If things don’t work out with the Indiana Pacers, Paul George is reportedly considering signing with the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2018 when he becomes a free agent.
According to Sam Amick of USA Today, George wants to stay with the Pacers, but only if they can win. At the moment, there is a lot of pressure on Pacers president Larry Bird to improve the roster by Thursday’s trade deadline. It’s possible that George, a four-time All-Star and face of the franchise, might even be traded to the Lakers, if Los Angeles comes with a tempting offer of young assets.
Via USA Today’s Amick:
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.
The Lakers have enough assets to trade for George right now, but as Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News points out it’s better for the Lakers and George to wait until he becomes a free agent:
For both Lakers/Paul George's sake, it seems more likely they'll wait for George in free agency than try to get him in trade
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) February 22, 2017
The Lakers have a glaring need for a star player after Kobe Bryant retired last season, and George checks all the boxes. With Magic Johnson recently put in charge of the Lakers, it will be interesting to see how the team handles the George situation.
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