NBA Trade Rumors: Paul George To Wizards In Major Trade Package For Otto Porter Jr. Forms New Big Three
While NBA trade rumors involving Paul George have mostly focused on a few teams, a newer possible destination is now being mentioned. For the most part, speculation has been that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, or Los Angeles Lakers were the frontrunners to land George somehow. Now the Washington Wizards are being mentioned in trade rumors as a potential attractive franchise for the future free agent. The team was part of the 2017 NBA Playoffs and reached the Eastern Conference Semifinals, taking the Boston Celtics to seven games. Could they convince George to remain part of their team to chase playoff success?
The trade rumors arrive from the NBA website as of Tuesday, when David Aldridge reported on the various NBA trade chatter from around the league. Aldridge mentioned that the Washington Wizards could “fit the bill” in terms of being able to possibly bring George onto their roster. It’s noted that while the Wizards can’t offer a player of Kevin Love’s caliber, Otto Porter Jr. could be a central part of a trade package to bring George to D.C. to play. The selling point mentioned is that George would be playing alongside two All-Star caliber players in Bradley Beal and John Wall.
The biggest deterrent for many teams in their pursuit of George is the fact that he specifically said he wants to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2018-19 NBA season. That could mean that if any other team makes a trade, he’s not going to stick around beyond one season. However, if said team achieves enough playoff success with George as part of the roster, it could convince him to stay longer.
That is why the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics both also make a tremendous amount of sense for George to play for. Both teams are in a position to get deep into the postseason as shown by their recent runs. Cleveland has now reached the NBA Finals in three straight seasons, while Boston is on the cusp of being able to overtake Cleveland if they can add more talent. The Celtics also have the most to offer Indiana right now for a trade in order to bring Paul George to Boston.
The Cavaliers still have a good shot at getting Paul George based on their former General Manager David Griffin. It was reported by Cleveland.com that Griffin left behind his plans to make a trade with either the Indiana Pacers or Chicago Bulls for Paul George or Jimmy Butler. So basically, a deal for one of those players could still be done even though Griffin has left the front office.
When it comes down to it, though, George seems intent on going to his home area of Los Angeles. The lure of playing for a historic franchise in the city of stars where he can make bigger business deals seems to be calling his name to the Staples Center. He would become the team’s first bonafide “superstar”-type player since the departure of the legendary Kobe Bryant. With the addition of another new star in Lonzo Ball, it could make for an interesting scenario, if and when George finally makes his move to the Lakers’ roster.
[Featured Image by Patrick Smith/Getty Images]
