Once the Golden State Warriors secured their 2nd NBA title in three years last week fans start wondering just who LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers would bring in to help the team reach the Finals next season.
Many fans and analysts connected the Cavs to Indiana Pacers forward Paul George and the scenario started to gain some realistic possibility this past week.
According to The Vertical, George recently informed the Pacers that he will opt out of his contract in 2018 and become an unrestricted free agent.
Per a report from ESPN, George’s stance has motivated the Pacers to shop George and Indiana called the Cavaliers. Cleveland is reportedly willing to enter into trade talks with the Pacer for George without any assurances he will commit to a long-term deal in Cleveland.
George would be a major “get” for the Cavs. The 4-time NBA All-Star averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game this past season.
The main hurdle for the Cavs would be what they can offer to Indiana in trade. The only attractive assets could be either Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving, with Love the most likely player to be offered.
An offer centered around Love may not be enough to entice the Pacers to part with George, who is likely to generate more suitors than Cleveland, with some of those suitors able to offer Indiana more in return.
This story only emphasizes the oft-criticized current structure of the NBA competitive platform, which seems to only empower “super teams”.
If the Cavs are able to land George, it will be another example of the “rich getting richer”.