Update: ESPN’s Chris Haynes reports teams are apprehensive about a Paul George trade, knowing he wants to win with Indiana, with the Lakers as his backup plan. Haynes also reports George will not commit long term outside of those two teams.
The original story is as follows:
Shortly after news of Paul George considering signing with the Lakers, a story has broken about the Lakers angling to acquire the Pacers star right now. USA TODAY’s Sam Amick has reported the Lakers are in the process of trying to land George, and let on that both George and the Lakers are interested in the team up.
The following screenshot is from USA TODAY:
Right off the bat, it’s worth noting Magic is wasting no time in trying to fill Kobe Bryant’s shoes with a superstar player in Los Angeles. A deal for George, however, would not come cheap.
Johnson would have to renege on his statement about the Lakers’ young talent being untouchable because a deal getting George in a Laker uniform would almost certainly require at least one or two young players from their roster.
The Lakers could make a deal for George before Thursday’s deadline, but Johnson and Rob Pelinka would have to work hard and fast to hammer out a deal. An alternative route is to wait until free agency in 2018 and try to lure George to Los Angeles, but that hinging on if the Pacers are in contention or still sputtering to put together a winning season.
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