Among the many rumors surrounding the hottest free agent of the hour, Indiana Pacers swingman Paul George, is a high-risk maneuver by new president of basketball operations and general manager Kevin Pritchard, who tried to pit the Cleveland Cavaliers against the Golden State Warriors by saying the latter was also interested in making a run at George.

Prior to the reports of the Los Angeles Lakers negotiating a potential trade for George, the Lakers had no plans of making an offer for the All-Star forward, forcing the new GM to try his hardest to get something in return for his soon-to-be former player.

Per Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher:

“Pritchard, league sources said, immediately tried to create a bidding war between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers by intimating to both teams that the other was interested in George. Several league executives questioned why George would change his mind about going to L.A. to stay long term in Cleveland, assuming that his desire to leave Indianapolis had to do with climate and geography, along with recent rumors that LeBron James could bolt for L.A. next summer.”

Pritchard will be forced to make every call and shake every rug in search for a potential trade partner, as the Pacers could risk losing George for nothing if they don't happen to trade him prior to the 2018 trade deadline.

The Warriors will have their own struggles with signing their own players this offseason, making Pritchard's bluff a rather easy one to call.

Guess everything is worth a try since desperate times call for desperate measures.