This is it, Indy has long said they wouldn't even consider offers, but now.. The Indiana Pacers are gauging the trade market on All-Star forward Paul George, league sources told The Vertical. – via Yahoo! Sports For teams considering a trade for George, here’s the risk: As a free agent in the summer of 2018, he has considered re-signing with Indiana or joining his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell The Vertical. – via Yahoo! Sports Can Magic and his buddy Bird figure it out? I like Jimmy Butler too, and he's probably a tad ahead of George right now, but George is about a year younger than Butler and the hometown kid. It's probably a hard deal to sell fans on for Bird because on one hand if he sends George to the Celtics it's gonna look like favoritism for his old team, and now it'll maybe be seen somewhat similar if BFFs Bird and Magic got together and made a deal. But I think this is the deal where Ingram would maybe become attainable..a George or Butler trade..both 2-way impact perimeter players, both still young enough. Although, I don't see LAL getting rid of both Russell and Ingram in the same deal..if I'm Magic I'm selling Bird on Russell big time and probably attaching him to Clarkson as well. Russell + Clarkson + HOU 1st rd + whatever additional future draft comp they can move Black's ability to play the 4 and Thomas Robinson's productivity in a small amount of minutes could make Randle attainable, but I still doubt Randle gets moved because he's dynamic w/the ball and can make his teammates better..he's just scratching the surface. He's come a long way w/his physique and is still not even used to the long season.
The rest of Woj's piece [no homo]: ...With Magic Johnson hired by the Lakers to run their front office, they are viewed as a more viable destination for George. Johnson has been a George family icon dating back to his childhood in Palmdale, California. Bird might be able to replace Paul George w/Indy-native Gordon Hayward in free agency this summer, so maybe that opp would have some impact behind the scenes
The plan. This year we trade for Jimmy Butler, Dwayne Wade, and Rajon Rondo for Clarkson, Randle, the pick we just got from Houston, and Mozgov as salary filler. We trade Deng, Corey Brewer and a 2nd round pick for Rubio and the contracts of Nikola Pekovic and Cole Aldrich. We trade Tarik Black, Nick Young, Rajon Rondo, and Marcelo Huertas to the Hawks for Mike Dunleavy, Kris Humphries and Tiago Splitter. Pekovic is forced to retire due to injuries and Lakers get emergency cap relief. And let everyone who is a FA walk to get that cap room. This year the team would be.... PG: Russell, Rubio, Calderon SG: Wade, Dunleavy SF: Butler, Ingram PF: Nance, Humphries, Robinson C : Zubac, Splitter, Alrdich But with Wade and Butler to help recruit alongside the improved Zubac, Ingram, Russell and Nance due to increased PT will allow you to sign Paul George in FA next year. And then Demarcus Cousins signs as a FA the year after. And you got a team of... PG: Russell, Rubio SG: Wade, Ingram SF: Butler, Ingram PF: George, Ingram, Nance C : Cousins, Zubac, Nance A bench of Ingram, Rubio, Zubac, and Nance would not be shabby at all. With Ingram stepping into the starting linup as soon as Wade retires if he already hasnt done so.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...ers-lakers-magic-johnson-larry-bird/98261522/ ...So when George met with team owner Herb Simon in recent days and told him that the Hoosier state was still the place for him, how he would love nothing more than to eventually go down as the greatest Pacer of them all, it came with one qualifier. If they can contend for a title. According to a person with knowledge of the meeting who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation, that is the crossroads that Pacers president Larry Bird now faces. If the Thursday deadline comes and goes and the Pacers roster remains the same, the pressure rises in a significant way. George will be a free agent in the summer of 2018, and it’s no secret that the 26-year-old Palmdale, Calif. native would love nothing more than to sign with his hometown Lakers if the future is bleak in Indiana. The fact that the Lakers are in the process of trying to land George right now, with new lead executive Magic Johnson moving fast to fill that superstar hole that Kobe Bryant left behind, only makes these next two days all the more compelling.
Now rumblings that Indy doesn't think George is an alpha/leader type, and I sort of agree and have been disappointed w/that this year because the Pacers looked stout on paper, but maybe Indy is now starting throw a little dirt on George PR-wise to initiate the process of moving on? Maybe he'd step into that leadership role at home, but I don't know..he may just not be an alpha/leader type. Which would mean LAL might have to find that to go along w/him to make it work. And that's not easy..especially given the options in FA coming up. The best chance of finding an alpha/leader type to go along w/George could be to land one of the Top 3 guys in this draft..a Ball, Dennis Smith, or Fultz. Maybe even Josh Jackson, who could be seen as a pretty good replacement for Ingram should Ingram end up going to Indy. But of course LAL doesn't have that pick yet, so there you go
Let's get Matt Barnes, Bird Man and Lance Stephenson while we're at it. With Rondo and Cousins, we'd have the All-Ahole team wrapped up.
