The trade deadline has come and gone and superstar wing Paul George remains with the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers were expected to be one of the most active teams ahead of this year’s trade deadline and instead, they didn’t make a single move.
One of the reasons Larry Bird and his front office were expected to make a splash was due to George voicing his want to play on a winning team and not committing to an extension with the team. The Pacers went into an all-out pursuit to either land George some additional help or trade away the 6’9 forward and receive assets in return. There were multiple occasions before the deadline where it seemed a trade was imminent, especially with the Boston Celtics, but once the clock hit 3:00 Eastern Time, no deals were in place and George remained a Pacer.
Though George, from the start, has never been opposed to being on Indiana as long as they win, he told media he does take offense that he wasn’t involved more or updated on trade talks prior to the deadline. Following from Clark Wade of IndySports:
Interesting quote from #Pacers Paul George on today's trade deadline. pic.twitter.com/bMA5rHlWUB
— Clark Wade (@ClarkWade34) February 23, 2017
Clearly, the Fresno State product is annoyed that he wasn’t given updates regarding any trade traction. With the Pacers playing fairly average through the first half of the season and putting up a 29-28 record, there’s no doubt this season has been a frustrating one for Paul George. Combine their ongoing season struggles with his all of a sudden murky future filled with trade rumors, and PG probably isn’t the happiest camper right now.
With the second half of the season ready to get underway for the Pacers, the best thing George and the franchise could do is just move forward and try to make some noise in the Eastern Conference like they’re capable of.
For George, if he doesn’t see a future in Indiana, he won’t have to wait long to flee as he is a free agent in the summer of 2018, an offseason which has him linked to the Los Angeles Lakers.
As for the Pacers, they need to either find a way to get George the requisite supporting cast to contend with the Cleveland Cavaliers or explore the trade market for George once again this summer if that’s the direction they choose to go in.
