Lakers, Pacers to resume Paul George trade talks in summer

The Los Angeles Lakers and Indiana Pacers are expected to resume Paul George trade talks at the end of the 2016-17 NBA season, per fresh reports. The Lakers tried to acquire the superstar forward ahead of last month's NBA Trade Deadline until the talks died down due to Indiana's reportedly high asking price.

George, an unrestricted free agent in 2018, is eligible to sign a five-year max extension with the Pacers this summer. According to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), George could make up to 35 percent of the projected 2017-18 NBA salary cap (approximately US$103 million, AU$135 million) in the first year of his contract if he were to qualify for an All-NBA team at the end of the ongoing season.

Even though the Pacers, who own the Bird Rights to George, can outbid free agency suitors in the summer of 2018, they could struggle to hold onto the star due to his reported desire to return to his home state of California. Regardless, George will be leaving at least US$30 million (AU$39 million) on the table if he wishes to go elsewhere in free agency during the summer of 2018.

Paul George trade: Pacers don’t have much leverage

According to several analysts, the Pacers would lose leverage in Paul George trade talks if they were to delay the inevitable. Since Indiana can't afford to lose George for nothing in 2018, their best bet is to trade the forward this offseason, a move that would help them secure young assets to build the team around. Prior to the NBA Trade Deadline, Sam Amick of USA Today reported that "Paul George -- barring a title chance in Indy -- is hell-bent on heading for Laker Land. This message has been sent throughout NBA." A little later, Amick noted in his report that "George – a Palmdale, Calif. native and lifelong Lakers fan – is determined to sign there as a free agent in the summer of 2018 if the Pacers can’t find a way to contend for a title again."

Last week, Basketball Insiders noted that the Lakers will be actively pursuing a Paul George trade during the summer. "It’s not as though L.A. doesn’t have the assets to generate an interesting offer for George. Bird’s rivalry with (Lakers president) Magic Johnson is well-established and well-recorded, so negotiations likely would be fairly intense, but L.A has the youth to put together something intriguing.

"Starting with D’Angelo Russell or Brandon Ingram would be a great place to start, with sweeteners like Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle at least keeping the Indiana front office at the table. The Lakers have a history of playing fast and loose with first-round draft picks, but George could require one of those, too," NBA insider Joel Brigham reported.

Paul George to Lakers: Should Magic Johnson wait until 2018?

There's another school of thought that the Lakers could hold onto their assets and pursue George in the summer of 2018. However, the Pacers could be willing to bite on a lesser offer from the Lakers simply due to the superstar's reluctance to remain in Indiana at the end of the 2017-18 season. Also, another team in play for George, namely the Boston Celtics, would be hesitant to trade for the forward unless he commits to re-signing with the Eastern Conference team the following summer.

"Los Angeles can be patient, save their assets, and just try to sign him outright in 2018, but the quicker, more guaranteed path would be making a deal for him, which they almost certainly will try to do once again this summer," Brigham added in his report. The Paul George trade talks are sure to intensify this July. The only question is: would Magic Johnson and the Lakers sacrifice prized assets for a player they can sign a year later?