Paul George? And Kawhi Leonard? Together?
This was the scenario we were robbed of when the Indiana Pacers flipped George Hill in 2011. But the San Antonio Spurs may or may not be ready to play host to such a pairing.
According to Basketball Insiders’ Steve Kyler, the Spurs are among the most “serious” suitors for the All-Star wing’s services:
League sources peg Portland and San Antonio as the newest serious players in the Paul George race. Spurs said to have a real shot at him.
— Steve Kyler (@stevekylerNBA) June 22, 2017
It’s hard to envision what the Spurs would offer. The Pacers shouldn’t have interest in an over-30 LaMarcus Aldridge when he’s one year out from free agency, and aside from him, Danny Green, also a free agent in 2018, is their best salary filler.
Unless the Pacers are incredibly high on Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, who San Antonio selected at No. 29 on Thursday, there won’t be a workable package here. The Spurs, in all likelihood, would need to find a third team willing to take on Aldridge and send the Pacers picks and prospects they’d want more.
This, of course, assumes the Spurs are even interested. Things get crazy around draft day. Rumors that were suddenly aren’t. And yet, the safe bet is the Spurs are up to something, even if it’s not George. They’ve been tied to the Chris Paul speculation factory for weeks, and Pau Gasol’s decision to opt out his deal, when coupled with various Aldridge rumors, suggests a major move of some kind, either in free agency or on the trade market, is coming in the near future.
