The Indiana Pacers once moved on from Paul George to start a new chapter of the franchise. That has led to success and an NBA Finals berth. Could things one day come full circle with a return of George to his first team?
The breakout star of last year's playoffs was Tyrese Haliburton. He plays an exciting brand of basketball and he played a key part in a number of unexpected victories and late-game heroics that helped to propel the Pacers all the way to the NBA Finals.
Unfortunately, in Game 7, Haliburton suffered a torn Achilles that not only ended Indiana's chances of upsetting the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals but also ended their chances of competing for a return this year. And for Pacers fans, it had to remind them of when Paul George suffered a massive injury that cost him -- and the Pacers -- an entire season of contending.
Paul George was once the Pacers star
George was once the centerpiece star for the Pacers, a two-way monster drafted 10th overall who became, without question, the best player in his draft class (it's not even clear who is No. 2; John Wall, Gordon Hayward or DeMarcus Cousins). That lost season in 2014-15 was the only year he did not make the All-Star Game from his third season on, and he made three All-NBA teams with the Pacers as well.
George, a California native, eventually made clear that his desire was to play for the Los Angeles Lakers when he hit free agency. The Pacers made the difficult decision to trade George, sending him to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in a move that eventually led to Tyrese Haliburton taking the mantle as the next great Indiana star.
Paul George spent two years in Oklahoma City alongside Russell Westbrook, including one year where he finished No. 3 in MVP voting. With the Thunder entering a reset of their own, George was flipped to another team -- he made it to Los Angeles, but instead it was on the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard.
As the Pacers slowly ascended in the East, the Clippers floundered in the West, with untimely injuries preventing them from getting over the hump despite the talent of George and Leonard. When George finally hit free agency last summer, he left town and signed a four-year max contract with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Pacers could have expected to need to overcome George and the 76ers in order to ascend in the Eastern Conference, but instead, the Philadelphia experiment imploded before it ever began. Joel Embiid battled injuries all season long and was a shell of himself; the same could be said for George. Nothing went right in Philadelphia last year.
Despite playing for so many talented teams over the years, Paul George never made it to the NBA Finals -- a feat that Indiana has now achieved without him. And as George ages and continues to battle injury, it is very possible that he will end up in that category of former star who is defined more by his contract than his basketball ability.
This past summer, multiple stars were bought out of their contracts as their teams moved on. Bradley Beal then signed with the Clippers; Damian Lillard returned home to the Portland Trail Blazers. Marcus Smart and Deandre Ayton signed with the Lakers.
Could Paul George return to Indiana?
Those same Lakers could provide the inspiration for how Paul George's career could end. Lakers star Luka Doncic has been on a media tour all summer to shape his public image after being stealth traded to Los Angeles last season. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Doncic was asked about whether he would like to return to Real Madrid, the Spanish basketball powerhouse where he played from age 13 until he joined the NBA.
Doncic's response? "For sure."
If a superstar like Doncic is openly desiring a full-circle career arc, could other stars follow suit? Chris Paul came back to the Clippers this summer. Everyone expects LeBron James to entertain the idea of another Cleveland return. What about Paul George and the Pacers?
No such full-circle moment was necessary for Reggie Miller, who played his entire career in Indiana. Could the next great Pacers star, Paul George, come back "home" before the end? If he is bought out of his contract, or waived-and-stretched, or even once it fulls expires in three years, could PG-13 wear Pacers yellow once more?
It is not out of the question, and if big names like Doncic start speaking to such a move, it will become a larger part of the narrative swirling around the league. And whatever George has left in the tank, he has the chance to be a part of something in Indiana he could never attain during his first stop: a run to the NBA Finals.
A Paul George return? It's certainly on the table.