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Indiana Pacers All-Star forward Paul George wants to compete for NBA championships and he isn't sure that can happen with his current organization. The 26-year-old George was non-committal about the possibility of re-signing a new deal with Indiana when appearing on an ESPN radio show on Friday. This despite speculation that Pacers president Larry Bird is preparing to offer a contract worth more than $200 million in July.
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"As I told Larry, I always want to play on a winning team," George said. "I always want to be part of a team that has a chance to win it (all). That's important.
"Say what you want -- I want to compete for something. It's frustrating just playing the game for stats or for numbers or to showcase yourself. Man, I want a chance to play for a chance to win a championship."
George, a four-time All-Star, isn't saying that can't happen in Indiana but he currently isn't totally convinced it can. He has thought about the prospects.
"I wanted to be the first and want to be the first to be able to bring a championship to Indiana," George said. "So that's still on my mind ... and something I definitely want to achieve in Indiana."
It's possible the Pacers could be able to offer George as much as $219 million in a new deal.
His current contract has two seasons to run but George can opt out after the 2017-18 campaign.
Bird addressed the situation with the Indianapolis Star last month.
"Yeah, we want to keep him here long term. That's the plan," Bird said. "Before the year started, I told Paul and I said: 'Look, if you want to sign a long-term deal, we're willing to do that max. And if you want to wait, I understand.'
"But this year, we're not going to worry about it, we're not going to talk about it, and he's going to make the decision that's best for Paul when it comes down to it."
George is averaging 22.3 points this season. He is a popular figure in Indiana after badly breaking his right leg in the summer of 2014 and eventually returning to star status.
