Report: George nearly given OK to call Cavs owner before Thunder trade

How close were the Indiana Pacers to trading former franchise star Paul George to the Cleveland Cavaliers? They reportedly nearly gave George permission to call Cavs owner Dan Gilbert directly.

"It was so close in fact that Indiana was about to give permission to Paul George to get on the phone with Dan Gilbert," reported ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. "Indiana backed out of it and did the Oklahoma City deal."

George was ultimately traded to the Thunder on July 6 in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.

A call between George and Gilbert would have likely been one of the final benchmarks needed before the Cavaliers could sign off on any blockbuster deal. Any team surrendering significant pieces would have sought some sort of clarification about the possibility of the four-time All-Star re-signing long term.

George has two years remaining on his current deal, including a player option for 2018-19 that is likely to be declined.