Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird apparently wasn’t serious about selling his ticket to the PG-13 movie at the trade deadline.
In a feature by Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times that ran on Monday, Bird said that he wasn’t driven to deal star forward Paul George and denied that he discussed George’s availability in a pre-deadline correspondence with rival-turned-friend, Los Angeles Lakers president Magic Johnson.
“I wasn’t motivated to move Paul George at the deadline,” said Bird. “I can’t remember if it was even brought up or not. I don’t think it was. It’s all fake news anyway. You know that. Somebody’s gonna start it and [it] just was a snowball effect. [The phone call] was not about Paul George.”
Donald Trump jokes aside, Bird was at least said to be gauging the market for George before the deadline and reportedly had discussions with at least one team. But Bird’s lack of motivation to ultimately trade George at the deadline would seem to indicate a sense of confidence in keeping the four-time All-Star around long-term as the Pacers’ leverage and ability to secure a strong return package will only go down as George’s 2018 free agency draws nearer.
What works in Indiana’s favor is that Kevin Durant’s injury could open up an All-NBA slot for George this season, thus qualifying him for a designated player extension from the Pacers worth over $210 million (though there’s no way Bird knew that at the time as Durant got hurt after the deadline). Still, these latest comments from Bird at least give us a window into the Pacers’ overall mindset as George’s future with the team hangs in the balance.
