The NBA trade rumors continue to host superstars who may not be satisfied with their team's performance. Paul George belongs to that category.
The Indiana Pacers have not lived up to expectations this season and this has fueled speculation among pundits that a trade might be in the cards. Team president Larry Bird has done his due diligence but PG13 turned him down, as detailed in his comments in a report from ESPN.
"As I told Larry, I always want to play on a winning team. I always want to be part of a team that has a chance to win it [all]. That's important," George said.
"Say what you want; I want to compete for something. It's frustrating just playing the game for stats or for numbers or to showcase yourself. Man, I want a chance to play for a chance to win a championship."
George is placing the pressure on his team to build their roster back to their contender days when they reached the Eastern Conference Finals twice in a row in an epic showdown with LeBron James and the Miami Heat. It should be recalled that he was critical of the front office when they traded away Roy Hibbert and let David West walk away.
But George still affirms his love for the city. "I wanted to be the first and want to be the first to be able to bring a championship to Indiana. So that's still on my mind ... and something I definitely want to achieve in Indiana."
That may be reassuring but Kevin Durant also said similar words in Oklahoma City, and now he's with the Golden State Warriors. George still has two seasons left on his current contract which still has a price tag of $ 40.2 million, but he can opt out of the second year and become a free agent in the summer of 2018.
Bird wants to re-sign him before that, offering the max in July that could reach 219 million for five years. But it is presumed that George would like to see what the team would look like before he puts pen to paper.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer that illustrated two possible trades for George if Bird fails to build a contender. The Celtics package has the 2017 Brooklyn Nets' pick swap, Jae Crowder and expiring contracts, possibly another first round pick (but not the 2018 Nets' unprotected).
If that doesn't work, the Pacers may send PG13 back home to the Lakers for "Brandon Ingram, Jordan Clarkson, Jose Calderon's expiring and the Lakers' unprotected first-round pick. One problem: Philly gets that pick unless it falls in the top three."
The Lakers aren't a contender by any chance but if they do acquire a George, it would be possible to add another star via free agency.