NBA Trade Rumor: Indiana Pacers looking to move Paul George?

Paul George is being dangled on the trade block right before the trade deadline. Mylo and Amar give their takes on if the Utah Jazz should go after him.

Amar’s Take

I’m going to be real here . . . the Utah Jazz have a good team. A very good team. A team that people predict will win 50 games, challenge for home court in the first round, and Vegas is still giving odds for winning the title this year. But as far as good teams go, the imaginary GREAT TEAM this squad can be with some creative tinkering by us arm-chair GMs is one we are now going to waste your time writing about. (Poorly.) The main point here is that the Indiana Pacers may be trying to see what they can get for their star player, Paul George.

The Indiana Pacers are gauging the trade market on All-Star forward Paul George, league sources told The Vertical.

The Pacers are working the trade deadline on parallel fronts: Pursuing deals that will bring talent into Indiana to sell George on signing a long-term extension – and soliciting deal offers on George that would signal a rebuild around center Myles Turner, league sources told The Vertical.

Ultimately, the Pacers will have to evaluate the two paths and make a decision before Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline. There’s no urgency to make a deal for George, unless the Pacers fear the Boston Celtics could ultimately provide Indiana the best possible package of assets in a deal – and think that option could disappear if Boston makes a deal with Chicago for Jimmy Butler.

For teams considering a trade for George, here’s the risk: As a free agent in the summer of 2018, he has considered re-signing with Indiana or joining his hometown Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell The Vertical.

Adrian Wojnarowski, The Vertical, Yahoo! Sports, 2017

There’s more to the story than just that, and yes, the Celtics are gunning for going all in this year. But why not our Jazz? Why not, we say! For us, well, we want to see if we can get George on the Jazz without losing Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert, or George Hill.

Mylo’s Take

This is Dennis Lindsey’s Reggie White moment. If you’re having trouble remembering what I mean by that, here’s his quote to jog your memory.

“The methodology here is fairly clear. It’s build your core through the draft, parlay up via trade and augment in free agency.”

...

“I think there’s a Reggie White for us to be had,” Lindsey said. “We have the future flexibility next year to be very aggressive in the free agent market. Certainly with expectations of a new cap in lieu of the TV deal. We’ll have great flexibility. When you have a core in place, it’s much easier to attract a significant talent.”

-Dennis Lindsey, Utah Jazz General Manager

The Utah Jazz have been following Dennis Lindsey 3 point plan to success. They have built their core through the draft (Gobert, Hayward, Exum), they’ve parlayed up through trade (George Hill, Boris Diaw), and even augmented in free agency (Joe Johnson).

Now comes the Reggie White moment. They have their core in place, they’re winning, and expectations are rising in Utah. Could Paul George be had? Most definitely. Do the Utah Jazz have the best package available for Indiana? One of the best. But it would be hard to beat Boston’s deal of possible Brooklyn picks. But say those picks are off the market if and when Boston trades for Jimmy Butler, Utah could be one of the best suitors available. What would that deal look like?

Utah Sends

Derrick Favors

Trey Lyles

Rodney Hood

Alec Burks

2017 1st Round Pick - Utah Jazz

2018 2nd Round Pick - Utah Jazz

2018 1st Round Pick - OKC Thunder

Indiana Sends

Paul George

C.J. Miles

The Utah Jazz would take a big chance on Paul George and Gordon Hayward playing together. They’re also able to go with a lineup where they can switch almost anyone with George Hill, Joe Ingles, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, and Rudy Gobert. The Utah Jazz’s bench does take a hit. Dante Exum, C.J. Miles, and Joe Johnson would be relied on heavily for offense while Boris Diaw and Jeff Withey would be relied upon to hold down the paint. This might be time to see if Joel Bolomboy is capable of providing value off the bench.

But does Indiana do a trade with Utah? The chances are higher just because these two franchises have worked out a deal as early as this summer with the George Hill trade that also included Utah trade partner favorites Atlanta.

The likelihood though of such a deal? I’d put it at a 1/10. But man it would be awesome.