The Pacers are running out of time to trade Paul George

So ... Paul George is still a Pacer. He wasn’t traded on draft night, and he’s still around even though he doesn’t want to stay. What happens now?

The Indiana Pacers have to trade George, and they should really do it before the season starts. He has already informed them that he will not be re-signing with the team when he reaches free agency in 2018, which puts the Pacers in a terrible position. The rest of the league knows that Indiana has to deal him, which tanks his value. But it’s better to get something for George instead of wasting a season knowing he’s gone when it’s over.

For a moment, it looked like George might be headed to the Boston Celtics on Thursday night. But talks stalled, and now the Pacers still have the George dilemma staring them in the face.

George has been linked to other teams — the Rockets, the Clippers, the Cavaliers. Of course, George’s preferred option is reportedly going to the Lakers, and Los Angeles has apparently considered trading for him. The Lakers would have to give up assets to get someone who would probably be going to them in 2018, but it would prevent George from going somewhere else and changing his mind. Still, the Lakers didn’t make a move, so maybe they believe they can wait out this process.

Pacers general manager Kevin Prichard didn’t seem worried when asked about it:

That must mean that the Pacers have standing offers on the table from several teams and are only waiting to see if they can eke out another prospect or two.

It’s June 23. Free agency starts July 1. The Pacers are playing a somewhat dangerous game, but it’s likely nothing major will change between now and then. If they think that the extra time will help them squeeze out an extra asset or not, then maybe it’s worth playing the long game.

Jimmy Butler has been traded, and Kristaps Porzingis likely isn’t going anywhere, so there aren’t any pending moves that would change the NBA’s landscape and potentially disrupt any of those pending offers.

You never know though. Things change fast in the NBA, and the Pacers could miss out on the offer they find most appealing. It’s a risk for those teams, too, after all. They’re probably betting they can convince George to stay past the one year remaining on his deal by selling him on their team culture, but George also seems awfully set on Los Angeles when he finally reaches the open market.

The Pacers are running out of time. They could have made this trade by now, and they really have to do it by the time free agency starts. This isn’t a problem yet — we’re putting trust in Indiana here — but in all likelihood they have several standing offers. Don’t worry. They’ll deal him within the next few days. You’d think they would, at least.

The draft has passed them by now, though, which was an easy benchmark for the observing public. It doesn’t really matter for the Pacers themselves, although they’ve now missed the chance to trade for picks and select their prospects. By June 30, George can’t be a Pacer anymore.

That’s the next biggest NBA shoe to fall.