NBA Trade Rumors: Rest of the NBA hopes the Lakers trade for, then lose Paul George

Few things annoy NBA Twitter more than how the Los Angeles Lakers just seem to be involved in potentially acquiring players they probably shouldn’t be able to have a shot at. The result: Bitterness and hot takes that could replace coal outright if the country ever decided to go that route.

Bragging about Lakers exceptionalism is a crime punishable by death, or at the very least, spam reports.

Turns out, that frustration as seen on social media is an extension of actual hurt feelings across the National Basketball Association, where people have actually lost jobs because the Lakers are just better and being the Lakers than, say, the Indiana Pacers are at keeping stars happy.

On the latest episode of ESPN’s “The Lowe Post” podcast, Zach Lowe expressed this sentiment as he’s seen it, as the Lakers are once again in position to land a superstar when they probably shouldn’t be able to.

There are teams around the league that are interested in Paul George who are rooting for him to be traded to the Lakers now, so that he goes there, and they suck, and he says ‘Oh boy, I need to get somewhere else. Let me look around again and see where I can get.’ And then those teams will chase him in free agency having surrounded nothing and having watched the Lakers surrender some real things.

Amazing.

In all seriousness, of course teams around the league are hoping the Lakers give up assets only to have George walk out the door a year later. This is probably not a Lakers-specific sentiment.

If the Lakers are able to land George while only giving up peripheral assets (say, Jordan Clarkson, Corey Brewer and a pair of Mark Madsen’s jorts) and George likes it enough not only to stay long-term, but also reach out to other stars, the league would have something to legitimately worry about.

It’s just more fun to troll, though, so instead, let’s all assume this is the NBA remaining up in its feelings while the Lakers continue to show why Lakers fans are proudly exceptionalist.

We gave plenty more thoughts on the Lakers’ pursuit of Paul George in our latest episode of Locked on Lakers below: