Paul George to the Los Angeles Lakers may happen sooner rather than later. Will a trade take place between the Lakers and the Indiana Pacers before the NBA draft? Hours after Inquisitr News covered the possibility of the Lakers looking into a trade for Paul George, there are reports confirming trade talks with the Pacers.
NBA trade rumors are building steam a couple of days leading up to the NBA draft, with the Lakers being no exception. The Lakers have officially begun trade negotiations for Paul George, according to ESPN. If a trade were to happen between the Lakers and Pacers, it could become more costly than what was originally anticipated.
That is because other teams have called the Pacers about the availability of Paul George. It has been cited that the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, and Washington Wizards have all been on the phone with the Pacers. Each team has something that would interest the Pacers in a trade.
Because those teams have become involved in trade talks with the Pacers, the Lakers will have to step up their efforts to consummate a deal. The likely hold up in any deal for the Lakers and Pacers would be the No. 2 pick. If the Pacers insist that the Lakers give up the second overall draft pick, the Lakers will pass.
Breaking: The Pacers and Lakers are engaged in Paul George trade discussions as the NBA Draft draws near. https://t.co/pE2rFtidtp
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 20, 2017
Conceivably, the Los Angeles Lakers hold the leverage over the Indiana Pacers, because the Lakers are Paul George’s preferred destination. If the Pacers were to complete a deal with the Lakers, they may have to settle for Jordan Clarkson or Julius Randle and a future draft pick. D’Angelo Russell, another player the Pacers may have been intrigued by, was traded a short time ago.
According to Deadspin, D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov was dealt to the Brooklyn Nets for Brook Lopez and the No. 27 pick in the draft. That takes one major piece the Pacers may have settled for off the table.
A return of Clarkson and Randle may not be enough of a return to whet the appetite of the Pacers. The problem the Pacers have is that they may not have an abundance of strong trade offers from other teams. At least not with Paul George being considered as a likely rental player for every team except the Lakers. Now that Russell is off the board, what the Lakers can offer them decreases.
The Lakers are not going to mortgage their future for George, who they can sign in a year. Instead, the Lakers decided to use some of their tradable parts to add a player they would want in place to pair with George.
After Paul George revealed over the weekend that he will leave the Pacers for the Lakers in free agency next summer, it put the Pacers in a bind.
One more season in Indiana may not have been enough to convince George to stay. Now, he may wind up somewhere else before he lands with the team he prefers — the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers are beginning to make some moves in order to create a slot for George to fit in. Are the Lakers going to grab George sooner or later?
The NBA trade rumors coming out are suggesting that the Los Angeles Lakers are trying to add Paul George sooner. Will the Indiana Pacers comply?
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