With the sudden resignation of President Larry Bird, the Indiana Pacers are in quite the lurch. Star forward Paul George was the subject of numerous trade rumors this past season. That figures to grow this offseason as the Pacers appear at risk to unravel. However, new Pacers President Kevin Pritchard is not shying away from the team’s top goals this offseason: keep Paul George and build a winning team around him.
Matthew VanTryon of the IndyStar transcribed Pritchard’s closing comments on the season, his exit interview with George, and the plan ahead for the Pacers. Pritchard says that he and George talked for about “45 minutes or an hour”. “We talked about a lot of different things. In every scenario he talked about being here. That’s important,” Pritchard said. “He wants to win. Picking up Lance (Stephenson) late in the year made us a better team and got us into the playoffs. We want to win. We want successful teams year in and year out, and that has to do with Paul. He wants to win, the Pacers want to win, we’re on the same page.”
Pritchard added that whether George makes an All-NBA roster is not the only factor when determining if he stays in Indiana. “All NBA is somewhat important to keeping George, but we’ve got to show we can win,” he said. “It’s up to me to put the team around him.” George is eligible for a designated player extension (DPE) if he makes an All NBA team, which would make him eligible for a $200 million contract specifically from Indiana. That is significantly more money than anyone else could offer, a key advantage for the Pacers. If George does not make an All-NBA team, other teams could offer similar money to the Pacers and close the gap.
Pritchard and Bird also praised head coach Nate McMillan in his first season on the Pacers’ sideline. “We had a lot of conversations about Nate before we hired him,” Bird said. “I think we both felt very comfortable with him. Kevin had some prior history with him and really liked him.”
Pritchard has plenty of work to do this offseason. The Pacers, aside from the Paul George scenario, must make a decision on point guard Jeff Teague who is a free agent. The current players could also be shaken up. Monta Ellis and Al Jefferson were borderline unplayable (yes, Jefferson was hurt) against the Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs and could be on the way out. If Indiana is to take a big step forward and feasibly keep George happy, the roster will require some changes.
