Soon after declaring his intentions of joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, Indiana Pacers star Paul George has found himself in a flurry of trade rumors. One, in particular, stands out to us.
According to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the LA Clippers have expressed interest in acquiring Paul George. This comes as little surprise, as the Clippers have lacked a quality wing player for some time now. Could the 4x All-Star be the perfect fit in LA?
There are no outstanding proposed deals, but that hasn’t stopped us from considering the steps the LA Clippers would need to take to acquire such a talent. Fortunately for LA, George’s trade stock has virtually never been lower. The odds that a team gives up anything more than a few draft picks and a solid player for George are low, as he would only be guaranteed to stay for a year before potentially heading to the Lakers. This means the Clippers might not have to offer up any of their Big 3 to get PG.
The Situation
The dream scenario involves J.J. Redick. The deal would have to be a sign-and-trade, meaning the Clippers would sign Redick and immediately trade him to Indiana, in return for George.
Here’s why this works. As mentioned earlier, George’s trade stock has never been lower. The Pacers need a new shooting guard, since Monta Ellis was capable of next-to-nothing all season. See what I’m getting at?
This is the most likely scenario that doesn’t involve giving up Chris Paul or Blake Griffin as part of the deal. The Clippers could send Redick to Indy, move Austin Rivers to the starting 2-guard position, and slide George in at the 3. Fingers crossed.
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Unfortunately, unless the stars are aligned correctly and the basketball gods favor the Clippers for once, the Pacers likely won’t accept this trade. Redick alone is a low asking price for George, even for a 1-year “rental” of sorts.
Enter the Celtics.
Draft Pick Central owner Danny Ainge has been trying to let some picks go in order to obtain a talent that could vault the Celts over the Cavs in the Eastern Conference, and it’s likely he gets involved here, too. A three-team trade between the Pacers, Celtics, and Clippers seems much more likely, which could be bad for LA. This way, the Clips would likely have to send Griffin to Boston. From there, the Celtics would draft for the Pacers with the 3rd overall pick in this year’s draft. They’d likely send another first-rounder as well, being that they have 8 selections in the next three drafts. Finally, George would be sent to LA.
And while this is all good and swell, the Clippers likely wouldn’t gain any true value. By replacing Griffin with George, no talent is really lost or gained. And when you factor in George’s contract situation, it just doesn’t seem worth it. So unless the Pacers really want Redick, which they may, this deal will likely fall through.
Would you make the trade, Clipper Nation? What would you offer? Would you want to see Blake elsewhere? Let us know!