Looking Ahead to the Most Important Off-Season in Indiana Pacers History
By Jacob Breece
Larry Bird cannot afford to miss on the upcoming off-season if the Indiana Pacers want to keep Paul George.
It’s been a rough year for the Indiana Pacers thus far. Larry Bird’s on the fly rebuild has not worked as some had hoped it would.
Many projected this Pacer squad to contend with the Cleveland Cavaliers atop the East. (Although Reggie was absolutely being a homer) he was not the only one to predict this Pacers team to be among the Eastern Conference’s bests.
Be that as it may, this Pacer franchise cannot afford any mishaps in the approaching summer. Indiana is not New York or Los Angeles. The Pacers just don’t have the lure of other franchises and that is fine. But, it leaves little room for error in free agency and the draft.
Getting Paul George’s signature on an extension early is key
Everybody’s gotta be there, Larry, Herb Simon, Kevin Pritchard, Myles Turner. It’s gotta be all hands on deck. Anybody that can convince Paul that Indiana is the place for him has to be at this meeting.
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At the least, a verbal agreement of some sort could be extremely beneficial. This would allow Larry some time to maneuver the present roster into something that could make Paul want to stay. Resigning Jeff Teague and C.J Miles would most certainly be on the agenda. As well as reconstructing the bench with pieces that better fit into what the Pacers already have.
A few minor adjustments could really put this team into contention for next year and prove to Paul that the future is bright.
I know that Paul still has one year left on his contract but Bird must treat him as a free agent as soon as the year is complete. Not going all in this off-season would be a death wish. It could leave the franchise without maybe it’s most talented player to ever don the blue and gold with nothing to show for him. This scenario is really not hard to imagine either (ask Oklahoma City).
If PG-13 decides Indy is no longer for him, Bird must act fast
Every day that the Pacers keep Paul while still looking like a middle of the road type of team, his trade value lessens. To this point Bird simply has not done enough to warrant Paul’s signature on a max deal.
These days, staying with a franchise throughout a player’s whole career is rare. Everybody wants to win now and sometimes that means teaming up with fellow superstars to give yourself a better chance.
Even though the odds of resigning Paul should still be in Indy’s favor. For PG to think this way is far from a stretch and Bird should be prepared.
The future of the franchise at stake
If this plot plays out Larry should immediately look to his old friend Magic Johnson or former teammate Danny Ainge. Despite losing Paul George probably not being in Indy’s best interest, it can return some intriguing and rewarding benefits.
Both the Boston Celtics and L.A. Lakers have been linked to the Pacers superstar and both have the assets to get a deal done. These teams each have a top 3 pick as of now that could net a potential superstar in return. Taking a chance on a young stud fresh out of college is a huge risk but so is holding on to Paul only to see him walk in the summer of 2018.
Losing PG for nothing would set a franchise like Indy back multiple years and a start from scratch rebuild would be in order.
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The uncertainty of that scenario is just not worth the gamble even for a superstar like Paul George.