Paul George is coming off one of the best sports comebacks in recent memory. After fully recovering from a horrific broken leg, George found himself playing all but one game in the 2015-16 campaign. He was named an NBA All-Star and also selected to the All-NBA and NBA All-Defensive teams. To cap off his his fantastic year, George was one of the leaders on the Team USA Olympics Basketball team as they traveled to Rio and came out with a gold medal.
As the 2016-17 season gets set to begin soon the Pacers are looking to make moves towards the future and get rid of the past ways. Coach Frank Vogel was relieved of his duties and they also moved on from George Hill just one year after moving on from David West and Roy Hibbert. One player that has remainded a constant in Indiana is Paul George. He’s the face of the franchise and it appears the Pacers are ready to treat him as such.
Following from Nate Taylor of the Indystar.
Spoke with Larry Bird this morning. He said Paul George is a max contract player.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) September 21, 2016
Larry Bird said he will to sign Paul George to that deal when when Paul is ready. The 2 have discussed a possible deal this summer.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) September 21, 2016
Paul George locking in a new contract with the Pacers would all but shut down any potential trades. It has been reported that some teams are keeping an eye on his situation with the Pacers but they can easily close those eyes with a new max contract.
The Pacers have discussed this move for a while now and with a healthy Paul George surrounded by some new talent like Myles Turner, Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young, the Pacers have a shot to contend this season. How far can the perennial MVP candidate carry them?
