Paul George (Photo : Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
The buzz around the NBA trade rumor mill was sparked by the claim that Paul George is a target of the LA Lakers.
At first glance, it makes sense. George is a California native and he has been on the Purple and Gold radar since he won the Most Improved Player award and led the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference Finals.
However, the LA Lakers did not have much to offer in terms of value. They also had an aging Kobe Bryant who would have kept George from being the "alpha dog" of the team.
That status has changed for the Tinseltown team in the last three years. From the 2014 to 2016 drafts, they have built a young core of D'Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Larry Nance, Jr. and Brandon Ingram.
Those five players have made a name for themselves in the league and pundits speculated that a combination of those players would be enough for Pacers team president Larry Bird to pull the trigger on trading their superstar.
Those were recently shot down by Adrian Wojnarowski in his latest podcast at The Vertical (h/t Hoops Hype).
"I know teams have been calling Indiana and asking about Paul George and the answer is absolutely, positively no (to a trade). 'He's not available, there's no conversation to be had, don't even make offers to us. We're not moving Paul George,'" Wojnarowski quoted.
"Their mindset in Indiana is to continue to try to build around Paul George and Myles Turner and try to find a combination around them that will get Paul to want to re-sign and stay there. That being said, I think the Pacers are very much open for business with almost everybody else."
Wojnarowski left the door open for a trade involving other players. Would the Lakers be interested in Myles Turner as a possible star center down the line?
The other side also shot down any suggestions, as GM Mitch Kupchak's comments were noted by Lakers Nation.
"We're going to have to do our job which is to look at opportunities that may come up in the next month or two. And if there are none, which is fine with me, because I like the young guys on the team, then during the offseason we'll have to look at opportunities," Kupchak said.
The Lakers are not shopping anyone, but they'll be "looking around." But for the Pacers, it's likely that only Paul George would turn the needle for them.
