Victor Oladipo (5) and Paul George (24) (Photo : Getty Images Sport)
In another possible trade scenario, the Eastern Conference will be shaken up as a new power emerges.
The Indiana Pacers are a team on the crossroads. With the departures of David West and Roy Hibbert, Larry Bird's crew needs to reinvent their whole team image around their superstar Paul George.
The Orlando Magic is a team on the rise. They now have a wealth of assets amassed through shrewd trading and solid drafting. The players they have added since the Dwight Howard trade translate into a young core that can be dangerous in the future.
Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Elfrid Payton, Victor Oladipo, Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja is a strong young core but they would need a star to lead them.
Since the publicized (overblown?) opposition of Paul George to his new power forward role at the start of the season, he has been at the center of various trade rumors and speculation. If the Pacers have a horrible season and the power forward experiment flops, PG would want out, as Sports Illustrated stated:
"George made his opinion known clearly in the preseason-he prefers the three-but he's since come around to the party line," SI stated. "The fact remains, though, that superstars are used to being catered to and they're used to doing only a reasonable amount of the dirty work. After all, 29 other teams are constantly dangling greener pastures."
In the Real GM forum, trade ideas for George were exchanged and the Orlando Magic emerged as the team that could make the best possible package.
While PG13 is highly unlikely to be shopped by Larry Bird, if the Pacers are middling at the lower rung of the East, a decent package could make the former Executive of the Year think twice.
The package could center on two of three players: Oladipo, Harris and Gordon as well as a possible first round pick. Oladipo and Harris are emerging stars and while Gordon got injured, he is a young, athletic power forward. It is expected that Oladipo or Harris would replace George's role on the team (it's a downgrade, but not a total loss).
With an extra first round pick, the Pacers can then rebuild. It is already argued that the crew of George, Hibbert, West and George Hill have reached their ceiling and there's no way for Indiana to rebuild fast around PG13.
Some Magic fans may balk at the steep price, but if given a chance to grab a former top 15 player who could return to that form and lead a young team to the next level, that's a chance you have to take.
