Report: LeBron 'aggressively recruited' George to Cavs last summer

Paul George was still under contract this past summer, but after making plain his intentions to leave Indiana as a free agent in 2018, he was virtually assured of being moved. LeBron James apparently tried to get him to ensure the move brought him to Cleveland.

James "aggressively recruited George behind the scenes," sources told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst. And his pitch wasn't limited to just this season; he reportedly tried to sell George "on a future together in Cleveland."

The two sides got close to making it happen, too. The Cavs and Pacers had a three-team agreement in place with the Denver Nuggets, which would've seen George go to Cleveland, Kevin Love go to Denver, and a package headlined by Gary Harris go to Indiana. But Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard had a last-minute change of heart, flipping George to the Oklahoma City Thunder instead (a decision that was panned at the time, but has Pritchard feeling vindicated in hindsight).

Point being, as persuasive as James may have been, George's fate ultimately didn't rest in his own hands. It'll be a different story this coming summer, though, when James and George are both unrestricted free agents.