The Indiana Pacers know that they have Paul George all the way up to 2018-19 but it looks like Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird is taking no chances. In fact, the word out is that ‘PG13’ could be signing a contract extension soon.
Bird is obviously aware of the star-power that Paul George carries and will not wait until the final year to secure his prized forward. The good news is that the all-star forward seems channeled in as well, feeling that he has been utilized properly and not wasting years, the Indy Star reported.
Paul George gets over gruesome 2014 injury
Paul George’s rise back to stardom is evidently complete. Back in 2014, many may recall that horrific broken leg injury he suffered which placed his career on pause, ESPN reported.
Paul George worked through that unfortunate episode and much of it was on display in the 2015-16 NBA season despite anxious moments that occurred last year when he was forced to play power forward.
All’s well that ends well?
Bird wanted the Pacers to adopt a run-and-gun style of play, something similar to what the Golden State Warriors were doing. To do that, Paul George had to play the big man role despite obvious player mismatches.
The frustration was seen at the time with Paul George not wanting to play the power forward position. Bird stressed during an interview that George didn’t make the decisions, citing he was forced to do the same during his prime, CBS reported.
It seems that the heat behind all that has died down and the two sides are willing to extend their working relationship. If so, it would not be surprising to see Paul George sign a new pact somewhere this coming 2016-17 NBA season. It will likely be similar to the one signed by Russell Westbrook with the Oklahoma City Thunder which allowed the team to lock up the all-star guard.
