NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 434 Should I have some pickled peppers?

"Come on, Kemba, everyone knows you don't like steak, all you do is tease Art!" Jia Fei couldn't help but complain.

“That’s right, that’s right, they just know how to bully an honest guy like me!” Art Mayork immediately chimed in.

"Alright, I can't argue with both of you. Hey Ja, what have you been up to lately? When are you going to organize an event? Jeremy and I are so bored!" Kemba Walker lounged on the sofa, looking rather listless.

“I’ll contact you when I have time. You have a girlfriend, so you shouldn’t be bored.” Jia Fei didn’t mention that he was busy with team matters, nor did he want many people to know what he was doing. Kemba Walker wasn’t an outsider, but some things were too troublesome to explain in detail. Even the best of friends need some privacy.

“Okay, I’ll wait for your good news. Jeremy said he found a great fishing spot, let’s go together!” Kemba Walker continued in a lazy manner.

“OK!” Jia Fei and Art Mayor made the gesture in unison.

The next day, the man with the logo approached Jia Fei and talked to him about the free market.

“Jay, a lot of stars will become free agents this summer, but we don’t have the cap space to sign them outright. A better option is to make trades. Of course, we could also trade away DeAndre Jordan and Tobias Harris, two high-paid players who will still be on the roster next season, to free up cap space for signings. But I think it’s better to just make trades; the cost might be lower,” the man with the logo described.

"Yes, that's right!" Jia Fei nodded. "Do you see any suitable targets on the market?"

The man with the logo nodded: "Paul George has one year left on his contract. He was put on the trading block by the Pacers at last season's trade deadline, and the situation remains the same. The Pacers want to trade him to avoid him leaving as a free agent after one season with nothing!"

Oh right, Paul George!

Jia Fei slapped his thigh, realizing he had forgotten about the pickled peppers!

Rumors of Pacers star Paul George leaving the team in 2018 had been circulating since the middle of the 2016-17 season. It was rumored that he would play for another year and then consider joining the Los Angeles Lakers, which made it difficult for the team to trade him.

An ESPN article reports that the Cavaliers are interested in Paul George, but if they want to acquire him, they need to give up either Kevin Love or Kyrie Irving. Otherwise, not only will the Pacers not agree, but the salaries will also be unacceptable.

Paul George has been rumored to want to go to the Lakers, but the Lakers aren't stupid. Their plan is for George to join them as a free agent when his contract expires in the summer of 2018, so that they don't have to give up any assets.

But the Pacers weren't having it. Their star player, whom they had painstakingly developed, had left when his contract expired and went to the Lakers, a powerhouse in a big city. They definitely wanted to use Paul George's last year of his contract to trade for some future assets, young potential players, or draft picks, anything to avoid losing everything.

Indeed, the Pacers did attempt to trade Paul George at the trade deadline mid-season, deciding to try accepting offers from some teams before the deadline, and if the offer was suitable, making a move was not out of the question.

According to sources, the Rockets are very interested in acquiring Paul George, as they have already missed out on two stars, Serge Ibaka and DeMarcus Cousins, which has greatly dissatisfied Rockets fans who are eager to strengthen the team. Therefore, the Rockets will be very active before the trade deadline.

However, the Pacers weren't interested in the Rockets' offer. The Rockets' offer was Ryan Anderson plus several second-round picks. But the Pacers insisted on a first-round pick and were unwilling to accept Ryan Anderson's bad contract.

However, the Rockets had already given their first-round picks to the Clippers in a 58 trade, so they really didn't have any more first-round picks available.

So the deal ultimately fell through...

Jia Fei remembered that in his previous life, Paul George was traded to the Thunder, a move that many people hadn't expected. The trade assets were Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo.

Many people think the Pacers got a good deal in this trade, but from that time on, it was considered a steal because Oladipo wasn't playing well with the Thunder and struggled to find his rhythm playing off-ball alongside Westbrook. Sabonis was also just a rookie at the time and wasn't doing particularly well with the Thunder either. Trading these two players for a two-way star forward in his prime, Paul George, seemed like a huge win for the Thunder.

Of course, Paul George kept saying he wanted to go to the Lakers, which actually affected his trade value to some extent.

"Jia, do you think we could try pursuing Paul George?" the man with the logo asked Jia Fei for his opinion.

Jia Fei nodded and replied without hesitation, "Okay, but try to lower the price as much as possible. I don't want to give up too much of my bargaining chips in his deal!"

"Okay!" the man with the logo replied with a smile.

Paul George is indeed a very suitable player for the Clippers. In Jia Fei's previous life, Paul George only requested a trade to join the Clippers after two seasons with the Thunder. At that time, the Clippers had almost gone all in on their future assets. However, Kawhi Leonard's frequent injuries put too much pressure on Paul George, causing him to play intermittently.

In fact, Paul George had an outstanding performance in the two seasons he joined the Thunder. In his second season, he even entered the MVP discussion, which can be considered the best season of his career.

The fact that Paul George had his best season playing alongside Westbrook is enough to prove that he can perfectly fulfill the role of a second option. George's playing style is indeed seamlessly compatible with most teams. As a small forward, he has the right size and excellent defensive ability. Early in his career, he focused on 3-and-D play, which places his catch-and-shoot ability among the top perimeter stars. He also possesses silky ball-handling skills, which, while not lethal, are sufficient as a second ball-handler.

Another crucial point is that Paul George is happy to play the role of second-in-command; he doesn't necessarily have to be the leader. In this respect, his personality is unlike Kobe Bryant's or Kawhi Leonard's.

If they really get Paul George, Jia Fei can focus on playing the shooting guard position. The team will benefit not only from having a second ball-handler on offense, making opponents less likely to double-team Jia Fei, but also from having Beverley, Jia Fei, and Paul George on the perimeter. The perimeter defense of these three is definitely among the best in the league.

Jia Fei couldn't help but laugh out loud at the thought of Paul George joining the Clippers two years earlier than expected.

Furthermore, he was quite confident that the team could acquire Paul George, as there were simply no decent competitors on the market. The Clippers had a better offer than the Thunder.

Logo Man was also very satisfied with his communication with Jia Fei. The two had many similar ideas, and their cooperation was exceptionally smooth.