The Los Angeles Lakers have hoped to lure free agents to their franchise and, as haters love to point out, they’ve whiffed on all of their chances recently.
Now that the Lakers are looking at someone with legitimate ties and reported interest in coming to Los Angeles in free agency, the consensus is to hold off on offering up assets for the future when in only a year, they could have him for nothing but cap space.
“I repeat: Paul George – barring a title chance in Indy – is hell-bent on heading for Laker Land. This message has been sent throughout NBA,” said NBA insider for USA Today Sports, Sam Amick in a tweet.
If the Lakers go down the path of waiting until free agency it is a fair option and one that makes a ton of sense if the Lakers have any intel whatsoever about his intentions to come the summer of 2018 because George arguably has the closest ties by growing up in Los Angeles.
The Lakers should wait until the 2018 free agency period to pursue George because most reports have indicated that he wants to join the Hollywood stage and play closer to his family.
It would not make sense to trade for George within the next year because that would require the Lakers to part ways with some of their young talent that has not had the time to develop. The young core that includes guards Jordan Clarkson, D’Angelo Russell, and forwards Julius Randle, Brandon Ingram.
None of those players have more than three years of experience in the NBA and clearly have quite awhile to improve their young talent so the Lakers should not give up on them just yet.
Former Moorpark College student and lifelong Lakers fan, Andrew Mason, decided to give his thoughts on the topic.
“They [young core of the Lakers] aren’t enough to win a championship on their own,” said Mason. “So, I think it’s best if we wait until George is available for free agency in 2018.”
Fellow Moorpark College student, John Garcia, disagrees with waiting until the 2018 free agency period.
“I think the Los Angeles Lakers should start going after Paul George right now,” said Garcia. “I think we should definitely trade one our guards, either Russell or Clarkson.”
The Lakers find themselves in a fairly nice spot, but one that can easily be ruined by the wrong team acquiring George in a trade and him falling in love with whichever city that might be.
But the overall feel around the league is that he wants play in Los Angeles and the Laker could keep acquire him and would only give up cap space instead of young players.
George has called out some of his Pacers’ teammates during the recent playoff series versus the Cleveland Cavaliers, in which they were sent home after four to zero sweep.
“He’s [Lance Stephenson] got to learn to control himself and be in the moment,” said George, according to Clifton Brown sports insider for USA Today.
Clearly we know the president of basketball operations of the Lakers, Magic Johnson wants to acquire George one way or another.
When asked by Jimmy Kimmel on Jimmy Kimmel Live on how he would react to running into George.
“You just can’t say ‘Hey, I want you to come to the Lakers.’ Even though I’m going to be winking [at him]. You know what that means, right?” said Johnson.
It remains to be seen if the Lakers will give up some of their assets to acquire the superstar from Indiana or will they wait it out and hope that the reports are true for George wanting to come to Los Angeles in the 2018 free agency period.
