When Paul George made it public knowledge that he was going to leave the Indiana Pacers after the 2017-18 NBA season, it killed any trade value the team had for him instantly. The Pacers team president even said that it felt like a “gut punch” and that the timing meant that Indian couldn’t try to protect their future with a move that could benefit them and George. However, ESPN just reported news that there was almost a trade for George in the week of the 2017 Nba Draft – one with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Paul George trade that almost was
The possible Paul George trade would have been a big three-way trade that could have helped every team involved.
However, it all fell apart before the 2017 NBA Draft. The trade would have seen the Indiana Pacers send George to the Cleveland Cavaliers and then the Cavs would have sent Kevin Love to the Denver Nuggets to clear room for George. As for the Pacers, the Nuggets would have sent a number of young players and draft picks to Indiana to complete the trade.
The Indiana Pacers wanted to make sure that they could rebuild when Paul George, the face of their franchise, left. That is where the Nuggets came into play because Kevin Love would have immediately improved their team and they have young talent and nice draft picks to offer. According to the reports, the negotiations on this three-way trade were considered very “serious” but they could not come to the final agreement before the NBA Draft and the planned trade fell through.
Cleveland Cavaliers still want Paul George
The biggest problem with Paul George and his trade value is that he made it clear that, in 2018, he wants to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. That means that any team that trades for George will give up talent or draft picks for just a one-year rental. For a team like the Cleveland Cavaliers, that might be worth it since LeBron James might not even still be in town in 2018.
However, Cleveland also might hope they could convince George to stay with them for championship possibilities and to convince LeBron to stick around.
ESPN sources say that, even though the three-way trade did not go through, the Cleveland Cavaliers still want to find a way to work out a trade with the Indiana Pacers, who want to cut ties with Paul George to avoid losing him with no reimbursement like the Oklahoma City Thunder did when Kevin Durant left town. On top of the Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics, and San Antonio Spurs are also in the market for George’s services.
