Paul George is locked into a multi-year contract with the Indiana Pacers. He is the leader of that team. He led them to two straight Conference Finals appearances before ultimately losing to LeBron James and the Miami Heat both times, which is nothing to scoff at. Heck, if LeBron was not around, Paul George could have had two rings around those fingers. Why on earth would the Indiana Pacers consider trading him? 

Paul George; Superstar?

Paul George is no doubt a star in this league, but he is considered a superstar by many, a franchise player. Prior to his horrific leg injury, Paul George finished top 10 in MVP voting in 2014. He put up averages of 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists that season. Only LeBron James and Russell Westbrook put up such averages last season. The two-time All-Star is only 25 years old and just hitting his prime. But can his injury be career-threatening?

Post-Injury

Paul George had a rather gruesome leg injury in the summer of 2014. During the FIBA World exhibition game, he broke his leg and was sidelined for nearly a whole year. After missing Indiana's first 76 games, he returned and played the last six. In those six games, he averaged less than nine points per game. Granted, he was playing much less minutes than his All-Star campaigns, but it still raised questions for George's future. The sample size of six games is too small to make anything of it and he showed flashes of '2014' Paul George, but the doubt is there. Will Paul George return to 'superstar' form?

Why would Indiana consider a trade?

Well, now that we've gone over what George means to the Pacers' franchise, you might be scratching your head and thinking 'why would they ever trade him?' Well, here's why.

Playing out of Position-

Paul George is a small forward. He has played that position his entire career, with some splits at shooting guard. With Luis Scola, David West, and Roy Hibbert all departing Indiana, Paul George will be forced to bang with the bigs of this league down low. Paul George himself is hesitant playing big minutes at the power forward position.

"If I've got to play a couple of minutes at the power forward, I'm fine with it."

Larry Bird, team president, has different ideas. His take on George not wanting to play the big man role long term. 

"Well, he don't make the decisions around here."

You saw the same type of situation in Phoenix when Goran Dragic, a point guard, was forced to play shooting guard and some small forward. How did that turn out?

State of the Team-

The Indiana Pacers went from championship contenders to lottery team within a season. That was in large part to injuries, the team was decimated by injuries. The team added high-scoring combo guard Monta Ellis this summer, along with Jordan Hill. Does that make up for what the team lost? They lost David West, Roy Hibbert, and Luis Scola which is bad enough from a production standpoint, but it looks even worse from a leadership standpoint. 

David West was the heart and soul of that team. Roy Hibbert, though he became stagnant on offense the past few years, was still a defensive presence down below. Luis Scola was a respected player willing to come off the bench for this team. The team has arguably the same talent level as last season, but the leadership has taken a hit. If the Indiana Pacers get off to a slow start, they may be listening to a few offers for Paul George. 

There are arguably 13 or 14 teams that could make the playoffs in the East this coming season, and if the Pacers fall behind big before the trade deadline, they have to at least be thinking about tearing it down and starting over.

Though there are no rumors to this and a slim chance it ever happens, Paul George may be the surprising name that hits the trade block next year. DeMarcus Cousins is one name, but he and head coach George Karl seem to have fixed the little twitch that was between them. Carmelo Anthony may be another name thrown out there, but in signing that massive contract with New York, he pretty much said winning is not his top priority, and he doesn't mind staying in New York. Plus, he has a no-trade clause. 

It's all possible that the Indiana Pacers come out firing, and the duo of Monta Ellis and Paul George is among the best in the league, and they surprise with a top seed in the East while building aroung George for the foreseeable future.. However, it is more likely that they battle it out for a lower seed, and having so many new faces on the roster does not help that cause. They are not the youngest of teams, and the payroll for that roster is pretty high, so if they do not exceed expectations, look for change to come about. With Paul George playing out of position and the state of the team up in the air, he will be the next star donning a different uniform. 

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