Paul George wants to win. Could the 26-year-old stud do it here?

On the surface, it seems irrational. The Pacers are currently sitting in a playoff spot. If their winning isn’t good enough for him, why would playing with the Sixers be something he’d be even remotely interested in? While the Sixers are on the up-swing, with assets, talent, and cap flexibility to make big moves over the next few years, the Pacers are plateau-ing. The way they’re structured now, this is likely their peak. Myles Turner is a star in the making, and they have George, but that’s it. And short of trading one or both of those guys, draft picks in the mid-20s aren’t going to give them the lift they need. That’s likely why, as reports say, the Pacers listened to offers on George at the deadline. According to Liberty Ballers, here’s what the Sixers called in:

Multiple sources told Liberty Ballers the Sixers offered Indiana their choice of one of the Sixers’ young [non-Embiid] bigs, Robert Covington, and at least two first-round picks for his services.

According to multiple sources, the Sixers’ preference was to keep their own future picks and move the draft rights of other teams — like those of the Lakers and Kings — in an effort to protect themselves against George leaving. However, the Sixers were not turned off by George’s reported preference to play for the Lakers, according to one member of the organization, and believed they could sell George on staying with the Sixers long-term by enticing him to play with their promising core players. As a result, their own picks beyond the 2017 Draft were not untouchable, per sources.

Moving Covington in a George deal makes sense for both teams since PG is a very, very rich man’s Covington, and Cov is much more affordable than George for a potential Pacers rebuild/restructure. And George is an unrestricted free agent after next season, likely to bounce (from the Pacers), so getting value for him is likely in Larry Bird’s and the Pacers’ best interests.

Zach Lowe put together a great breakdown of what does and doesn’t work for the Pacers right now that’s worth checking out. Only three seasons removed from consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances, the core that got them there imploded. Roy Hibbert’s defense became negated by putting bigs on the perimeter, Lance Stephenson lost his mind, and George lost almost a full year for a broken leg sustained while playing with Team USA. It’s hard to remember that Stephenson was once seen as a budding star in the league rather than a head-case who can’t keep it all together. And Lowe traces the start of his downfall back to Stephenson missing an All-Star Game:

Cracks opened in the second half of that 2013-14 season. The offense collapsed. Chemistry frayed. Stephenson bristled at his All-Star exclusion, and maybe at Hibbert making it over him. Swapping Danny Granger for Evan Turner upset the locker room, and unnerved Stephenson, who may have seen Turner as a threat to his minutes ahead of free agency.

“There were issues with Lance not making the All-Star team,” Vogel said. “The addition of Evan kind of screwed him up. Evan’s a great guy. The moves totally made sense. They just messed us up a little.” (Hibbert, Turner, and Granger all either declined comment, or did not respond to inquiries. Stephenson could not be reached).

Who made that Granger for Turner deal? Sam Hinkie. If Paul George ends up with the Sixers, as a butterfly effect outcome of the Evan Turner/Danny Granger (who was waived) swap, we might have to ask not if Sam Hinkie was a genius prognosticator, but if he has access to a time machine.

But the issue remains: If Cov, Nerlens/Jah, and two firsts didn’t get Paul George, what will? Modify that deal by adding in someone like Jerryd Bayless. If you snag the Lakers pick this season, telling the Pacers they get this year’s #4 pick rather than “a future first from the Lakers” might be enough to nail it down, since the pick becomes concrete instead of abstract. Same can be said if you don’t get it this year and it’s LA’s unprotected first next season, plus Sacramento’s unprotected 2019 first. That’s one hell of a haul for a team that will likely be more motivated to make a move than they were at the deadline.