NBA Trade Deadline Game Thread: Paul George, Pacers back to work

The Pacers returned to practice on Wednesday amidst several reports that had the team considering trading Paul George and/or bringing in a number of other possible additions by the trade deadline which hits on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

Paul George dismissed the hype surrounding talk of his potential exit from the Pacers via trade or free agency as media hype which isn’t altering his approach to get the Pacers rolling again after the All-Star break.

“I have no concerns,” George said. “I’m here. As you’ve seen, I practiced today. My head is not wrapped around that. I’ve got a team to turn around in the second half and that’s what I’m committed to.”

“No offense, but it’s you guys that make this situation, or try to make this thing as big as possible. Every guy goes through it that’s going to be a free agent. Again, I’m committed here. Myself and the front office, we’ve had great talks. This is where I’ve got a job to do. I’m trying to turn a season around, trying to get us playing better. That’s where my mind is. It’s easy to block out everything else. I can’t allow that to weigh on me. This is what’s important right now.”

Assuming PG remains with the Pacers as expected, there are other on the roster in an unsettling position, as the front office tries to bolster the front court rebounding efforts and/or improve the backcourt scoring option. Recent names floated about include PF Ed Davis from Portland and guards Arron Afflalo and Allen Crabbe. Love what Crabbe may be able to add, but his $18-plus million per year contract is a few steps past onerous.

Regardless, as I talked about on the latest Locked on Pacers episode, Trade Deadline Eve gave us all our money’s worth with regard to rumors and speculation and we still have a few more hours to go before the dust settles and the Pacers know exactly what team they are moving forward with for the remainder of the season.

The positive potential take away from the deadline is that the team experiences the unrest together and once the deadline passes, those remaining have an opportunity to come together, exhale and move forward.

And hopefully start winning, again!

Locked on Pacers - 2/23/17 - To deal or not deal Paul George, Pacers continue starring in trade rumors