Nat Newell

nat.newell@indystar.com

Pacers forward Paul George told ESPN Radio that he wants to win the franchise's first NBA title, but would not guarantee that he'll sign a contract extension this offseason.

"As I told Larry, I always want to play on a winning team," George said on the program. "I always want to be part of a team that has a chance to win it (all). That's important. 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 want to be the first to bring a championship to Indiana. So that's still on my mind ... and something I definitely want to achieve in Indiana."

The Pacers entered the All-Star break on a six-game losing streak and currently hold the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference at 29-28.

The Pacers' can't offer the new designated player exception – which allows a team to offer a sixth-year on contract extensions, an extra 5 percent of the salary cap (35 versus 30) and larger raises (7.5 percent versus 4.5 percent) – unless George makes one of the three All-NBA teams after the season.

If the exception applies, the Pacers can offer George a contract worth roughly $212.3 million over six seasons; another team could offer approximately $123 million over four.

In January, Pacers President Larry Bird told IndyStar, "Before the year started, I told Paul and I said, ‘Look, if you want to sign a long-term deal, we’re willing to do that max (contract) and if you want to wait, I understand.’ But this year, we’re not going to worry about it, we’re not going to talk about it and he’s going to make the decision that’s best for Paul when it comes down to it.”