Paul George has not signed his last contract with the Indiana Pacers, apparently.
Currently slated for free agency in 2019 (player option), George has already talked shopped with the Pacers about a max extension, a la James Harden with the Houston Rockets and Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder. These types of deals not only extend the life of the player’s contract, but they increase the immediate salary of said player, so long as the incumbent team can fit that raise under their salary cap.
Paul George has signed no such deal. But he and Pacers team president Larry Bird have talked about it, and it sounds like it’s going to happen eventually, per Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star:
Spoke with Larry Bird this morning. He said Paul George is a max contract player.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) September 21, 2016
This wouldn’t be the least bit surprising to see. Players have typically avoided mid-contract extensions in the past. Their earning potential has always been greater by waiting for free agency.
That’s still true, to be sure. But we’re no longer talking about marginal increases in current and future salary. The cap explosion has made it so these players, even stars, can really feel the jump. Harden, for instance, made around $15.8 million last season; he will rake in $26.5 million in 2016-17—nearly an $11 million difference.
So don’t rule out an extension for Paul George, even if it’s next summer, when the Pacers have more salary-cap room to make things work. And while he would be delaying his chance to choose his own team, it would only be by a year or two. That’s a risk he can take at 26 years old—especially when the immediate payoff stands to put tens of millions of dollars more in his pocket.
