9x NBA All-Star Brings Up Major What-If for Detroit Pistons

In the year of 2025, the Detroit Pistons learned that they might’ve had a shot at the nine-time NBA All-Star, Paul George.

On a recent episode of ‘Podcast P,’ the Philadelphia 76ers forward admitted that he once considered the Pistons as a destination during the Andre Drummond era.

The former Pistons big man chuckled while recalling his days as a recruiter. He thought he had a low chance of actually luring in a big name like George, but he still tried.

While George ultimately steered clear of the Motor City, he claims that Drummond and Reggie Jackson put together a convincing pitch, leaving him to at least consider it for a moment.

“I actually was thinking about it just because, obviously, Reg reached out. You reached out. I’m like, ‘That might be a solid three stars right there,’” George recalled.

Paul George said he considered leaving Indiana for Detroit to team up with Reggie Jackson and Andre Drummond.

PG: “That might be a solid three stars right there.”

Drummond: “We could’ve did something special.”

(🎥 @PodcastPShow ) pic.twitter.com/RJmMueJYim
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 20, 2025

Unfortunately, staying in the Midwest was something George wasn’t necessarily open to doing.

“The only thing that I was like, ‘Ahh, I lived in Indiana—I’m trying to get out of this cold. I’m not trying to leave cold to go cold again, but I do remember that,” George finished.

The California kid started his career as the 10th overall pick in Indiana. For the first seven seasons of his career, George developed into a star with the Pacers.

Before becoming a free agent, George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017. He could’ve been a one-year rental, but the Thunder showed enough to convince George to stay.

Ahead of his free agency in 2018, George agreed to a four-year deal with the organization. He ended up playing just one year of that deal in OKC. In 2019, George was famously traded to the Los Angeles Clippers to link with Kawhi Leonard, while the Thunder acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Paul George and Andre Drummon — Dec 12, 2015; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) dunks the ball over Detroit Pistons forward Marcus Morris (13) and center Andre Drummond (0) during the third quarter at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 118-96. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-Imagn Images | Raj Mehta-Imagn Images

Eventually, the Pistons landed a star-caliber player in Blake Griffin. In 2018, the Pistons traded several players to the LA Clippers to acquire Griffin. They didn’t make it out of the first round during the Griffin stint, but there’s no telling whether a George acquisition would’ve done it differently or not.

These days, Drummond, Jackson, and George are finally on the same roster, but they are in much-different times while playing for the Philadelphia 76ers.

George remains a max-contracted player but is viewed as the team’s third star when everybody is healthy. Drummond was brought on board in Philly to be the primary backup to Joel Embiid.

As for Jackson, he’s been an emergency point guard on a veteran’s minimum deal.

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