Report: Cavs also in pursuit of George in 3-team deal with Denver

ESPN's Marc Stein and Chris Haynes have reported the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers are not alone in their pursuit of Paul George.


According to Stein and Haynes, the Cleveland Cavaliers are also negotiating with the Indiana Pacers with the Denver Nuggets for George's services, in a deal which would send Kevin Love to Denver. Evidently, the Cavs recruited the Nuggets to assemble a comparable offer to what Boston has allegedly offered up in a deal whose details remain unclear, but presumably in both offers would revolve around a combination of young players, picks and at least one established starter. Stein and Haynes' sources suggest Kenneth Faried would have joined George on the Cavs, had the deal gone through in at least one iteration.

Cleveland was reportedly working on such a deal on draft night, but was unable to complete the blockbuster trade for undisclosed reasons. Aside from the already noted teams, it seems the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs were also seeking to acquire George; it is unclear whether the latter two outfits have continued in their efforts. Stein and Haynes also noted the Chicago Bulls' Dwyane Wade and possibly the New York Knicks' Carmelo Anthony are also candidates to join LeBron James in Cleveland this summer if they are able to secure buyouts from their current teams, citing a radio interview given by ESPN's Brian Windhurst.


This may not be what Boston fans want to read, but keep this in mind: this deal did not happen on draft night, and seems to be blocked by something. Odds are, Boston's potential offer has a lot to do with that, given it's unlikely any team can match the deal the Pacers are after and get approval from George for an extension. Don't panic, and something about a towel, or....well, just relax - it's looking like we're going to have to wait until the first of July, and I don't mind one bit.

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