Most of the player movement whispers lately have surrounded Pacers superstar Paul George and whether he could eventually end up with his hometown Lakers. Magic Johnson has made no secret that he wants PG13 in L.A. (almost to the point of tampering), but George still has another year left on his contract before he can exercise his player option.
Indiana faces the rather difficult decision of whether to trade George some time before the February deadline and make sure they get something in return or wait and hedge their bets and try and convince him to stay.
Complicating that latter option is the fact that George was not named to one of the All-NBA teams this season, rendering him ineligible for the so-called “super max” contract that would’ve given his incumbent team tremendous leverage (it could also end up costing him around $30 million in salary. Ouch.).
Of course, there are a lot of opinions out there about what George should do, and oft-embattled Fox Sports reporter Chris Broussard wasn’t shy about sharing his thoughts recently.
"Paul George, if you go to the Lakers and you don't win, you might not make an All-Star team. You might be Damian Lillard." @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/48fMDltRFy
— FOX Sports Radio (@FoxSportsRadio) May 21, 2017
Obviously, George understands the pitfalls of joining not only a very young team, but one that will have to navigate the Western Conference Gauntlet each season. But the real kicker here is why Broussard found it necessary to bring Damian Lillard into the mix, and Dame was apparently wondering the same thing.
Chris let's talk about this https://t.co/iPvSWl62hJ
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 21, 2017
Yes, Lillard has been snubbed for the All-Star team a few times now, but the Blazers are hardly the Lakers. They’ve made the playoffs four years in a row and went to the conference semifinals twice during that span. As Lillard was quick to point out, he was a big reason for that.
Padding stats=losing and getting numbers
Hooping = making the playoffs every year and the stats say you're a big reason https://t.co/TYzvzqxGhl
— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) May 21, 2017
Now, Broussard didn’t exactly imply that Lillard pads his stats, but you could easily interpret it that way. And as Lillard’s proved time and time again, he uses any and all perceived slights as motivation, whether on the court or in the studio, or both.
Granted, he is correct about George jeopardizing his spot on the All-Star team, especially in a Western Conference that is loaded with front-court talent. The real question, however, is whether the 27-year-old George is willing to risk the best years of his prime on a team that won’t be competing for a championship in the immediate future, particularly in a much tougher conference.
That, more than anything, will likely be the deciding factor in whether he ends up in Los Angeles.
