According to a report from the Morning Ledger, the Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly making an offer to the Indiana Pacers in order to acquire Paul George. However, Indiana Pacers President and former NBA superstar Larry Bird has yet to make any comments on whether or not the offer will be made.
It is further pointed out that George has strong roots in California as he has played his entire high school and college basketball career in the state, giving him strong reasons to go back and play for the L.A. Lakers. It is also noted in the report that for the longest time George has looked up to now-retired Lakers veteran Kobe Bryant as his idol in the sport.
The report further reveals that Paul George could line up to become the next franchise superstar for the L.A. Lakers, someone to fill in the gap left by Bryant. It is noted that the two did face each other in February in Bryant's last match against the Pacers, a match that George's team ended up winning by 2 points.
According to the report, giving up George will come at no small price given that during the last season George had averaged 23.1 points per game. The Lakers are reportedly open in trading D'Angelo Russell or their fresh pick from the draft, Brandon Ingram, to get George.
The Lakers reportedly may throw in some cash as well in order to convince the Pacers to make the deal. This will increase the financial cap that the Pacers can expend for their players. An exact amount has not been stated although there are speculations of offering up to $30 million to the Pacers.
Inquisitr reports that the Pacers are unlikely to accept the deal given that they have been building this roster for some time and are currently one of the strongest teams in the Eastern Conference, at least on paper based on the ratings and performance of their current roster of players. Losing George would significantly drop them a few notches down.
