Doyel: Why is Paul George still on the Pacers?

Gregg Doyel | IndyStar

Show Caption Hide Caption Insiders: Paul George, Kevin Pritchard and the Pacers' future IndyStar's Nate Taylor and Gregg Doyel discuss Paul George, who surprised Pacers leadership with his desire to leave the team. Draft night, Indianapolis, Thursday, June 22, 2017. (Robert Scheer/IndyStar)

INDIANAPOLIS – The best two times to make a trade in the NBA are at the trade deadline, and during the NBA Draft. Remember when Paul George first suggested he won’t stay with the Pacers? It was a few days before the 2017 trade deadline. He said he wanted to play for a winner. He was trying to send the Pacers a message.

Apparently he was too subtle.

Remember when Paul George made it crystal clear he won’t stay with the Pacers? It was a few days ago, a few days before the 2017 NBA Draft. He said he wasn’t coming back when his contract expired after the 2017-18 season. He said he wanted to play for the Los Angeles Lakers.

This was as subtle as a brick to the shin. And yet …

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Pacers president Kevin Pritchard discusses Paul George on draft night Pacers President Kevin Pritchard speaks about the future of player Paul George, and the team's haul during the NBA draft, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Thursday, June 22, 2017. (Robert Scheer/IndyStar)

The Pacers didn’t trade him this week, or during the draft. They did do something Thursday night, however. They did draft UCLA’s T.J. Leaf, a 6-10, 222-pound freshman forward who averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds and shot 46.6 percent on 3-pointers. This kid can really run, really jump, really shoot. He’s going to be a nice NBA player, possibly better than that. In an alternate universe, he’d fit perfectly into a frontcourt with center Myles Turner and small forward Paul George.

Are the Pacers living in an alternate universe? Is Paul George still on this team? Is this really happening?

At this point, let’s throw in the obligatory resume stuff: Pacers president Kevin Pritchard has played in the NBA, coached in the NBA, run a front office in the NBA. He knows more about this league than you and me and 12 of our biggest basketball-loving friends.

But you and me and every single one of our buddies all know this: The Pacers have now missed the first two chances to trade Paul George, the best two chances to trade Paul George, the most important two chances to trade Paul George.

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For God’s sake, Pacers, what are you waiting for? Without Paul George, they face a rebuilding project of I-69 proportions. It’s one thing for fans to have patience. But it would be nice if the Pacers showed any sense of urgency.

The future is unknown, which means the sentence I’m about to write might look stupid in a few days or weeks or months when Pritchard finally trades Paul George. But I like my chances when I write this:

The Pacers have set back their rebuilding efforts a full year.

Think about it. How are the Pacers going to get significantly better? In the draft. Some teams can get significantly better in other ways, specifically by throwing money at the problem. Miami threw money at LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010 and improved its win total by 11 games. Cleveland threw money at LeBron James in 2014 and improved its win total by 20 games. The Knicks threw money at Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in 2016 and, um, decreased their win total by one game.

But at least when New York threw money at the problem, someone caught it. Nobody is catching the Pacers’ money. Not the big money. The biggest splash this team has made in years on the free-agent market was in 2015 when the Pacers gave $44 million to …

Monta Ellis.

You picking up what I’m putting down? History says the Pacers won’t get better through free agency. Which means they have two other avenues to improve: trades, and the draft.

Well, what do you know …

The Pacers have one, and only one, tradeable asset. Well, they have two. But Myles Turner is untouchable, or he better be, so let’s repeat: The Pacers have one tradeable asset. His name is Paul George. And the draft was Thursday night. Two birds, one stone, all that.

But the Pacers kept that stone in their pocket. Maybe they like rocks. They did give Monta Ellis $44 million.

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An entire NBA season is going to come and go before the next draft, before the Pacers get another chance to add premium young talent at a low price. If the Pacers don’t like the market for George on Thursday night, well, tough. What do they need, a brick to the other shin?

The only way the Paul George trade market improves is if the Los Angeles Lakers completely panic and overpay, afraid that the Pacers might send him to a winning franchise like Cleveland or Boston or San Antonio, a franchise that might convince George to stay. Those three teams have been rumored to be interested in George, by the way. Do I believe those rumors? It’s difficult, to be honest. I find it easier to believe that the Pacers are floating bogus trade rumors to make the Lakers think there’s a bigger marketplace for Paul George than just one team: the Lakers.

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Meanwhile Thursday night, trades were happening. Before the Pacers picked Leaf at No. 18, three trades had been consummated that affected the No. 7, No. 10, No. 13, No. 15, No. 16, No. 20 and No. 24 selections. I mean, draft picks were flying all over the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Kevin Pritchard was in his office. Holding onto Paul George. Maybe he’s waiting for a rainy day.

Maybe he should look outside. It’s pouring.

Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar or at www.facebook.com/gregg.doyel.