Ok, maybe this trade is more realistic. Lakers get Jahlil Okafor and Ricky Rubio because that would fix our roster. Sixers get Jordan Clarkson and Nick Young because they need backcourt help. Wolves get Gerald Henderson and Jose Calderon because they need veteran leadership. PG: Rubio/Russell SG: Russell/Ingram SF: Ingram/Nance PF: Randle/Nance C : Okafor/Zubac We draft some SG/SF types big swingman types like Josh Jackson.
Tyler Ennis (1.7) to LA, Huertas (1.5) to Houston. ????? Why would MGT take on $200K for nothing?????
Probably to try him out to see if he has anything to contribute for next year. They decline his option and then give him a new low offer possibly to try and make the team as a reserve. I dunno, this trade was weird. Other than maybe Magic not liking Huertas for some reason.
Huertas is 34yrs old and cannot play a lick of defense. Ennis is still just 22 years old, a former 1st round/18th overall pick from just a couple years back..I understand giving him a shot to do something, he's been behind the 8-ball since he got to the league in PHX with 72 other point guards in their rotation back then. He hasn't really done anything yet, but Ennis falls right into the age group w/Julius, DLo, Ingram, etc., so hopefully he can pull it together. Lakers have taken on less than 1MM in salary w/these moves..so basically nothin..they can still waive Young ( who can't net anything in a trade it seems) if they're in a pinch and need a few mill in flexibility..which they probably won't this summer since they're locked in on George after next season. I almost forgot LAL received a couple picks for taking Calderon..they've done a good job of at least getting some assets.
Yeah, there seems to be a new gameplan that sounds similar to the gameplans of old. Go young, play the young guys, shed contracts, wait 2 years, sign 2 max star players. For now that looks like its going to be Cousins and George who are both free agents in 18/19. PG: Russell, Ball SG: Ingram, Clarkson SF: George, (pick from trading Lou) PF: Randle, Nance C : Cousins, Zubac The Suns are going to select Josh Jackson. They are set in the backcourt. The Celtics are set in the backcourt as well. But trading the first pick or picking for need instead of taking the best talent available is a difficult proposition. I would go to the Celtics and offer them both Randle and Clarkson for the 1st pick. They have really undersized players all around. Clarkson would be their best bet at a backup for Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. And Randle can be their PF so Al Horford stays as the hardest working undersized center in the league. We take Josh Jackson 1st, and then with our pick take the best PG still left. Ball, Fultz, or Smith you cant go wrong.
Wolves wouldn't take Rose for Rubio. They're gonna take Gerald Henderson and Jose Calderon for him??? And no, just no to Okafor. He's a one dimensional player that that has no place in the modern NBA. And he's a dumbass. I woudn't trade Zubac for him. At least Zubac can rebound and play a little defense.
Curious? I just red that part of the Ennis trade is the Lakers get the draft rights to Brad Newley......who was drafted in 2007???? What??
Yeah and it looks like they still want Young out eventually, so that's probably a 2nd 6th man type LAL is about to lose. Maybe one of the kids will fill the role? Probably Clarkson, but possibly Russell as well. So much could change w/this next draft and then George's addition 15/16 months from now.
They want Clarkson for that 6th man role but its possible that he will never be as much of a difference maker as Lou Will... or even Swaggy P. When this team has some veteran stars and is heading to the playoffs we gonna miss not having those guys on the bench in cheap contracts. Because the first 5 or 6 picks in this draft are pretty much a lock to be stars. And more than half of them are PG. And one of the others is a point forward. But if all works out then the Lakers wont really need Willians and Young by then. PG: Lonzo Ball or Markelle Fultz or Dennis Smith 1 of those 3 will for sure be a Laker SG: D'Angelo Russell SF: Paul George PF: Julius Randle C : DeMarcus Cousins With a bench mostly of Clarkson, Ingram, Nance, and Zubic. That's a championship team. Specially if Russell develops into the James Harden/Manu Ginobili type. Or at least a Brandon Roy/Steve Smith type. And then you got that PG. If we get Ball it can be like getting Jason Kidd at best and at worst a taller White Chocolate. If we get Fultz then we have at worst another D'Angelo with this same sort of potential. And at best it is again that fulfilled potential that is James Harden or a Manu Ginobili. Imagine two James Hardens on the same team? And the third choice Dennis Smith is a guy that may have Derrick Rose before he tore up his knee type talent. Or even Chris Paul/Isaiah Thomas. Or at worst a Mike Conley. By then Cousins might not be as nimble and may rely more on his inside game. And George be a more conservative player physically to keep himself healthy. That first wave of George and Cousins not be at its prime for too long, but the second and third waves come in strong. Even if Randle turns out to be Jerome Kersey and Russell John Salmons.
