Paul George didn’t get traded ahead of or during the NBA draft. This wouldn’t be surprising in most instances; the real shock, typically, is when big names get dealt—a la Jimmy Butler to the Minnesota Timberwolves. But this situation is different.
George isn’t only entering free agency next summer, but he has eyes for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Indiana Pacers are trading him as a self-admitted flight risk. Every day they don’t move him, his value goes down.
So it was borderline disappointing for Pacers fans to see Thursday night come and go without a deal. And yet, team president Kevin Pritchard isn’t worried, per the Indianapolis Star‘s Nate Taylor:
Kevin Pritchard on a trade involving Paul George: "I'm confident we'll get something."
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) June 23, 2017
This depends on Pritchard’s interpretation of “something.”
Does he mean something or someone of value? Or just something in the sense that George will be moved before the season for whatever return the Pacers can get?
It’s likely he meant the former. It’s also likely he’ll have to settle for the latter.
Again: George’s value is plunging every day he isn’t moved. The longer the Pacers wait to trade him, the closer they get to accepting a package built around Jordan Clarkson and the No. 27 (Kyle Kuzma) and/or No. 30 (Josh Hart) picks. Secure anything more than this, be it from the Lakers or another suitor, and the Pacers, at this point, will have to count it as a win.
