In 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers welcomed the return of The King. LeBron James found his way back to Ohio after a successful four-year stint in Miami. The move created much fanfare, as the Cavaliers faithful were overjoyed with the return of the prodigal son.
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King James had an immediate impact upon his return. The Cavs once again found themselves back in the Playoffs and were consistently the favorites to win it all in the East. And, in 2016, they did just that, as LeBron delivered to Cleveland its first-ever NBA Championship.
Unfortunately, in the following year, they failed to win it again, as the team’s long-time rivals, the Golden State Warriors bolstered their roster with the signing of Kevin Durant. Add to that the loss of Kyrie Irving, and the Cavs desperately needed some new firepower. Well, according to Paul George, he was their premier choice.
Paul George claims the Cleveland Cavaliers tried to pair him with LeBron James in 2017
In 2017, the Indiana Pacers made headlines when they traded Paul George to the OKC Thunder. The move was made after it became obvious that PG-13 was leaning towards testing free agency the year after.
As such, the Pacers decided to cash in on George, rather than try and retain him. However, OKC may not have ever seen the pairing of Russell Westbrook and PG. Why? Because Cleveland was this close to acquiring his services.
As he revealed in his podcast, Podcast P with Paul George, the Cleveland Cavaliers were very interested in pairing the now Clippers superstar with LeBron James. The deal was so close to being done, that George was already chatting up The King, trying to figure out whether or not they could make it work.
It certainly would have been some move. Especially considering the talent the Cavs already had on board. Add the eight-time All-Star to a team with Kevin Love and LeBron, and things would have gotten interesting.
LeBron left the Cavaliers a year after the franchise’s “failed” trade for Paul George
Fans can speculate about what a Paul George trade to the Cavaliers would have been like. But, at the end of the day, it didn’t happen and LeBron James was forced to lead a severely depleted team to the NBA Finals. To no one’s surprise, the Cavs lost to the Warriors, and King James decided it was time to say goodbye to Cleveland once more, making the move to sunny California, and joining the LA Lakers.
It was a move that rocked the NBA world, especially PG. After all, he was desperate to go back home to LA. Ironically, a year later he would, but to the other side of town with the LA Clippers.
