Pacers Forward Paul George Hints At Testing NBA Free Agency This Summer

The Indiana Pacers may be in danger of losing a legitimate superstar. Paul George clearly isn’t happy with the direction the franchise and has made it clear to Larry Bird and the Pacers brass that something needs to change in order to lock him up long-term.

With NBA All-Star Weekend getting underway on Friday, the narrative has surrounded Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook teaming up once again on the Western Conference All-Stars. George may have help change that narrative saying the following about his mindset moving forward, via ESPN:

“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.”

Last summer, George was mentioned in numerous trade rumors with talk around the league that he may be on the move. Obviously, no trade came to fruition nor did the Pacers brass have any intention of trading their current face of the franchise.

With George coming out and making this statement, the pressure will be on for Bird to make some moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 23. The Pacers do have some talented players with Monta Ellis, Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and up-and-comer Myles Turner, but it hasn’t come together as expected with the team only one game above .500 at 29-28.

It’ll be interesting to see what Bird and company can accomplish heading toward the NBA trade deadline. If they can make moves to right the ship, George could very well be seriously considering heading elsewhere this summer.