Pacers owner says team never considered dealing Paul George
Indiana Pacers forward Paul George was the subject of numerous trade rumors leading up to the NBA’s trade deadline, but according to owner Herb Simon, no deal was ever close.
Simon did confirm to Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star that there was interest in George, but the offers that came in weren’t even given much consideration.
“Basically, we were offered a lot of things,” Simon said. “We didn’t even think of taking any of them. (President) Larry (Bird) will give you a better feel for it, but the answer is you can’t stop people from making offers. But it wasn’t any question of accepting any of them.”
Simon had nothing but praise for George, will will be in the final year of his contract next season.
“This guy has taken over the team and pulled us up,” Simon said of his star forward. “I think very highly of him. I think he was incredibly personable at our breakfast in New Orleans during the All-Star weekend. He was very open. He wants to be a champion. He wants a winning team and it’s our job to get him one. He’s got that desire to be a special player, which he is, and to have a special team. We’re all on the same wavelength. It’s just a matter of we both have to produce. He has to produce and we have to give him the players to produce with.”
By all accounts, the Pacers were never serious about moving George. We’ll see what the summer holds as far as contract talks go and if that impacts Indiana’s thinking going forward.
