The Indiana Pacers are coming off one of their most successful seasons in recent memory and after taking the Miami Heat to the brink of elimination, the team is working to keep one of its stars in town long term, as Paul George is reportedly close to signing a contract extension with the franchise.
According to ESPN.com, George and the team are working on a contract extension that would lock him up for the next five seasons and could be worth just under $100 million over that span. The Pacers aren't usually the biggest spenders when it comes to player contracts, but with Danny Granger a question mark and Roy Hibbert locked up already, the main priority for the Pacers franchise was to make sure George was locked up before he hits free agency as rumors said the Lakers would be potentially interested in signing him.
George is a budding superstar and he has shown that he has a similar skillset to LeBron James, but obviously on a different level. George played well against the Heat in the playoffs and most reports have said that it was likely he would stay in Indy, but now the story is that the contract extension is close to being finalized at five years and around $90 million. George is by far the best player on the team and he scored nearly 20 points per game in the playoffs after averaging over 17 per game during the season.
The deal also brings up the question about Danny Granger, as that is another thing the team has had to focus on in the offseason. Granger was out all last year except for five games with a knee injury and his return has made many wonder what the Pacers will do, as Lance Stephenson was very good in his place and with his contract and health, he could be a target to get dealt.
Larry Bird spoke to a paper in Indy over the weekend and said that George and Granger could play well together, but what else would he say? If the right deal comes along, there is chance that Granger could move this season. The team made a number of improvements this season, with David West re-signing and the addition of Luis Scola in a trade and the Pacers could be the team to take down LeBron and the Heat in the East.
"There will be a deal signed and sealed on the table before the season," he told the newspaper. "We're on the same page."
