Paul George, Paul George trade
Mar 28, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) shoots the ball in the second half of the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Indiana Pacers 115-114. USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski

The Indiana Pacers are on the verge of pulling the trigger on a Paul George trade. But they are taking a methodical approach and plan to "get what they want" instead of making a hasty deal.

The Pacers lost leverage in trade discussions after George revealed his intentions to test free agency next summer. And since George is widely expected to join hometown franchise, the Los Angeles Lakers, other suitors for the All-Star forward are hesitant to part with valuable assets for a one-year "rental."

Despite the risk of losing George in a year, several teams, including the Houston Rockets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards have discussed various trade scenarios with the Pacers front office over the last 48 hours. Even the Lakers, instead of signing George in free agency next summer, have been aggressively trying to pull off a trade.

Previously, the Pacers were expected to acquire multiple first-round picks in Thursday's NBA Draft as part of their efforts to rebuild the team. However, the draft came and went without any Paul George trade coming to fruition. According to ESPN, the Pacers weighed all offers before delaying the inevitable for another day.

The Pacers drafted UCLA forwards TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu with the No. 18 and No. 47 picks in Thursday's draft. At the end of the eventful draft, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard said his team considered a plethora of offers for a Paul George trade but couldn't pull off a deal.

Paul George to Lakers still likely scenario, other teams in play

"Multiple things came up (on Thursday). We looked at a lot of things that included draft picks, but at the end of the day there's so much other stuff that doesn't include draft picks that we decided to stay put and look at everything that's on the board in the future. We're not going to make a bad deal. We want to get what we want," said Pritchard, who took over the reins of the Pacers after Larry Bird stepped down in April.

Pritchard revealed that George's decision to reveal his future plans left the team with little leverage in trade scenarios. "It's not ideal, but we didn't put ourselves in it. (George) did. I know he likes Indiana. I don't think it's that. I think we have to look at our scenarios, and it doesn't mean we have to look today. We don't want to have to be rushed. We want to be methodical in our decision-making. We're going to look at everything.

"For Paul, it's a situation as he looks at this, it's not ideal, but it's not ideal for us. We have to do what's best for our organisation," added the president of basketball operations for the Indiana Pacers.

George averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his seventh season for the Indiana Pacers. The two-way wing was drafted 10th overall by the Pacers in 2010. He led the Pacers to two Eastern Conference finals appearances besides making three All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams. Stay tuned for the latest rumblings on a potential Paul George to Lakers trade, Lakers trade news and updates from the NBA offseason.

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