it means parting with D-Loading.

In order to sign George as a free agent, it’s also worth noting the Lakers would have to unload Mozgov or Deng to be able to offer him a max deal. That may be hard to accomplish elsewhere, making this deal with Indiana — a team more willing to take on a bad deal in a rebuild as long as it reels in a nice young piece — more defendable.

However, according to ESPN‘s Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers aren’t considering giving up any assets in a potential Paul George trade.

Russell and Randle would certainly qualify in that category, and it’s unlikely the Pacers would bite on an offer centered around Jordan Clarkson and the team’s late first-rounder in this year’s draft.

It’s also worth noting that D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Paul George all have the same agent, making it that much harder for a possible trade to be facilitated when all three could be enjoying that L.A. lifestyle together soon anyway.

Most likely, the Lakers will do what they’ve always done, trusting that the prestige of the franchise and the charm of Magic Johnson will be enough a year from now without having to sacrifice any assets. It’s a bold and confident play, but when has this organization been anything but?