Indiana Pacers: KD’s Move Sets Precedent for Paul George
By Kyle Nishida
The Indiana Pacers were never getting Kevin Durant (unless you asked #KevINDYrant believers), but KD’s departure from Oklahoma City sets a dangerous precedent for Paul George to leave the Pacers in 2018.
July 4th, Kevin Durant announced he was leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. It is another example of a superstar leaving a small-market team for a team in a bigger market.
As a result of Durant’s move, the Pacers should be concerned about Paul George making a similar decision in 2018. For those wondering what I’m talking about, George has three years left on his contract, but can opt out after the 2017-18 season.
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At that point, George will have played his eighth season with the Pacers and will probably be coming off a deep playoff run. His potential situation in 2018 will be similar to the one Durant faced this offseason.
It is actually scary how similar these two superstars are to one another.
Durant played his entire nine-year career with the Thunder and was the most beloved sports figure in Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, Paul George has played his entire six-year career with the Pacers and is easily the most popular player on the Indiana Pacers right now.
Durant made multiple deep playoff runs with the Thunder, but unfortunately, his teams came up short in the Conference Finals and the NBA Finals. At the same time, George has led the Pacers on a few deep playoff runs but has come up short in the Conference Finals twice.
If George continues to come up short over the next two years, does he think about leaving Indy? He probably will consider it.
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Indiana Pacers’ fans can tell themselves “Paul George is different” and that “he would never leave Indy.” They can tell themselves whatever they want, but the painful reality is stars and superstars are always looking for bigger and better opportunities.
The Indiana Pacers are a small-market NBA team, and teams in bigger markets will always be the most appealing to stars. The only way for them to shake the “small-market team” label and give them the best chance at keeping George is to win a title
This future dilemma between George and the Pacers becomes a potential non-issue if the franchise wins a title in the next two years, which they are trying to do.
The Pacers traded for all-star point guard Jeff Teague and veteran power forward Thaddeus Young this offseason. Also, they signed veteran center Al Jefferson.
The Pacers are eager to win a championship quickly in order to satisfy the fans and to give George something to think about in 2018.
If the Pacers cannot win a title in the next two years, then the possibility of George leaving becomes a plausible reality.
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No one is suggesting Paul George wants to leave the Indiana Pacers, but it is naïve to believe George is not thinking about it; especially after Durant’s recent move.
George is not going anywhere soon. He has at least two years left on his contract. However, after the 2017-18 season, Indiana Pacers’ fans could be nervously waiting to hear if he returns, and possibly being heart-broken in the end.