The Los Angeles Clippers are arguably the hottest team in the NBA right now, and it looks like they want to keep their core together for some time.
They recently gave star forward Kawhi Leonard a big new contract extension, and running mate Paul George is expected to be next in line.
However, if George doesn’t get a new deal, the Indiana Pacers are reportedly interested in going after him in free agency, via NBACentral.
A report from Marc Stein, via NBACentral, claims the Pacers were expected to be all-in on George if he hit free agency in the summer.
Yet now, it appears he will get an extension in Los Angeles.
The Indiana Pacers were expected to have interest in Paul George, per @TheSteinLine
“George’s free agency had the potential to be one of next summer’s most interesting storylines with both Philadelphia and PG-13’s old friends in Indiana believed to be interested in pursuing… pic.twitter.com/XRE2N4mlwU
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 17, 2024
George spent his first seven seasons with the Pacers, and after a quiet first two years, he became an All-Star during the 2012-13 campaign while making them into a competitive squad.
They went to the Eastern Conference Finals in both 2013 and 2014, and while there, they gave LeBron James and the Miami Heat a lot to deal with.
George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, and despite building a strong friendship with Russell Westbrook there, he asked to be traded two years later to the Clippers so he could team up with Leonard.
With him and Leonard, the Clippers have been the darlings of the national media for the last few years, and with 17 wins in their last 21 games, many are once again lining up to declare them as one of the favorites to win the NBA championship.
But for all the love they have gotten since 2019, they have just one trip to the Western Conference Finals to show for it.
George has a history of being inconsistent in the playoffs, and for the Clippers to finally get over the hump, he will need to put together a long string of great performances this spring.
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