Paul George has been one of the best players in the NBA throughout most of his career. He's enjoyed competing in the playoffs in numerous battles with Lebron James while playing with the Indiana Pacers. George has put up solid numbers consistently throughout his seven-year NBA career. He's a proven top-ten scorer in the league, but the Pacers have not been able to put together a solid team since the year George suffered a season-ending knee injury while playing for the USA Men's Olympic team.
George's off-season
This coming off-season Paul George will have the option of staying with the Indiana Pacers and receiving a huge contract or try to play for a team with a more promising future.
If Paul decides to stay with Indiana, he will most likely have to be patient while the Pacers go through their rebuilding process.
However, there have been plenty of rumors this season of PG attracting interest from the Los Angeles Lakers this coming off-season when he becomes available. George plans to workout with his childhood idol Kobe Bryant in the off-season to better his game. Paul George also grew up in California in the area of Palmdale, so he would be comfortable returning home if he decides to go that route.
State of the Indiana Pacers
Hard to believe that not too many years ago the Indiana Pacers had a 2-1 lead against Lebron James and the Miami Heat in the playoffs, considering how they look today.
The team that surrounded Paul George then was more of a veteran unit that came with a nice physical presence. Paul George served as the primary scorer in that unit which included the likes of George Hill, Lance Stephenson, David West, and Roy Hibbert. All of those guys have since moved on to other teams leaving George to carry a heavy load with a much younger crew of players.
The current Indiana Pacers were able to make the NBA playoffs this season despite having a record barely over the .500 winning mark. They certainly on paper had some pretty good names to surround George this season, but the team lacked the chemistry throughout the full 82 game stretch. Starting forward Miles Turner seems to be a promising young talent, but the Pacers don't have much else to offer to lure another star to join them this off-season.
President of Basketball Operations and Boston Celtics Hall of Fame forward Larry Bird stepped down from his position after the Indiana Pacers were eliminated from the 2017 NBA playoffs.
Potential earnings
Bird's decision makes it very hard to believe Paul George will be a Pacer at the beginning of next season. George can potentially earn a $40 million a season contract with the Pacers this off-season if he's selected to an All-NBA team this year. If not he still will be able to receive offers for at least $30 million per season.
