Larry Bird on Paul George: 'He's a max contract player'

As reported by Nate Taylor, Larry Bird, Pacers president, said that Paul George is a max contract player and that he's willing to offer that kind of deal to the player when he'll be ready. The two sides had preliminary talks about a new deal during the summer. Paul George's current deal with the Pacers runs until 2019, with a player option, worth 20.7 mln, in the final year.

As mentioned by The Score, Pacers would need to shed some salary to offer George the max deal. Indiana would need to clear at least 6 mln in salary to give George the max deal.