Beyond the rumors – the Paul George trade stars are aligning

This is where the story picks up traction. Why would Utah want Ricky Rubio? Won’t they just bring back George Hill and Hayward and run it back with their 51-win team? Well, the Jazz would want Ricky Rubio if they expect they are going to lose George Hill.

It might seem we have drifted away from Paul George, but bear with me. A George Hill departure would be the writing on the wall in Utah. George Hill is a free agent, sure, but every NBA fan knows Utah has bigger fish to fry. Gordon Hayward is a free agent too. Utah will of course want to re-sign him — and why wouldn’t they? He just made the All-Star team and has the chance to be the best Jazz player in almost two decades.

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However, Gordon Hayward is a smart guy and he wants to win basketball games. If George Hill leaves (and is either replaced with Rubio or someone worse) why would Hayward want to go back to a worse team? He is in entering the prime of his career, and there would be plenty of better teams competing for his services than the point guard-less (or Rubio-led) Utah Jazz.

The competing has already begun. Many teams are angling themselves to have a chance at Gordon Hayward, including the potential PG suitors in Boston. All this, and not a peep from Utah. Not one “we will do whatever it takes to keep Gordon”. More of the reporting coming from Utah suggests he is “torn” about staying or leaving.

Actions speak louder than words. If Utah thought that Hayward was coming back, they would be making “win now” moves. Instead, they are looking to trade for a cheap starting point guard in Ricky Rubio, and they traded (Indiana high school star) Trey Lyles to move up in the draft and get a good young player (who plays the same position as Hayward!). This series of moves suggests the Jazz are entering a faux-rebuilding state. Why would they do this? Because they think George Hill and Gordon Hayward are leaving in free agency.

And that is why the Woj report today was so meaningful and impactful for the Pacers. When a report from Adrian Wojnarowski comes out, the discussions ramp up about whether or not the rumor he is reporting is a possibility. This time, it seems like an inevitability.

Why else would the Pacers have waited on a trade? They could have traded for draft picks on draft night and gotten young players that they wanted. Instead, they likely agreed to terms of a trade with Boston that would happen later, likely after the Celtics sign a star. Specifically, Gordon Hayward.

So, a super team in Boston that has Hayward and every draft pick from now until 2030. That is the perfect team to trade for Paul George. All the dominoes are falling in a way that more than suggests, but almost implies, that PG in a Celtics green uniform will happen.

So there it is. The story of events, from Ricky Rubio’s availability to a draft night trade trade involving Trey Lyles, that make it seem clear that Boston and Indiana will have a trade early in free agency. Could this all be a coincidence? Sure. Is it likely? No. With the dominoes all falling, it’s only a matter of time before the culmination of events all come to fruition.

Next: 5 point guards the Pacers could target in free agency

And it ends with Paul George in Boston.