Former Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague says Pacers should try to acquire Paul George this offseason

Teague and George were once teammates
Mar 15, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) and guard Jeff Teague (44) celebrate in the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana Pacers beat the Charlotte Hornets 98-77.Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 15, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) and guard Jeff Teague (44) celebrate in the second half of the game against the Charlotte Hornets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana Pacers beat the Charlotte Hornets 98-77.Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

On the Club 520 Podcast, former Indiana Pacers guard Jeff Teague said that the Indiana Pacers need to try to acquire star forward Paul George this offseason.

George, 34, could enter free agency this summer by declining a player option in his contract. He could also sign a contract extension with his current team, the Los Angeles Clippers, prior to free agency. The nine-time All-Star has options.

The best option, according to Teague, is to play for the Pacers. "They need another bonafide star," the 12-year veteran said. "[They] need Paul George, as crazy as that sounds."

Teague, a former All-Star and NBA Champion, spent the 2016-17 season with Indiana. George was his teammate at the time. The Indianapolis native has seen how good PG is up close, and he believes the star wing is the perfect fit for the blue and gold.

"Y'all need Paul George or Jimmy Butler," he said.

George was drafted into the NBA by the Pacers and spent the first seven seasons of his career with the franchise. He was a four-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA player in the Circle City, and his career has continued to ascend with other teams. He has been an All-Star in three of the past four seasons.

Prior to Indiana acquiring Pascal Siakam back in January, some reporting suggested that the Pacers could be a suitor for George again this summer. Now, though, it would be much more difficult for Indiana to bring in the superstar. They don't have any salary cap space to make a splashy signing and won't unless they lose Siakam's free agent rights. They could likely only acquire George via an opt-in-and-trade scenario.

Teague still thinks it would be a perfect fit. "Now that he's comfortable kind of playing second fiddle... that'd be a cool vibe," he said of George rejoining the Pacers. "Let Tyrese [Haliburton] still be him. He's going to get so many open shots from Tyrese... it's a good fit for him."

George did talk about Haliburton during NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. "One of the best at just managing games, taking over games, playmaking. For how young he is, he's so poised and polished. You don't find that often, guys that figure that part out so early in their game. One of the best assists-to-turnovers ratios. Very impressive," he said.

Teague averaged 15.3 points and 7.8 assists per game in his lone season playing alongside George. The Clippers star posted 22.6 points per game this past season.

"If Indiana was to give PG the max, [Haliburton] and [Pascal] Siakam. That ain't a bad crew," Teague said.

The full conversation can be found here.


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Tony East
TONY EAST

Tony East is the Publisher of AllPacers. He has previously written for Forbes Sports, the West Indianapolis Community News, WTHR, and more while hosting the Locked On Pacers podcast.