Paul George would no doubt help the Washington Wizards, but what would they have to give up to get him, and is it worth it if he’s Los Angeles-bound in 2018?
Earlier this week reports came out that Paul George will be leaving the Indiana Pacers in 2018 when his contract expires, per The Vertical‘s Adrian Wojnarowski.
While it seems inevitable that Paul George will return to where he grew up and play for the Los Angeles Lakers, the Pacers are now actively looking to get any kind of return for their star player. Many teams have been reported to be in talks with Indiana, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, and yes, even the Lakers.
But why not the Washington Wizards? There are only two reasons to take a chance on Paul George right now. The first is you’re competing to win a title and his one year on the team could make that a possibility. The second is you think you can convince him to re-sign after the upcoming season, regardless of his passion to go to Los Angeles.
The Wizards might be a team that would believe both options. Pairing a piece like Paul George with their deadly backcourt could be the boost they’d need to get into the Finals. At the same time, if they have that kind of success, they might be able to convince Paul George to stay and try to win one for D.C.
Most likely, Paul George will go to Los Angeles regardless of how he does in the last year of his deal, but the big question the Wizards have to ask is, is there a trade that’s worth getting a year of Paul George anyway?
There are two options to consider.
Option No. 1:
The big question here is, will either team say yes to this trade? Kelly Oubre Jr. is a promising young piece, who will be a cheap rotation guy for the next three years.
It does seem like the Wizards would be hurting their team in the long run giving him up. At the same time, Marcin Gortat is on the decline, but Ian Mahinmi, his likely replacement, didn’t have an extremely promising first year in Washington.
The Pacers on the other hand, might not think this is enough assets in return for their star. From other potential trades around the league, it seems the Indiana Pacers want to get draft picks involved.
While Kelly Oubre Jr. is promising, he isn’t the same as a draft pick. They also already have a starting center in Myles Turner, and though they could player together at times given Turner’s ability to space the floor, Gortat isn’t a perfect fit.
Option No. 2 (three-team trade):
Then:
This trade is a big one. It’s a three-team trade where Paul George ends up on the Washington Wizards and Marcin Gortat stays on the team. They upgrade their roster from Markieff Morris to Paul George for a year and in return they lose Kelly Oubre Jr. as a young prospect.
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The 76ers turn one asset they aren’t impressed with in Jahlil Okafor and get a defensive-minded role player to help teach their young core about the NBA, and maybe even get their team a little more depth to make a playoff push. Morris is also a Philly native.
The Pacers get Jahlil Okafor, a still young, interesting piece to pair with Myles Turner. In this situation, Gerald Henderson is mostly an expiring contract to free up their cap space, but they also get another promising young player in Kelly Oubre Jr.
Essentially, the 76ers trade for a defensive veteran in the locker room, the Wizards give up role players for a superstar for a year and the Pacers get to take a swing on two young assets. This is the closest I could get to a trade where everybody gets something they want, though other draft picks would probably need to be involved for Indiana to bite.
This trade again, comes down to how willing the Wizards are to trade away role players for a Paul George rental. Fans who are high on Kelly Oubre Jr. will hate this trade, and people who are sure Paul George will go to Los Angeles will hate it too.
Next: 5 potential Paul George trades
But maybe, just maybe, the Wizards can give the Cavaliers and Celtics a run for their money with Paul George, convince him they can make the Finals and stay in the less competitive Eastern Conference instead of going to the city of stars.