May 18, 2017 may have been a pivotal day for the Paul George era with the Indiana Pacers. The All-Star forward fell short of reaching All-NBA status and, as a result, George is not currently eligible for the designated player exception. That, in turn, means that the Pacers cannot offer him an extra $30 million or so in salary and that places the focus back on potential trade winds over the next few weeks.
In addition, George appeared to make something of an error in accidentally tweeting about a potential deal involving the Boston Celtics and the No. 1 overall pick. That didn’t exactly take the focus of the rumor mill and, later in the evening, Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard did his better in stoking the flames.
Yes, that is Lillard seemingly endorsing a fan suggestion that the Blazers should make a deal to add to George to the roster.
It should be noted that the Pacers have reportedly been offered massive packages for George in the past and they have not yet been willing to pull the trigger. Beyond that, the Blazers do not have an obviously appetizing trade package unless they were to include C.J. McCollum and, while George might be the better player, that isn’t an upgrade that is going to transform Portland into a legitimate contender.
Still, this is the kind of thing that can bring additional entertainment to the process in 2017 and it makes sense that Lillard could be dreaming about a scenario in which George landed in Portland. That isn’t likely to happen but, between now and the 2017 NBA Draft, the Paul George rumor mill should be spinning in a big way.
