Paul George Found It ‘Frustrating’ That He Was Kept In The Dark On Trade Talks

After a full day of rumors, no teams were able to lure Paul George away from the Indiana Pacers ahead of the 2017 NBA trade deadline. That does not come as a monumental shock considering George’s status as a top-15 player and Larry Bird’s track record as an executive but, at various moments, it looked as if a deal could come together.

With that in mind, George spoke with the media on Thursday afternoon and he did not appear terribly pleased with the lack of communication between his camp and Indiana’s front office.

“I kind of was on the ropes just like you guys were on what was about to happen,” George said. “It was kind of a dark moment of uncertainty. That was the frustrating part. You want me to be your guy here, I thought I would be in the loop a little more than that.”

It’s not uncommon for a star-level player to be in the mix on every part of a trade negotiation, especially with the incentive for the opposing team to know where George stood before finally pulling the trigger. To that end, it is easy to see why George was miffed and his reference to a “dark moment of uncertainty” to go along with general frustration probably isn’t the best indicator moving forward for the Pacers.

Now, though, the Pacers must attempt to appease their best player before the end of his contract, especially with the looming threat of George heading back to the west coast to join the Los Angeles Lakers. Thursday likely wasn’t a banner day for the relationship between player and franchise, but fences can be mended with time.