The Indiana Pacers are not open to trading Paul George.
Not even a little bit.
Team president Larry Bird, in fact, isn’t even willing to pick up the phone, according to this mini-tidbit from ESPN.com.’s Zach Lowe:
Larry Bird isn’t returning calls on Paul George with a friendly new CBA on the way, according to teams who have inquired.
Ah, yes. The new collective bargaining agreement—the reason why the Pacers were probably never even willing to listen to offers for Paul George in the first place.
If George earns an All-NBA nod, he’ll be eligible for the Designated Player Exception, allowing the Pacers to tack on another five years to the last season of his current deal, pre-player option (so, 2018-19). The financial difference here, as Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler pointed out, is massive:
If PGeorge stays as "Designated Veteran" six-years roughly $222.99m. If he leaves as 7+ experience veteran, 4 years, roughly $130.66m https://t.co/lOVpdvb9OF
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) December 15, 2016
So yeah. Unless Paul George explicitly says he wants out, there’s no reason to think he would abandon Indiana.
And with so much money on the line, there’s no reason to think he’ll want out.
That’ll be an issue once he’s under contract, and perhaps requests a trade if the Pacers don’t establish themselves as contenders.
