The landslide defeat of the Indiana Pacers to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs seems to be the tipping point for leader Paul George. Throughout the season, the Jeff Teague team had been struggling to keep their spot in the league with the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls almost unseating them from their place. However, it looks like Larry Bird has a blockbuster plan to keep the Paul George contract in Indiana.
Rumors are rife that the Indiana Pacers are exhausting all leads to keep the Paul George contract in their roster. Reportedly scared that their current superstar would bid adieu to the team that built its core around him - in which he would follow the footsteps of Kevin Durant who moved to the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James who broke up the Big 3 and went back to the Cleveland Cavaliers or LaMarcus Aldridge who signed with the San Antonio Spurs to get a better shot at an NBA championship title, the Jeff Teague aims to sign another All-Star to pair with their current leader. Will this be enough to keep the Paul George contract with the Indiana Pacers?
"Players don't want to be hated. LeBron said he hated being the villain. Paul George is setting up Larry Bird to be the scapegoat, or somebody else to be the scapegoat. This is what people do when they want to break up and they don't want to be the bad guy," predicted Colin Cowherd of the NBA trade rumors regarding the All-Star.
He added, "They pick fights, they start nitpicking. So when they leave, they're like 'you just don't get me, you don't listen to me, we haven't been communicating, we're two ships passing in the night.' You start picking, making little things bigger than they are. So you can go to Larry Bird in the offseason and say 'listen, I just don't have enough help.'"
However, speculations point to a possible Damian Lillard move to the Indiana Pacers by the offseason. On the verge of getting eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA playoffs this season, the Portland Trail Blazers would be concentrating on rebuilding their roster. Without LaMarcus Aldridge to play alongside Damian Lillard, it appears that the team might need to rethink their strategy to get past the NBA playoffs to the Finals. Will moving Damian Lillard for a blockbuster deal with the Indiana Pacers be a good deal for them?
