With starting small forward Paul George likely sitting out for the remainder of the 2014-15 NBA season, the Indiana Pacers are suddenly scrambling to find a solid replacement at the wing position. The Boston Celtics could be of help with their deep stash of tradable assets - including forward Jeff Green.
After George suffered a gruesome leg injury in the Team USA exhibition game last August, many analysts immediately threw straight into the garbage the idea that Indiana will remain a force in a steadily improving Eastern Conference.
There's no denying losing George to a serious injury is a big blow to the Pacers' championship or even postseason bid, especially after already failing to lock in Lance Stephenson (Charlotte Hornets) this offseason.
The 24-year old George was the team's leading scorer last season, averaging 21.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 36 minutes a game. Aside from his contribution on the offensive end of the floor, George also served as the Pacers' best perimeter defender and his versatility often created mismatches.
Now, how can the Pacers fill an enormous void left by George? There's probably no exact solution to the team's current woes right now, because George has been the biggest reason to the Pacers' rise to contention in the past three seasons.
Then again, Larry Bird can cushion the impact of his absence by bringing over another versatile player that can score and create mismatches on the other end of the court. Perhaps, they need a player like Jeff Green to be that guy.
How Can the Pacers Get Green from Celtics?
According to sources, the Celtics have been trying to unload Green since last season, thought the player's $9.2M paycheck for the next two seasons makes it hard sell for any team.
However, the Pacers could make a gamble if they find themselves in the playoff hunt in the middle of the season. The Celtics would be pleased to get the expiring contracts of Luis Scola and Chris Copeland in exchange for sending Green to Indianapolis by February.
Although he hasn't made that big step to become a full-fledged star, Green is well equipped with offensive skills that would certainly help a Pacers team that ranked 24th (96.7 ppg) in scoring last year.
On the other hand, getting rid of Green's overpaid paycheck would help the Celtics clear more spaces in their salary cap and speed up the development of their wingman of the future in James Young.
For more NBA rumors, read more at Travelers Today
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
