With the Indiana Pacers officially eliminated from the NBA Playoffs after being swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Larry Bird is officially on the clock. The Pacers have to make a decision on what to do with vocal superstar Paul George and the remaining season on his contract. George found himself in trade rumors throughout the season, and especially at the deadline. Bird reportedly spoke to the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, and Denver Nuggets about his availability in late February.
The Pacers have built a decent supporting cast around George, with the likes of Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and the developing Myles Turner. Still, Indiana was swept by Cleveland and never had enough to take them down. Bird has shown he will not accept mediocrity in the past, moving George Hill and firing Frank Vogel in the offseason. With the Pacers suffering what many would call an underwhelming season, they are facing a tough fork in the road. Is it time to move on from Paul George? If Bird decides that they do need to trade George, there will be many suitors for his talents. Here are three teams that should inquire about Paul George if he becomes available.
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are still a big piece away from being true contenders. Paul George is a hand-in-glove fit for that in Boston. He would produce for them as an elite two-way superstar, something they do not have. He would also help Boston’s horrific rebounding issue, as he averaged 6.6 rebounds per game this season. While he will not completely fix that himself, his 6.6 average would be the second highest on their roster this season, only behind Al Horford and his 6.8 rebounds per game. George shot 39.4 percent from the three-point line this season, which means Boston could handle losing one or both of Avery Bradley or Jae Crowder in the deal. Boston has all the assets in the world to make this deal go down with the aforementioned Bradley and Crowder, Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, and the first round picks they possess. With the Celtics bound to get bounced from the playoffs before The Finals, Danny Ainge has to be willing to start dealing some of his assets in order to improve his team.
Boston would have a legit big three to challenge the likes of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East by adding George to a roster with Isaiah Thomas and Al Horford.
Denver Nuggets
Quietly, the Nuggets have something brewing in Denver. After barely missing the playoffs this season, the Nuggets are an offseason of in-house growth away from returning to the postseason. Adding Paul Geroge would only improve how competitive they could be as a playoffs team. Financially, the Nuggets are in great shape and have the necessary assets to complete a deal. They have veterans such as Wilson Chandler, Kenneth Faried, Will Barton, and Darrell Arthur they can move in the deal to make it possible cap-wise. Indiana would likely want back a young player as well and Denver is currently loaded at the shooting guard spot with potential. They have Gary Harris, Jamal Murray, and Malik Beasley that can all play at shooting guard. Indiana could also likely get Emmanuel Mudiay from Denver, as they could move Murray to point guard, or could go in a different direction than Mudiay completely. Either way, Denver really does have a roster that could lose multiple pieces in order add Paul George and be just fine depth-wise.
Most importantly, Denver would have a very intriguing core to work with, built around George, Nikola Jokic, and whichever young players do not get dealt.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons were undoubtedly one of the most, if not the most, disappointing teams in the 2016-2017 season. They missed the playoffs after just returning to them for the first time in six seasons. Reggie Jackson missed the first 21 games of the season only to struggle so much that Stan Van Gundy decided to shut him down for the last nine games of the year. Andre Drummond’s play took a step back, with some of the blame falling on not having his dynamic duo partner in Jackson. Drummond did not make the necessary leap on offense or defense, and for much of the season showed a lack of effort, limiting him from reaching his ceiling.
Nonetheless, there is reason for optimism in Detroit. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tobias Harris had career seasons. After a slow start, Stanley Johnson had a fantastic middle of the season, before struggling again in April. Stan Van Gundy proclaimed at his end of the season press conference that Jackson would be back better than he was in the 2015-2016 season when he posted a career year with Detroit.
Stan Van Gundy on Reggie Jackson: “I think Reggie(Jackson) will come back as good or better than he was 2 years ago.”
— Palace Pistons (@PalaceOfPistons) April 12, 2017
The Pistons also had discussions with Indiana about George at some point in the season, however, no traction was ever gained. Detroit likely has the least assets to move in the deal but could send Indiana their lottery pick if they complete a deal before or on draft night. The Pistons could also include Stanley Johnson, Marcus Morris, Tobias Harris, Jon Leuer, or even Andre Drummond in a deal to get George.
George is also good friends with Jackson. The two were with each other following Game 4 on Sunday, when Indiana was bounced from the playoffs.
Reggie Jackson, a friend of Paul George, was sitting courtside for today’s Pacers/Cavs game.
?: @ScottAgness pic.twitter.com/SxT5aCFgtk
— Palace Pistons (@PalaceOfPistons) April 23, 2017
Like Boston, Detroit would have a talented core built around George, Jackson, and Drummond (if he is not dealt in the deal). The Pistons would likely have to send multiple first round picks to Indiana, but keeping one of Johnson, Harris, or Morris, would ensure they have depth on the wing.
The Pacers have not said they will move George, but they could get a solid return if they do. If they decide they want to rebuild, they already have Myles Turner and Glenn Robinson III to start building with. Adding young but established players or high draft picks would help the situation.
One thing is clear though, time is running down. The Pacers must decide on whether or not they can continue to try to win a championship with Paul George sooner rather than later if they don’t want to be blindsided in a couple of years.
