When Paul George was on the trade market in the summer of 2017, chatter around the NBA strongly suggested that the Lakers were his preferred landing spot. In a conversation with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, George confirmed as much, admitting that he almost certainly would’ve ended up with the Lakers if the Pacers hadn’t traded him to Oklahoma City.
While George’s desire to return to his hometown certainly didn’t disappear once he joined the Thunder, he eventually fell in love with his new team and new city, resulting in the Los Angeles native deciding to sign a long-term deal with OKC this past summer instead of leaving for L.A.
“It was 50-50 on deciding whether I wanted to come back home or if it was smarter to be in the situation I am in now,” George told Spears. “But it wasn’t overstated. I wanted to play in L.A. That is where I wanted to go. Had that trade never went down, had I played one more year in Indy, I would have been in a Lakers uniform.”
Before Indiana shipped George to OKC in 2017, the Lakers were believed to be involved in trade discussions with the Pacers, and would have had a strong chance to acquire the forward if they’d been willing to part with Brandon Ingram or 2017’s second overall pick (which became Lonzo Ball), per Spears. A source tells ESPN that George was disappointed that the Lakers didn’t value him enough to pull the trigger on a deal at the time.
Interestingly, Spears also reports that when George was still a Pacer, he discussed his potential future plans with LeBron James. However, George and James didn’t have any similar conversations after George was sent to the Thunder.
Having declined to even meet with the Lakers this past summer, George won’t be joining his hometown team anytime soon, but he feels good about his free agency decision, as he tells Spears.
“Going toward the summer and going toward free agency, I kind of had my mind made up talking with the team, talking with [Russell Westbrook] and talking with the front office,” George said. “I kind of felt good where we were at. Last [season], I didn’t get a chance to start with this team fresh. I got traded late. So, I picked up things late with the team. I wanted to get to it right away this time and start creating early.”
It was a gamble on OKC’s part, kudos to them.
Paul George can stay in OKC the Lakers are building for a dynasty not one season of championship
It was a risk by Magic as well, and he rolled snake eyes on this one. He was available at a discount. It’s not similar to the KL situation, where SA either wouldn’t trade him to the Lakers, or was demanding a special price for the Lakers.
Lakers did great by not trading for him. Magic offered Randle, and 2 picks that ended up being Kuzma and Hart. I’ll take those 2 guys on rookie contracts over PG on a max deal any day
OK. I think most would say those guys are backups on a good team. But you need those guys too, I guess.
In Indianapolis they said Magic offered Clarkson and a pick. The Lakers were trying to get the 2nd pick. We don’t get the same news here that you get. Like you say you’ll get AD. Show me how’ll you’ll match salaries in the 2019-20 season when it would happen.
Not wanting to play 2nd fiddle to LeBron looks like a problem for NBA all stars.
I don’t know who they offered (and don’t always trust reports) or when.
I do know that OKC paid a discounted price (even though VO ended up having a breakout year, he was not, with his contract, considered a valuable asset coming off a bad one at the time of the trade) and nobody was reported to have offered much. He was traded after the 2017 draft after being under whelmed by the pre-draft offers.
When an All NBA player (only 27 at the time) is available at that price point and targets you as his final destination the following year regardless, and the existing team wants to accommodate him, I try to make a deal to leverage that statement vs relying it remaining true for a year. He was only making 19 mm at the time, so I don’t think matching salaries would have been an issue. I don’t think they would have needed to surrender the 2nd overall pick (regardless of how things worked out) in light of what OKC got him for. Anyway, it’s clear Magic’s strategy was to give up nothing, open us space and sign him for “nothing” after the year. It was high risk, and seeing that they had 2 max slots last year, they still could have signed LBJ with him. 20/20 hindsight, perhaps, as Magic is a shrewd guy. But he lost this gamble. I don’t think that’s debatable.
In any world, if I had to choose between getting LeBron or Paul George it’s a no brainer. PG13 is a great player. But he’s a second option on a championship team. It’s a lot easier to get a second option than to get the King
L.A. hears from Magic. Indiana hears from Bird and Pritchard. The Pacers liked Sabonis and Oladipo, and he played his basketball career at Indiana. That’s why the trade. The Pacers weren’t going to trade with the team that tampered with George. Just like Pop wasn’t going to trade Kawhi and New Orleans won’t trade Anthony to a western conference team. See Amico Hoops. Like Magic said, he wasn’t trading for someone he could sign in free agency. He messed up. The Lakers can’t trade for a star unless it includes Ingram.
It wasn’t a choice. He could have had both, and they’re not winning anything with just LeBron.
I don’t ever see the Pelicans even considering trading AD, and I have to believe this is being fabricated by pro-Celtic/Laker/Sixer writers. If he wants to leave when he can (he hasn’t mentioned it) and pass up being the highest paid player in the history of the sport, then he’ll leave. But it would be idiocy to trade him, particularly when they’re winning/competitive.