Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird is a man of his convictions and he did not hesitate to tell reporters that the team would offer Paul George a max deal.
Bird has built the team around his All-Star forward and was very upfront of having no plans of losing him to free agency in the future.
As it sits right now, George's contract would run through 2019, but by signing an extension, he could make as much as $26 million this season, an $8 million difference from what he is due.
His contract, like most NBA contracts nowadays, receives an uptick of enticement the longer the player stays with the team. George's is set up at $18.3 million this season, $19.5 million the next, and $20.7 million in the final season of his current deal on 2018-19.
By extending his contract, not only will he make more money but also allow future flexibilities for Bird to sign other free-agents to put around him because the salary cap is only bound to increase due to the massive TV deals being signed around the league.
The Pacers only have a $2 million cap space, so to sign the 6-foot-8 small forward, they'd have to shed another $6 million off the books in order to finalize a deal.
The 26-year-old George is coming off a very important career year after a season-long surgery to repair a broken leg. He averaged 23.1 points, seven rebounds, and 4.1 assists and earned All-NBA and All-Defensive team honors.
The two sides have until Sunday, Sept. 25 to come to finalize the contract extension.
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