The Boston Celtics still want Paul George, but they’re not prepared to give up that much to get him.
ESPN’s Zach Lowe details the pursuit of George in a new column and notes that, much as the Celtics want to bring in both George and Gordon Hayward, they are aware that they would not be able to sign George to a long-term deal under such a scenario unless they elected to trade Al Horford.
For this reason, the Celtics have resisted making Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, or the 2018 first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets available to the Pacers, nor will they deal the pick acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in the Markelle Fultz deal. The Pacers want a top-10 pick or a similar amount of talent, and have not gotten that sort of offer yet.
Lowe does note that George finds the idea of playing with Hayward intriguing, though the salary cap gymnastics mean even if it happened, it wouldn’t last more than a season.
George’s destination remains a mystery. One major suitor appears to be out, and few teams are willing to pay a king’s ransom for him with the knowledge that he’s probably going to wind up being a rental.
