Some may think this is a little premature, but I really think the Pacers should start thinking about locking Paul George up for the long term. I'm not even sure if they are able to per league rules, but I am assuming there is nothing against this. He's under contract through next season, and I think the majority of fans would view allowing him to hit the free agent market would be a realllllyyy bad idea. I wouldn't be surprised if he would re-sign here anyway, but a player of his caliber doesn't come around often in Indy. If he were to leave, it may be years before we get another player with his talent. He has been playing great the last couple weeks or so, and while it's a small sample size, I think he's beginning to prove that he's capable of being the main guy on a winning team. Being thrust into that role all the sudden when Danny was ruled out seemed to freak him out initially, but he seems to be figuring that out nicely.

If they were to extend his contract, would the remainder of his current deal (through next season) be impacted at all? Or would his salary stay the same until the extension kicks in? In my opinion, that should be the only issue to consider holding off until next offseason. I think the longer we wait, the more money he's going to demand in free agency. Maybe we could get him for a bargain at this point, before he really starts to break out, which he undoubtedly will.