Insider: Paul George's All-NBA snub means no supermax, more intrigue to Pacers' waiting game
INDIANAPOLIS — Paul George, a Southern California native, spent his Thursday in Los Angeles. George spent time in a gym training and playing basketball in preparation for next season. He even spent time on Twitter, which created even more speculation about his future.
As George trained with NBA draft prospects, the league announced news that is expected to have significant ramifications for the Indiana Pacers, the team George has played for the past seven seasons. When the three All-NBA teams were revealed, the list of players, which distinguishes the top 15 players every season, were full of household names: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.
The list didn’t include George.
As the Pacers’ best player and lone All-Star last season, George can opt out of his contract after next season. George’s future with the franchise remains unclear as the Pacers this month began an offseason that could be one of the most turbulent in their 50-year history.
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If George had been voted onto one of the three All-NBA teams (IndyStar's Nate Taylor voted him to the third team), he would have been eligible to receive the designated player exception supermax contract, which would result in an extra year and $75 million from the Pacers. The total contract would have been five years and about $210 million.
The All-NBA teams are chosen by a voting panel of 100 sportswriters — including this writer — and broadcasters who cover the league on a day-to-day basis. Voters were asked to select two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, picking players at the position they regularly play.
Last year, there were 129 All-NBA voters, but this season the league removed team broadcasters from the voting pool to eliminate conflicts of interest. NBA owners agreed to the new designated player exception — another way to distinguish superstar players — with the players union as part of the new collective bargaining agreement that will begin in July.
James and Leonard were the first-team forwards, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Durant were the second-teamers with Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green beating out George for the third team. The vote was not close with Butler receiving 102 points (19 second-team, 45 third-team votes). George received 40 points.
After the Pacers’ regular season finale, George acknowledged he felt he had performed well enough to make an All-NBA team.
“You’ve got a couple of guys that so-called have been ahead of me who have, you know, other guys on that list,” George said in April. “I’ve been trying to lead and do it at both ends this whole season. Hopefully (the voters) take that into account and especially closing this year out and getting us in the playoffs. If I make I do. If don’t, so be it.”
By not making an All-NBA team, the most the Pacers can offer George for an extension is a five-year, $180 million deal. Other teams can offer George four years and approximately $133 million.
Next for George, 27, is a decision on his future.
He will have to determine whether he believes in Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers’ new team president. Pritchard said earlier this month he wants to improve the team's roster to convince George that the Pacers can contend in the Eastern Conference.
If George is not convinced, he could be traded to another team before he can leave the Pacers as an unrestricted free agent next summer. The teams with the top three picks in next month’s draft — the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Philadelphia 76ers — all made attempts in February to acquire George before the trade deadline. The odds of a possible trade this summer could increase with George not being voted onto an All-NBA team.
On Thursday morning, George replied to a tweet by Bleacher Report which linked to a story where Paul Pierce suggests the Celtics should trade the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. George’s reply didn't contain any text and was soon deleted, but it fueled more speculation on Twitter from fans.
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Pritchard said he met with George for 45 minutes two days after the Pacers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Pritchard came away optimistic that George wanted to remain with Indiana.
“We talked about a lot of different things,” Pritchard said at his postseason news conference. “In every scenario he talked about being here. That’s important — him wanting to be here is important. He kept coming back to one statement that hits me hard. He wants to win.”
If Pritchard refuses trade offers — and he and George can’t agree to a contract extension — George would be eligible for a supermax contract after next season with the Pacers. But George would still need to make an All-NBA team. He could also leave Indiana next summer as a free agent, with the Pacers receiving no compensation.
George averaged a career-high 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 75 games last season. He set career-highs in field goal percentage (.461) and free-throw percentage (.898), while also shooting 39.3 percent on 3-pointers.
George improved his performance in the playoffs. He averaged 28.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.8 steals against Cleveland. The Pacers were swept, but by an NBA-record-low average margin of 4.0 points per game.
Coach Nate McMillan spent Thursday with his coaching staff at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to tour several Indy cars as crews made preparations for the May 28 Indianapolis 500. McMillan did speak to a handful of reporters about the significance of the NBA’s announcement before the All-NBA teams were released.
“We’re comfortable with Paul, whether they list him (as an All-NBA player) or not,” McMillan told the reporters. “He’s an all-pro for us and a great player. Whatever happens, we’ll work with that.”
Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter:@ByNateTaylor.
THIRD TEAM COMPARISON
Indiana Pacers forward Paul George did not make one of the All-NBA teams announced Thursday. He would have been eligible for a supermax contract — one year and $75 million more than another team could offer — if he had made the team. He could still be eligible if he remains with the Pacers and makes an All-NBA team after next season. Here’s how he compared to the third team forwards (Total is the points each received in the voting):
Vote totals: (first team) James Harden, Houston, 500; LeBron James, Cleveland, 498; Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City, 498; Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio, 490; Antony Davis, New Orleans, 343; (second team) Rudy Gobert, Utah, 339; Stephen Curry, Golden State, 290; Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIlwaukee, 258; Kevin Durant, Golden State, 239; Isaiah Thomas, Boston, 236; (third team) Draymond Green, Golden State, 134; John Wall, Washington, 125; Jimmy Butler, Chicago, 102; DeMar DeRozan, Toronto, 62; DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers, 54.
Others receiving votes: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota, 50; Chris Paul, LA Clippers, 49; Marc Gasol, Memphis, 48; DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans, 42; Paul George, Indiana, 40; Gordon Hayward, Utah, 27; Hassan Whiteside, Miami, 18; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland, 14; Klay Thompson, Golden State, 14; Nikola Jokic, Denver, 12; Damian Lillard, Portland, 12; Paul Millsap, Atlanta, 3; LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio, 1; Blake Griffin, LA Clippers, 1; Al Horford, Boston, 1.
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