What Should the Pacers Do With PG13?
Paul George carried the Pacers through most of the season and is the sole reason the Pacers even made the playoffs. Once playoff time started, the PG show continued as he averaged 28 PPG, 7.3 APG,7.3 APG, and 1.8 SPG. Checking his stat line, it is hard to argue against the fact that he turned into a human backpack, carrying each and every one of his teammates. If PG is the show and you think of the Pacers as a TV station, how can a TV station survive off only one show? Slightly confusing analogies aside, what I’m trying to say is that the Pacers need some serious help for George. Myles Turner is a developing player who looks to be a future two-way star, Teague provides a spark of offense while Thaddeus Young can lock down on defense, and Lance is a huge spark off the bench. There are just two things missing: a second star and some depth.
Every next-level playoff team has either a superstar and a sidekick who are both capable game-changers, or a bench who can come in and do more than just provide rest for starters. The Cavs have Love and Irving to help out LeBron, the Rockets have arguably the best bench in the league, and don’t even get me started on the Warriors. The Pacers need one or the other if they want any chance at keeping PG.
A second star is out of the question, because Turner is most likely not going to develop in time to save the day, and the Pacers are too small of a market to attract any big-name free agents. So the remaining solution is build a bench. If the Pacers can acquire a few under-the-radar free agents with underrated value, the problem sounds like an easy fix, but that doesn’t mean it is the right choice. Even with an improved bench, Indiana will be no more than Eastern Conference Finals contenders.
My genuine opinion… blow the whole thing up. We have potentially one of the greatest draft classes of all time coming in and the Pacers already have a talented young big in Myles Turner. Keeping the 18th overall pick, they should explore trade options for Paul George in exchange for a lottery pick and a young player. Ideally, a trade for the Celtics pick that they got from the Nets and Jaylen Brown would be perfect. However, lots of the top teams have intriguing young prospects, so the Pacers have their options.
You also have to remember the fact that George is entering his prime next year, and the dude wants to win. He has voiced multiple times that he was to play for a contending team. The Pacers, as I have mentioned, are nowhere near title contention. This means it would be perfect for him to be traded to a team ready to contend, like the Celtics, or a team that can acquire other top players through free agency, like the Lakers.
As a Pacers fan, it would make me sad to see PG13 leave, but in the end it would be the best thing for both parties.
