David Aldridge Mentions Washington Wizards As Possible Paul George Destination

Washington Wizards small forward Otto Porter is a couple weeks from a likely resigning with the team that drafted him third overall in 2013. But, in a swift “sources say” moment, that could all change. Paul George is likely gone from Indiana, and one national NBA writer noted the Wizards as a possibility, and a team that is certainly interested.

Every Monday, TNT and NBA.com’s David Aldridge pens a piece with a Mailbag, and discussion around a trending topic. This week, a large piece of that was in regards to the trade whirlwinds picking up around Pacers’ star Paul George.

On Sunday, Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a huge WojBomb, setting the scene for draft week, and ending all commentary on the reported trade between the Celtics and Sixers.

Since the news broke, the two main trade partners assumed, have been the Lakers and the Cavaliers. Although George has apparently stated his interest in playing for his hometown franchise, nothing is a certain in the NBA. Most Lakers fans seem pretty content waiting until the summer of 2018 for George, but there are conflicting factors.

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The biggest, is the possibility of George joining a contender this season, namely the Cavaliers. If George joined the Cavs, and either won a championship, or got close, it would be hard to imagine him leaving for a Lakers team that seemingly wouldn’t be ready to make the playoffs. Unless LeBron went with him…

For the Lakers, the best option may include sending a few young players, who you don’t expect to resign when they come up for a new contract.

For Wizards fans, the news led to a flurry of feelings. Plenty of people want to make a trade, with John Wall and Bradley Beal being the only untouchables, while some are concerned of the possibility of losing George for nothing in a year.

Fans can debate on and on about whether he is a fit, or whether the team should inquire about a trade, but the only thing that matters in the end is if the team does. According to Aldridge, the Wizards are interested, and he used his last two paragraphs to touch upon the subject.

"“Washington, to a lesser degree, could fit the bill, too, and the Wizards are looking for a way to make a George deal happen. They don’t have a player of Love’s caliber to put in a deal; they’re not moving Bradley Beal after the 23-year-old just had his best NBA season. Playing alongside Washington’s backcourt of Beal and John Wall, after all, would be the selling point for George in D.C.”"

He did note, however, that the Wizards’ best available trade piece, Otto Porter, doesn’t have much incentive to agree to a sign and trade.

"Wizards small forward Otto Porter also had his best season and would almost certainly have to be in a potential George deal for it to make any sense for Indiana, but he’s a restricted free agent and would lose tens of millions of dollars if he agreed to a sign-and-trade deal with anyone this summer (fewer years, smaller yearly raises) instead of re-signing with Washington."

So if not Otto, what can the Wizards offer? Salary wise, a trade of Marcin Gortat and Kelly Oubre Jr. plus picks would work, but it’s safe to imagine other teams could beat that trade offer. Also, would Washington want to give up two future first round picks for a player that could leave the next summer.

Paul George and John Wall seem to be good friends, but Washington would be making an extremely aggressive move by giving up what few assets the team has for PG.

The reporting from DA, does go towards showing fans that Ernie Grunfeld is keen on bringing in a third star to help the Wizards advance to the conference finals. Assuming this doesn’t progress, the Wizards could, and will likely look at bringing in Wall’s pal DeMarcus Cousins during the 2018 offseason, or February’s trade deadline.

Next: What Does the Future Hold for the Wizards?

The last option in a move involving George, is that the team gets involved in a three-way deal. While rare, the team does have a variety of needs, and not many avenues at filling them besides through trades.

Welcome to the offseason!