Indiana Pacers team owner Herb Simon has filed charges against the Los Angeles Lakers for tampering with Paul George. According to NBA journalist Peter Vecsey, the NBA got the services of an independent law firm to look into Simon's accusation against the Lakers. Vecsey said the law firm will interview Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, president of basketball operations Magic Johnson and general manager Rob Pelinka regarding the matter. It was reported that George will move to the Lakers in 2018 after his contract with the #Oklahoma City Thunder expires after this season.
According to Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype, the accusation against the Lakers is hard to prove. If established that the Lakers tampered with George, they will lose draft picks or prohibited from signing him as a free agent. It was unclear how the tampering happened but Johnson winked at Jimmy Kimmel when asked about George during an interview in April. In 2013, the NBA fined the Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings for tampering. This happened after the league discovered statements, emails and articles directly connected to the teams with information about players of other squads.
Pacers eventually traded George to Thunder
On July 6, the Pacers eventually traded George to the Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
George’s trade to Thunder came after the Pacers pulled out of their trade agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported that then-interim general manager Koby Altman came close to forging a deal with the Pacers for George. According to Wojnarowski, the Cavaliers came so close to acquiring George, who was about to call Cleveland team owner Dan Gilbert on the phone but the Pacers backed out at the last minute.
The details of the aborted deal between the Pacers and the Cavaliers were not revealed.
George, LeBron James to form super team with Lakers
Aside from George, it was also reported that Cavaliers superstar LeBron James plans to bolt Cleveland and join the Lakers in 2018. According to rumors, George and James plan to form a super team with Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.
There is also a possibility that center DeMarcus Cousins might join the Lakers after his deal with the New Orleans Pelicans expires after this season. Washington Wizards point guard John Wall was also connected to the Lakers super team but he recently signed a four-year contract extension with the team. If the NBA finds the Lakers guilty of tampering, there will be no super team for them in 2018.
