In the last few months, there has been an immense amount of trade chatter centered around Indiana Pacers star forward Paul George‘s interest in joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
The talk has seemingly grown stronger with each passing week, making it seem like an inevitable move for George. However, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report is reporting that the Lakers will first have to acquire another high-caliber player in order to intrigue the four-time All-Star to make the jump in free agency.
Article Continues BelowOne NBA executive told Bleacher Report that the current task for the Lakers in their pursuit of George is to acquire another player—the type of player who would make defecting more desirable for George. Perhaps the answer is in the draft and player development, but the Lakers may need to accelerate the process by bringing in additional help through free agency and trades. And time is of the essence.
Los Angeles currently has in place a roster filled with young talent that could either be made as a part of a trade to add some veteran help or develop into promising pieces to help build the team around. There have been rumors that the team is looking to move Jordan Clarkson and were even listening to offers for D'Angelo Russell.
Team president Magic Johnson has made it no secret over the last few months that the Lakers are interested in acquiring George. The 27-year-old is set to enter the fourth year of his five-year, $91.5 million deal that includes a player option worth $20.7 million for the 2018-19 season
The addition of George would provide the Lakers with a superstar player that can take over the reigns as the face of the franchise. He is in the prime of his career coming off a season where he averaged a career-high 23.7 points per game.