Latest Woj Bomb is probably a bad sign for the Indiana Pacers
By Ben Gibson
The Los Angeles Lakers traded for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick, which might be a bad sign for the Indiana Pacers as they look to move Paul George.
With the Los Angeles Lakers shipping out D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov for Brook Lopez and the 27th draft pick, one wonders if the Indiana Pacers will get anything of value for Paul George. The trade was first reported by the Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
One thought was that if the Indiana Pacers traded with the Lakers, they would get Russell in the trade even if they didn’t get the number two pick. Now that idea is off the table.
On top of the Lakers moving one of their assets, this clears cap space for the 2018 offseason, making signing Paul George as a free agent easier for the purple and gold. The Lakers are correcting a mistake from last offseason, but it cost them a young, talented player. But if they still land PG, it will be an afterthought.
Lakers are trading Tim Mozgov and D'Angelo Russell to Nets for Brook Lopez and 27th pick Thursday, sources say.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 20, 2017
Kevin Pritchard’s job just got a lot tougher with this trade going down.
The Lakers may still trade for Paul George, but this takes one of the options off the table that could make the trade more palatable for the Pacers. The 28th pick wasn’t going to be very enticing, nor is the 27th if in doesn’t come with a young player.
Can the Lakers now land Paul George by offering Thursday's No. 27 and 28 picks and either Julius Randle or Jordan Clarkson? They're trying.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 20, 2017
This also could be the precursor to a bigger move for the Lakers, but that’s purely speculation. Even if it isn’t the safest option, the Lakers can bet on Paul George still coming next year and now they have more cap room to get that job done.
All of this might make Pacers ask if the Lakers have tampered with Paul George, as they seem to know for sure that he is coming to them in 2018. However, that’s speculation as well. Unless they could present the NBA with evidence, it is hard to see anything come of that accusation, especially since the Pacers haven’t raised that question to the NBA as of yet.
Next: 8p9s Roundtable: What do you want for Paul George?
Pacers fans now have to wait even longer and worry if the best player to wear an Indiana Pacers jersey is going to leave without the team getting much in return.