Paul George has been the subject of much discussion recently as talks of trades and his impending free agency have followed his absence from an All-NBA team on Tuesday. George has a year left on his deal with the Indiana Pacers, and some rumors even place him with the Los Angeles Lakers.
But it was an Eastern Conference team that looked to trade for George in February, and for quite a hefty price. ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported that the Atlanta Hawks offered four first round picks for George back at the deadline.
That’s serious.
The Atlanta Hawks made aggressive draft pick-centric trade offers for Paul George and Jimmy Butler today, league sources tell ESPN.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 23, 2017
Meanwhile, it’s not clear whether George will play out his contract in Indiana or if Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard will somehow convince him to stay. The team is in a tough spot given they seem unlikely to extend George and because any team trading for George could lose him the following summer.
It’s hard to imagine a haul of four first rounders for a player, but as we’ve seen for the Boston Celtics in the most recent NBA Draft Lottery, that kind of swap can be fruitful.
