Anthony Davis Confirms He Talked to Paul George About Teaming Up on Pacers

Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press

Oh, what could have been for Indiana Pacers fans.

After L.A. Clippers star Paul George appeared on All The Smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson and suggested Anthony Davis wanted to join him on the Pacers but the front office didn’t make it happen, the Los Angeles Lakers big man addressed the situation.

Davis told reporters: “The Paul thing and Indiana, it was a conversation for sure. It kind of just faded away. You know, I’m not sure what happened on their end. He said that management didn’t want to do it, whatever.”

George played for the Pacers from the 2010-11 campaign through the 2016-17 one and helped them reach two Eastern Conference Finals as one of the only true threats to a Miami Heat squad with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in the conference.

However, they failed to make the playoffs in 2014-15 when he played just six games because of a serious leg injury and then lost in the first round in his final two seasons with the team.

The Pacers eventually traded him to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a deal that netted them Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis and helped them reset. Still, pairing Davis, who is arguably the top big man in the league, with George could have easily changed the equation for a franchise that hasn’t made the NBA Finals since 2000.

Fans saw what Davis can do with an elite wing playmaker last season when he and James teamed up to win the championship for the Lakers.

While George isn’t LeBron, it still would have been incredibly difficult for any Eastern Conference team to beat a PG-13 and AD pairing in Indiana. They could work in pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops, take advantage of the space playing alongside each other creates with their shooting, and shut down opposing attacks as top-notch defenders.

Alas, Davis and George are now rivals for the two Los Angeles teams, while Pacers fans are left wondering what could have been for their favorite squad.