Paul George is reportedly "hell-bent" on joining the Lakers in free agency

The Los Angeles Lakers might be “unlikely” to make a deal for him before the NBA trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean they’re out of the hunt for Indiana Pacers superstar Paul George.

Sam Amick of USA Today reports that “barring a title chance” in Indiana, George is “hell-bent on heading for Laker Land,” and that “this message has been sent throughout NBA.”

It was reported earlier on Thursday that the only two teams George would commit to long-term were the Lakers and Pacers, so more and more signs continue to point to Los Angeles either having a very realistic shot at their native son, or at the very least George’s camp using the Lakers as a boogeyman to pressure Indiana into getting some help for their versatile All-Star before the trade deadline.

Harrison Faigen is co-host of the Locked on Lakers podcast (subscribe here), and you can follow him on Twitter at @hmfaigen.