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Chicago Bulls Receive: SF Corey Brewer, SF/PF Brandon Ingram, No. 2 pick

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: SG/SF Jimmy Butler, PG Cameron Payne

"I don't think we're going to be a major player this year," Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson said of free agency, per Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times. "I'm looking forward to next summer."

It's no secret who Johnson is talking about. Paul George's ears are still burning.

George didn't make an All-NBA Team this year, which means he's not eligible for the super-mega designated player extension, which means the Indiana Pacers are screwed ahead of his free agency in 2018, and they have to trade him. Johnson, though, has little inclination to make a deal.

According to The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t CBS Sports), the Lakers are "pretty confident and have a great deal of belief that they're in position to get Paul George in 2018 whether he stays in Indiana or is traded elsewhere."

That last part is big. If the Lakers believe George is heading to them no matter where he finishes next season, there is no reason to fork over assets to land him a year earlier. They might as well stand pat or, in the name of our entertainment, trade for another star who makes them more appealing to George in 2018—and more formidable once he signs.

Vice president of basketball operations John Paxson says the Chicago Bulls aren't looking to deal Jimmy Butler, per the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson. But we know better.

The Bulls don't have a direction, and it's easier for them to hit reset. Part of that process entails moving Butler to restock the asset cupboard.

Offer them a chance to acquire Brandon Ingram and another top-two prospect, and they won't turn it down. If they want D'Angelo Russell instead of Ingram, Los Angeles shouldn't flinch. Either way, Chicago gets two legitimate building blocks and an opportunity to abandon their years-long dalliance with aimlessness.

The Lakers, meanwhile, get Butler, who won't need another contract until 2019 at the earliest (player option). It'll take some juggling for them to offer George $30-plus million in 2018, but they can get there.

If they cannot find takers for Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov by next summer, renouncing Julius Randle's hold and offloading Jordan Clarkson into another team's cap space would do the trick.

Again, it only makes sense to go this route if the Lakers are 100 percent sure George is Hollywood-bound. He could develop eyes for someone else by 2018. Then again, give him the opportunity to play with Butler and Ingram or Russell, and why would he want to?