An open letter to Paul George

If you’re reading this for Paul George hate from an Indiana Pacers fan, or for some kind of vindication of burning a jersey, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

Dear Paul George:

I don’t expect you to read this, or to be impacted by it if you do. These are just the thoughts of a long time Pacers fan, and a more recent Pacers writer.

First and foremost: PG, you’ve got the right to want to ply your trade wherever you want. Indy, LA, Rome, Latvia, Des Moines — wherever.

Anyone trying to make you feel bad simply for wanting to play elsewhere is missing that point. You were loved and adored in Naptown, and playoff PG is the stuff of Indiana legends. I’ll always remember your rookie year battle with MVP Derrick Rose in the playoffs, and your eventual battles with LeBron James are unforgettable.

It’s also undeniably a lot easier to sell PG1’s in LA, and playing under the brightest lights, near family, sounds understandably awesome. It’s a defensible decision, but even if it weren’t, it’s not ours to make. You made your choice, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

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This decision is something players face and make every year, but you went above and beyond. Telling Kevin Pritchard your intentions (or at least someone from your camp telling him) was an incredibly classy move. Instead of letting him and Mr. Simon build a team they thought would be around you, you gave them the info they needed to best manage the future of the franchise.

While it’s painful that that future isn’t you, it’s better to know. You didn’t have to have that difficult conversation, but you did it. The city owes you a debt of gratitude for that. WE owe you a debt of gratitude for your successes and hard work as an Indiana Pacer. That’s where the gratitude ends, though.

While telling KP your intentions was an undeniably classy move, your agent leaking the news to Woj was anything but. In one fell leak, you cut out any leverage the Pacers may have had, and wagged a middle finger at the franchise and your (undoubtedly soon to be) former teammates.

You immediately negatively impacted the future of both. You cut the legs out from under these guys that were your teammates and friends. You handcuffed the franchise in a way that attempted to absolve you from negative press. You didn’t demand a trade, but rather you and your agent made it plenty clear that no team should trade for you, despite the fact that you’ll be leaving at the end of the year.

I can’t fathom the rigors of the NBA or understand the concept that I could be traded to Minnesota or Atlanta or wherever. I can’t imagine that cloud hanging over my head, but I can imagine wanting to avoid it, especially if I’m already planning on going home in a year. However, in the process of getting yourself there, you effectively burned the fans, city, and players you’ve been fighting so hard for and with.

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Burning your jersey, booing and demeaning you on Twitter, insulting you and your family; these are classless moves made by classless people. I’ll always remember the joy you brought the Pacers and fans like me.

You’re an incredible player, and I wish you the best of health (if not luck) in your future ventures. I just wish you hadn’t burnt the building down on the way out after putting in your two weeks notice.