Paul George’s journey to the Los Angeles Lakers may not be such a formality after all.
A great deal of people expect him to leave for Hollywood in 2018, when he has the option to explore free agency. It doesn’t matter if the Indiana Pacers trade him elsewhere before then, or whether he becomes eligible for a designated player extension that pays him more than $200 million over five years if he opts into 2018-19. The Lakers are believed to be his end game no matter what.
Well, almost.
One league executive outlined a potential hiccup to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus:
One NBA executive told Bleacher Report that the current task for the Lakers in their pursuit of George is to acquire another player—the type of player who would make defecting more desirable for George. Perhaps the answer is in the draft and player development, but the Lakers may need to accelerate the process by bringing in additional help through free agency and trades. And time is of the essence.
The Lakers have the flexibility to enter the conversation for another star. They can carve out near-max money if they waive Tarik Black and Nick Young opts out, and they have the picks and prospects to broker a trade for an established talent. Team president Magic Johnson hasn’t shown interest in making a major splash this summer, but his tune can, and probably will, change if he knows George is at stake.
As for who the star could be, the options are too vast to tell. It’s unlikely the Lakers poach one of this year’s top five or seven free agents, unless they can guarantee George’s arrival. Would someone like Jrue Holiday be enough? Do they have the guts to go all-in on a Jimmy Butler trade proposal? Will they bank on one of Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell and this year’s No. 2 pick blossoming into the selling point they need?
We’ll have to wait and see, though the odds are the Lakers will try to do something, anything, of significance to solidify their shot at George.
