Skip to content

George says he grew frustrated with Pacers following Danny Granger trade

Layne Murdoch / National Basketball Association / Getty

It appears that despite waiting until this offseason to reportedly express his intention to leave Indiana, former Pacer Paul George had been frustrated with the franchise for years.

The 27-year-old revealed he became angered when the organization traded Danny Granger to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014, believing the Pacers should've treated one of the franchise's greatest players with a higher degree of respect.

"I just want to touch on, man, on my situation," George told USA Today's Sam Amick on the "A to Z" podcast. "I’ve seen a guy that played for that (Pacers) organization, gave that organization everything they had, or everything he had, and was essentially traded to the dogs. And I’m speaking on Danny Granger, who was one of the better players in Pacers history. And at the time, they traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers. And this was a guy that was battling injuries, and that’s where you send him?

"The guy is trying to get back on his feet, trying to work back to this league, (and) you send him to the Philadelphia Sixers? Why, because that makes you better? Do what’s right by the player that’s given you everything. So (there) was a lot of that in my seven years there, a lot of that kind of played a roll and (took) a toll on me: 'Well, what will they do to me now? Like, where would I go?'"

Related - Former Pacer Granger on George: 'You can't fault him if he leaves Indiana'

The Oklahoma City Thunder forward also grew frustrated with Indiana for failing to pair him with another superstar talent.

"From my understanding, in my mind of playing for one organization, I’m thinking, 'OK, this is Indiana. This is a small market, and guys have opportunities to play in bigger markets (like) LA, Miami, New York, Dallas, or Houston.'

"So from my understanding, it was like, 'It’d be hard to build a team with multiple superstars,' (but in his) first year I get here, we already have three superstars on the team. It just goes to show what’s possible with different organizations," said George.

The seven-year veteran averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 1.6 steals on 46.1 percent shooting last season.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox