Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 wildly ambitious free agency targets in next 3 years

Paul George, SF, Oklahoma City Thunder

When he’ll be available: Free agent in 2018

Yes, I know. The majority of folks around the league simply assume Paul George will be signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. While I’m sure Magic Johnson is convinced that’s what the future holds, it’s no guarantee PG-13 decides to pull the “returning home” routine.

Depending on how the Oklahoma City Thunder do this year, George could opt to stay put. Even if he does enter the free agency pool, chances are he fields offers from numerous teams. The Lakers aren’t going to be the only club to get a shot at him, even if they do have the early edge.

If and when he does become available, George should take his time, hearing out all the contenders who want to pitch him on their plans for the future. Assuming that was his approach, I can’t imagine the Cavaliers not throwing their hat into the mix.

In fact, they already attempted to bring George to Ohio. When the Indiana Pacers were looking for a trade partner earlier this offseason, Cleveland allegedly came very close to making a deal. Here’s this from ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, via NBC Sports’ Dan Feldman:

"“Koby Altman was very close to a deal on June 30 for Paul George. It was so close, in fact, that Indiana was about to give permission to Paul George to get on the phone with Dan Gilbert. Indiana backed out of it and did the Oklahoma City deal.”"

If the Cavaliers get another shot at George, they won’t let him slip through their fingers again. Especially if James takes his talents elsewhere, Cleveland will need a new superstar to hang its hopes on. It’s the perfect opportunity to keep this team atop the Eastern Conference.