I highly doubt. At this point, if I'm Magic (or rather, someone much much smarter), I'm saying: "Screw you, we have needs, I am drafting for us".
Now the spin Kevin Pritchard was hired by Spurs then he was Portland GM. He drafted Aldridge now maybe he trades Aldridge for PG F da Spurs and Pritchard!
That's fine and dandy. Glad Indy got greedy... and we shouldn't either for an effig one year rental! Think about it as a way for the team to gain the most experience and touches before George comes here. That along with keeping picks, maybe take on an expiring contract for a next years pick is truly better for the upcoming years. Stay patient fellas, grab the bong or some beers.
PG needs the ball. Harden ALWAYS has the ball. Even if they pull this off, don't love the fit in Houston. Morey still treating human players like assets. *yawn*
I laugh at all these teams considering doing a one year rental push just to get a beating from GSW. The only way you do a one year rental is a special circumstance... say if Popovic was retiring and he says eff it and just goes for it.
There's been one team consistently mentioned through this whole process - ONE. The Cavs, Clippers, C Bags, Rockets, Blazers, Spurs, etc. have all come and gone while that one particular team has remained and dominated the discussion. Where there's smoke, there's fire. And there's a hell of a lot of smoke.
Maybe their motivation isn't just to rent George to try to beat Golden State, but also to delay George's arrival in LA. If George gets here now and we can start developing together and show some promise, then suddenly the Lakers are one of the marquee destinations in next year's free agency.
IMO, Indy might be getting better offers than LA but not significantly better. Their greed might blow up in their face
Crows are smelling blood flying around one carcass, Paul George. LAKERS playing the lion role. Cavs & C Bags are hyenas. Sent from my E6533 using Tapatalk
not to mention that dantoni will definitely see george as a pf. but again, houston's the biggest threat, imo. they'll give up everything not named harden. they do it every year. they don't care about alienating their players. and it's why FAs generally don't go there, imo. they know once you sign, you're an asset. and when it comes time to pay you, they're out. they'll give your salary to harden's next extension. anyway, yes, that threat is real.
they need to act like lions. start pursuing deals that will hurt their main competitors. some have suggested the bkn deal was about that. but i'd find the teams that houston is offering beverley and capela to, and i'd offer randle and clarkson to them. muddy their waters.
Frankly, I think the Pacers are just waiting until the last minute to see if there is anything better that comes along. They have the luxury of waiting because they know the Lakers' offer. Moreover, for those saying they need to prepare for the draft if they receive those picks but the Pacers already have their player ranking and the opportunities might change based on what players are drafted as there are always surprises. I feel confident that PG will be a Laker tonight. The fact it has taken this long means that Indy wants to see if there is an 11th hour offer that trumps the Lakers' offer.