This. The Pacers were mediocre in the East with PG. He's a very good player, but he needs to have a good creator to play off of. Obviously he'd be great and fit like a glove with Houston. However.... I hate the Clippers but CP3, George, and DJ would be a very formidable team.
If George was smart he would just accept vet minimum and go play for Golden State or Cleveland. He makes about $50 million a year on endorsements already.
LOL. He'd get crucified. He should just demand a trade to Houston, got a few LA guys on our roster to keep him company.
I don't consider PG a true franchise player. Idk if the Lakers view him as the dude to take the torch from Kobe, but you're not gonna be doing much if he's your clear cut best player, especially in the West. He would be a beast on the Clippers playing off of CP3, no doubt about it.
It isn't necessarily about winning. He grew up a Kobe fan and wants to play for the hometown team he cheered for as a youngster. Few people dislike the Lakers more than me, but I must admit for an NBA player (especially one who grew up in LA), playing for the Lakers and living in LA is as good as it gets. I totally get why he wants to go there. For PG, winning a championship isn't everything.
He grew up a Clippers fan, not a Lakers fan, he was always bitter about being passed over in the draft by them. If he goes to the Lakers, Harden probably follows the year after.
IDK.... a true franchise player is pretty subjective but I can see how he isn't. He's just not an elite ball handler or elite playmaker, but he can score well and defend very well. I think you could build a team around George as your best player, like Harden, you just have to get the right fit.
I doubt Harden leaves. . . If they Rockets don't give him the supermax. . . . . . . maybe but I think he gets the supermax He locked up until 2024 -- he does not seem the type to demand a trade Rocket River
Hell no, like Reeko said, they won't even make the playoffs...maybe he knows something (like Westbrook is going to join)...or maybe he's just dumb. Will be interesting to see if a trade is going to happen, who will the Pacers get...i'm pretty sure the Lakers just don't want to lose Ingram, but if they do, this might be a great trade for Indiana, i think the kid is going to be very good, maybe even better than George.
Mmmh not sure, they would have to trade Deng and Mozgov contracts i guess, which is not going to be easy...by the time Harden is going to be a free agent they would also have all of their rookies on a new contract (aside for Ingram)...in the end you never know though, like most of times, if you want to make something happen...
PG wouldn't win a ring playing with prime Shaq and tons of good role players against cupcake Nets, old Pacers? Prime Gasol/Odom/Artest/Bynum front line against a cupcake Magic team? Or you saying he'd be a first round exit like Kobe without any dominant front line help? Paul George is legit. I actually think he should figure out a way to join up with Jimmy Butler. Two 2-way guys preferably with a defensive anchor. Can Miami clear enough space while keeping Whiteside? That would give Cleveland a run and start an exciting rivalry.
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...-extend-paul-george-missing-all-nba-qualifier Several teams made trade offers for George in February, including the Atlanta Hawks, who offered four first-round picks in exchange for him. George, who grew up as a Kobe Bryant fan in Southern California, has expressed an interest in playing for the Los Angeles Lakers in the past. New Pacers president Kevin Pritchard, who met with George after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers, told reporters that George expressed an interest in staying long term but made it clear he wanted to be on a contender. ______________ I guess their own picks? & have a 2018 first from Minnesota (lottery protected in '18, '19, '20) & 2019 first from Cleveland (1-10 protected in '19/'20). Mehhh... Spoiler 2018 first round draft pick from Minnesota Minnesota's 1st round pick to Atlanta protected for selections 1-14 in 2018, 1-14 in 2019 and 1-14 in 2020; if Minnesota has not conveyed a 1st round pick to Atlanta by 2020, then Minnesota will instead convey its 2020 2nd round pick and 2021 2nd round pick to Atlanta 2019 first round draft pick from Cleveland Cleveland's 1st round pick to Atlanta protected for selections 1-10 in 2019 and 1-10 in 2020; if Cleveland has not conveyed a 1st round pick to Atlanta by 2020, then Cleveland will instead convey its 2021 2nd round pick and 2022 2nd round pick to Atlanta
If George wants to be on a "contender", then his hometown Lakers are out (i.e., if he is actually hellbent on the Lakers, the "contender" thing doesn't pass the smell test). As an aside: If you paired him with Harden, THAT team would be a contender; but I don't see the trade that could get him. Boston could get him, if he'd be okay pulling a Paul Pierce where the L.A. native gets his rings in the hated rivalry city.
Pauly G is talking out both sides of his mouth. "He just wants to win" ... wants to go to 2013-2017 Lakers (who are 91-237). That's fine, you want to go to LA, play for the hometown team you & your family grew up rooting for. Just say that then.
pg will go to the bucks to play with the future best player in the universe. together they will make america great again.
This is what i don't get...he wants to be the new Lakers hero or he wants to win? Because even if the Lakers are going to add Westbrook next season, they're not going to win **** (and assuming PG likes the idea to play with, or better, under Westbrick, not really sure about this, see also what Dudley said). I like PG but he's not Durant, and Mozgov, Ingram, Randle (assuming they can keep these young guys) etc are not Adams, Ibaka and Roberson. These rumors about the Lakers started coming out strong during the deadline, which is when a lot of teams had talks with Indiana (Boston, Lakers, Atlanta, Denver and probably others we don't know)...what if this was/is smokescreen to keep away teams he doesn't like? And why he doesn't force a trade to L.A. if he just wants to be there? Maybe he just wants to be a free agent to pick a team he really likes.
