It sounds like the Indiana Pacers signing Paul George to a max contract is a matter of when, not if.
According to Larry Bird, the Pacers have something of a standing offer of a max deal to George, who can sit down and talk about it with them at his leisure.
“I know he don’t want to talk about it all year and I don’t either,” Bird said, via Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star. “We want Paul here and we know what it’s going to cost and what it’s going to take. If Paul wants to get a deal done, we will. It’s a max deal. There’s no others, so there’s no use talking about it. If he wants it, he’s got it.”
“We do whatever he wants to do. He’s proven that he’s a max player. He’s our best player. If he wants a new contract, whenever he wants it, we’ll give it to him.”
It doesn’t sound like there will be much of a negotiation, but the Pacers know the importance of George to their franchise. It’s not clear if George is as enthusiastic as the team is, but as there’s no reason to believe he isn’t, it sounds like suitors such as this will be disappointed.
