The Indiana Pacers are trying to replace Paul George and Shawn Marion is the main free agent target and the Pacers have also considered a Roy Hibbert trade for Goran Dragic and that could help upgrade over George Hill at point guard while also injecting some offense into the roster after losing their leading scorer to a serious injury.
The Pacers have been dealing with the fact that George will be out for the season and while reports about his recovery are optimistic, the team still needs a replacement for him in the lineup. According to ESPN.com, the team is looking hard at free agent Shawn Marion and he is looking at Indy and the Cleveland Cavaliers as his main options to sign with. Marion is getting up there in age, but he can be a productive player on both ends of the floor for either the Cavs or Indy.
Marion met with the Pacers earlier this week and he could be the main option for the team to sign to help replace George, but no deal has gone down yet. The Pacers applied for the $5.3 million disabled player exception and have received it, but PBT reports they likely will not use all of that money to avoid some luxury tax issues. Larry Bird and the Pacers hosted Marion for a visit earlier in the week and they said it went well and Bird added later that Marion wants to play for a "contender".
The Pacers were one of the best teams in basketball last season and they won the east's number one seed despite falling apart at the end and now they have to find a way to bounce back without George. The team lost Lance Stephenson in free agency and now that looks like a bit of a mistake and they have also shopped Roy Hibbert in deals this summer but have not pulled off a trade. George led the team in scoring and also was developing into a potential superstar in the league and now that will be derailed for a bit as he recovers from his injuries.
Last season Marion averaged 10.4 points and six rebounds per game for the Dallas Mavericks and now he could be the key player for these teams as they try to make championship runs. Marion would fit perfectly with the Cavaliers, as he will be on a team with LeBron James and Kevin Love and that clearly would be playing for a contender. The Pacers also will be in the mix, but losing George likely means they will not win a championship this year.
The Pacers were built to win and now and their high point could be where they were a couple years ago and now the window could be closing. Hibbert is not the same player he once was and on top of that, the team has to deal with losing George. It will be very hard to replace George and now the team is hoping Marion jumps into the fold.