Paul George Trade: Lakers emerge as likeliest destination, Pacers open to offers

The Indiana Pacers (29-28) are testing the trade market for Paul George due to the superstar's reluctance to make a long-term commitment to the organisation, per fresh reports. While the Pacers aren't openly shopping the four-time All-Star, they are listening to offers, with the Los Angeles Lakers (19-38) emerging as a favourable destination.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, George, who grew up in Palmdale, California, has strongly considered signing with the Lakers upon becoming a free agent in 2018. According to the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), George is eligible to sign a five-year super max extension (35 percent of the salary cap) with the Pacers but hasn't done so because he wishes to contend for championships.

The report added that "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 centre Myles Turner, league sources told The Vertical."

Paul Georg Trade: Magic Johnson could attract PG-13 to L.A.

The Boston Celtics, who have a chest of draft picks and young assets to make an attractive offer, are viewed as another potential destination. However, Woj added that the team that trades for George could lose him to the Lakers a year later. "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."

The Lakers' appointment of Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations has added a new dynamic. "Teams trading for George run the risk of losing the four-time All-Star to a Lakers franchise that will have the salary-cap space to sign him in 2018. The Lakers’ hiring of Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations will be an interesting twist to George’s free-agent recruitment, given that Johnson has been something of a George family icon going back to George’s childhood in nearby Palmdale, Calif."

The Pacers, currently clinging to the sixth seed in the East, aren't expected to make too much noise in the postseason. There's another school of thought that Pacers president Larry Bird could wait until the offseason to deal George, possibility capitalising on NBA Draft night deals. Would the Lakers pull off a Paul George trade? Would they be willing to part with Brandon Ingram, the rookie they refused to trade for DeMarcus Cousins? Stay tuned for the latest news and updates ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline.