Paul George
Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) returns up court against the Boston Celtics in the second half at TD Garden. Reuters/ David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers have issued a statement to deny the Indiana Pacers' allegations that the Purple & Gold tampered with Paul George during the offseason. The NBA is currently investigating the Lakers with the aid of an independent law firm.

"As the NBA's statement made clear, we cannot comment about the specifics of any ongoing investigation. We can confirm, however, that we are cooperating fully with the NBA in the hope of clearing our name as soon as possible," the Lakers said in a statement released to ESPN.

The report added that the Lakers could be dealt with a US$5 million (AU$6.3 million) fine or loss multiple draft picks. "If the league office's probe can prove the Lakers were guilty of tampering with George while he was under contract with Indiana, Los Angeles can be punished in several ways, including a loss of draft picks, financial fines up to $5 million, future restrictions on acquiring George and possible suspensions of offending officials."

Paul George tampering: Lakers could lose draft picks

Before trading the All-Star forward to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Pacers had engaged the Lakers and several other teams on potential deals for George. After George publicly declared his intentions to leave Indiana as a free agent in 2018, the new Pacers front office had little option but to trade their franchise star. George had been linked with the Lakers, his hometown franchise, for several years.

Soon after Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka formed the new Los Angeles front office, several reports claimed that Paul George to Lakers was a done deal. And it's simply why the Lakers refused to trade valuable assets such as their No. 2 overall draft pick (Lonzo Ball) or second-year forward Brandon Ingram while engaging with Indiana. The Pacers eventually traded George to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

Paul George, one of the best two-way forwards in the NBA, averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his seventh season for the Indiana Pacers before getting traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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