Want to bet who Paul George will be playing for on opening night?
By Ben Gibson
Bovada has released odds for where soon to be former Indiana Pacers forward Paul George will play his first game next season, with his current team leading with a 60% implied chance.
What are the chances Paul George is wearing an Indiana Pacers jersey on opening night? About 60%, or 2/3 odds, if you ask Bovada. There is little doubt he will be traded, the question is when.
Despite all the rumors, despite the talk that Indiana wants to move quickly on a Paul George trade, their current odds say Indiana is the frontrunner for the first game of the season.
The Los Angeles Lakers were given 23.5%, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers at 12.5%, the Los Angeles Clippers at 10%, the Washington Wizards at 7.7%, and the Phoenix Suns at 5.9%. The rest of the NBA has a 20% chance of landing Paul George according to Bovada.
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In all likelihood, the Lakers will end up with Paul George this season or next. The only way that doesn’t happen is if a title contender like the Cavaliers, Clippers, or maybe even the Wizards pick him up as a rental and they make a deep run into the playoffs. Even then, it won’t be shocking to see PG leave whoever rents him to join the Lakers.
The Pacers need to hope Kevin Pritchard’s efforts to create a trade market for Paul George pay off, or they’re looking at getting nothing more than a late draft pick or a rotation player for PG.
Indiana fans can’t wait for this week to be over as the agony and bitterness of Paul George’s exit —and how he’s leaving — are only made worse by not knowing what exactly is next for the franchise.
Next: 2017 FanSided NBA Mock Draft
The waiting might extend out into early July as free agency begins, but Indiana’s fans just want this saga to be over so they can move on to the next era of Pacers’ basketball.