Paul George Nears Five-Year, $90 Million NBA Deal With Indiana Pacers

All-Star forward Paul George is reportedly on the verge of signing a five-year, $90 million contract extension with the Indiana Pacers.

Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports first reported the negotiation, saying that George and the Pacers will reach a deal before the start of the season.

"All-Star forward Paul George and the Indiana Pacers are finalizing a five-year, $90 million-plus maximum contract extension, league sources told Yahoo Sports. A deal is expected to be signed this week, league sources told Yahoo. For the Pacers and George, who was voted the 2013 NBA Most Improved Player, the five-year deal will cement the gifted young forward as Indiana's designated franchise player," Yahoo! Sports reported.

George emerged as the superstar of the Pacers last season in which he averaged a career-best 17.4 points to go along with 7.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists during the regular season, which was enough for him to bag the Most Improved Player award.

The 23-year-old forward helped the Pacers reach the Eastern Conference Finals. The young Pacers squad pushed the Heat to the limit before losing in game seven of their series. George averaged 19.2 points per game during the postseason.

George's breakout season led to talks about his future with the Pacers. In July, George was linked to the Los Angeles Lakers when he said that it will be hard to say no to playing alongside Kobe Bryant.

But after creating buzz, George quickly made a u-turn, saying that he envisions himself as a Pacer for his entire NBA career.

"No," said George when asked about the possibility of leaving the Pacers in an Indianapolis Star report. "Honestly, I love it here. I want to be here. It's a great place. There are no distractions. I can stay focused. It's all about basketball here. I can stay focused and do my job."