Would the Indiana Pacers even be interested in a Paul George reunion?
There have been rumors that the former Pacers All-Star could be interested in coming back to the Eastern Conference. Would Indiana even be interested in bringing him back?
By Ryan Stano
The Indiana Pacers used to be Paul George's team. Back in the mid-2010s, he was the team's best player and the franchise guy. He helped lead the Pacers to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances and came one game away from the NBA Finals in 2013.
We all know it didn't end particularly well. Since trading him for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, the Pacers have found a new franchise guy in Tyrese Haliburton. George has played pretty well for the Clippers in the last few years and has actually stayed healthy this year for once.
George hasn't signed a contract extension that everyone thought was coming from Los Angeles. There have been rumors that one might not come because of the luxury tax implications. GMs have anonymously speculated that George could be interested in heading back East. Could the Pacers pursue him?
Why the Pacers won't want to bring Paul George back
The Pacers aren't likely to bring George back for a number of reasons. First of all, the finances simply won't work. Haliburton already has signed a max extension that kicks in next season. They will also be re-signing Pascal Siakam to the max or something close to the max. That leaves no money for George.
Secondly, George is pretty gold by basketball standards. Even though he's been an All-Star in each of the last two seasons, he'll be 34 next year and has a long history of injuries. That's a lot of risk to sign someone who's going to want close to max money even if the Pacers had the cap space.
Lastly, neither side is interested in rekindling a relationship. George seems happy in LA and has let go of what happened in Indiana. You can tell by conversations he's had on his podcast that he has no intentions of ever playing for the Pacers again. Indiana also isn't interested in bringing him back.
dark. Next. Next story. Pacers final month stock watch: 2 surprising risers, 1 faller
Any rumor that ties George back to the Indiana Pacers is false. And that's okay! It's probably best for both parties to stay separated. Personally, I no longer hold any animosity towards George. I know not all Pacer fans feel that way though.