INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers forward Paul George did not make the All-NBA Team announced Thursday, causing him to lose out on a huge extension from the team.
Had George made the All-NBA selection, he would have been eligible to be signed to a super-max contract of 5 years, $207 million with the Pacers, adding extra incentive for him to stick around and make almost $80 million more than what any other team could offer him. Without the All-NBA selection, George can only be offered just under $50 million more than any other team.
With the super-max contract off the table, the playing field for George's services are more even and perhaps even a little bit tilted in the favor of the Los Angeles Lakers when he becomes a free agent after next season.
Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports that the Lakers have a strong belief that they will land George in 2018, whether he is traded next year or not.
The Vertical staff on how the lottery results impact the trade market, including the Lakers' pursuit of Paul George. https://t.co/U1G06vTyCP pic.twitter.com/CQXvmt77JS
— The Vertical (@TheVertical) May 18, 2017
George has always been linked to the Lakers after having grown up in Southern California. The 27-year-old is coming off a year with 23.7 points per game, 3.3 assists per game and 6.6 rebounds per game for a team who exited in the first round of the playoffs in a sweep by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It was George's best shooting year of his career, making 46 percent of his shots from the field.
Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News said this in April of George's future: "A SoCal native, [George] has been talking about playing for his hometown team, the Lakers, for a long time. He's never made his long-term intentions a secret within the Pacers' locker room, according to former teammates. He wants to wear the purple and gold."
