When Paul George told the Pacers in mid-June that he planned to leave after the 2017-2018 season to join the Lakers, not a few quarters in the National Basketball Association were taken by surprise. After all, he was an established star who just led a team that came closest to topping the Cavaliers in the East, and it didn’t seem like logical, success-wise, for him to move to a franchise that finished either last or next to last in the highly competitive West in each of the last four seasons. Never mind that the latter’s future looked bright, and that the prospective turn of events would put him closer to his roots.
Nonetheless, the Pacers had no choice but to field trade offers, and fast, lest they wind up losing him and getting nothing in return. As things turned out, they opted to send him to the Thunder two weeks later, netting Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in return. Considering that such notables as the Cavaliers and, yes, Lakers were likewise knocking at the door, the reaction to their decision was largely negative; their haul proved modest in comparison to those they could potentially have garnered. And, needless to say, why Kevin Pritchard, widely regarded as an astute general manager, went the way he did became the subject of speculation.
Fast forward another month, and the reasons behind George’s transfer to the Thunder remain no clearer to fans. That said, news that the Pacers have formally filed tampering charges against the Lakers have, at the very least, lent credence to arguments that there was more to the deal than met the eye. To be sure, guesswork continue to permeate back room discussions on the matter. On the other hand, it’s no longer ridiculous to suggest that Pritchard was motivated to get the best he could for his employers and make it as hard as possible for their immediate past cornerstone to get what he wanted — hence his relatively anemic gains.
In any given situation, it’s hard for any one personality to cry tampering. Given the close ties league habitues, players and front-office types included, have with each other, violations of both the letter and spirit of collective bargaining provisions against collusion are difficult to prove. Yet, the Pacers felt so aggrieved by George’s stated intentions that they thought best to cite the Lakers even if it meant souring relations and looking like sore losers in the face of the most likely outcome. Even as the NBA is looking into the complaint with all seriousness, the prevailing chummy-chummy atmosphere makes the gathering of the type of evidence required for Commissioner Adam Silver to draw a definitive conclusion a Sisyphean endeavor.
In any case, the Pacers have made their point, and have, at the very least, claimed public sympathy for their position. Nobody wants a stacked deck, and it’s the kind that living legend Magic Johnson and erstwhile super agent Rob Pelinka, newly appointed Lakers president of hoops operations and GM, respectively, always seem to have in their pockets. It’s just too bad that all and sundry are already too adept at skirting the rules to get caught red handed. And in the midst of plausible deniability, the best Pritchard and Company can hope for is to make a statement that, unfortunately, figures to be forgotten sooner rather than later.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.
