Paul George dropped a bombshell on Tuesday when he told Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles that he requested a trade from the Indiana Pacers because the franchise didn't do everything possible to get the “best power forward” in the NBA. George never dropped the name of the player, but it is believed the swingman was talking about Anthony Davis.
Via Alex Kennedy of Hoops Hype:
A league source believes that Paul George is talking about Anthony Davis, which makes sense since he was widely regarded as the best power forward in the league in the summer of 2017 (when this conversation happened). Did the Pacers pass on an opportunity to add Davis for financial reasons? It’s not that simple.
George told Indiana in the summer of 2017 that he wasn't going to re-sign with the team in 2018 when he would become an unrestricted free agent. Indiana traded the All-Star to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
The Pacers would have been legitimate title contenders had they had Davis and George leading the way. However, Indiana didn't have any trade assets for Davis that would have been enticing to the New Orleans Pelicans.
George is now on the Los Angeles Clippers, while Davis stars for the Los Angeles Lakers. Both L.A. teams will be in Orlando, Florida for the “bubble” games. Indiana is also one of the 22 teams invited in the restart.
Pacers fans have booed George viciously every time he has come back to Indiana as a visitor. It will likely stay that way for a while.
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