Paul George, All-Star forward of the Indiana Pacers was noncommittal when discussing a possible extension with the Indiana Pacers this summer. The extension is estimated to be $219 million dollars with the new cap. Team president Larry Bird is prepared to offer him the contract in July, according to George who was speaking with ESPN’s Marc Stein. The star forward had this to say when discussing his yearning to play for a title contender, whether it is the Pacers or another team.
“As I told Larry, I always want to play on a winning team. I always want to be part of a team that has a chance to win it all. That’s important.” said George
“Say what you want; I want to compete for something. It’s frustrating just playing the game for stats or for numbers or to showcase yourself. Man, I want a chance to play for a chance to win a championship.
“I wanted to be the first and want to be the first to be able to bring a championship to Indiana. So that’s still on my mind … and something I definitely want to achieve in Indiana.” via ESPN
The Pacers are currently ranked 6th in the East going into the All-Star break and are 29-28 on the season. They are in the midst of a six game losing streak.
Bird told the Indianapolis Star in January that they want to keep George long term, stating that was their plan. When asked about his thoughts about his upcoming free agency, he had this to say:
“I don’t want to get into Paul’s free agency. Before the year started, I told Paul and I said, ‘Look, if you want to sign a long-term deal, we’re willing to do that max (contract) and if you want to wait, I understand.’ But this year, we’re not going to worry about it, we’re not going to talk about it and he’s going to make the decision that’s best for Paul when it comes down to it.”
Paul George has two years left on his contract and the last year is a player option. With the trade deadline approaching, we will see if a team with assets like the Celtics, try to acquire the 26 year old small forward as they gear up for a playoff push.
