After falling short of an appearance in the Eastern Conference finals, the Washington Wizards are looking to bolster their roster to compete with the up-and-coming Celtics and the LeBron James-led Cavaliers. All-Star John Wall is taking matters into his own hands by personally recruiting Pacers star Paul George, who has told Indiana he won't re-sign with the team when he becomes a free agent next summer.

"I am talking to some guys ... Paul. I know his ultimate goal of where he wants to be. I'm trying to see if we can make something happen," Wall told The Undefeated on Monday night.

Nevertheless, the Wizards fell to the Boston Celtics in an epic seven-game series in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season, but showed signs of becoming a potential contender down the road. They've got sharpshooting Bradley Beal coming off his most productive season, John Wall emerging as one of the league's elite at point guard, and key pieces like Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic all proving to be capable contributors at the highest level.

"Look at our team. We are one piece away," Wall said. "We have the point guard, we have the shooting guard, we have the center, we have the power forward. Our 3-man [Otto Porter Jr.] did great for us. You can't take nothing away from what he did. But [George] is a guy that can guard LeBron and go back at LeBron. It's a piece that you're going to need to win. If you don't have a guy who can do that, you don't have a chance. ...

"You got to add another star. You got to add another piece. You got to have three guys. And that's what it's looking like."

Although Wall's pitch may sound enticing, the Wizards simply don't have enough cap space to soak up a player of George's caliber without some major cap-clearing moves. The team is tied down to a monstrous $23.7 million hit for Bradley Beal next season and an albatross of a contract with Ian Mahinmi, who is set to rake in $16 million a year over the next three seasons despite modest production. That doesn't include expected pay raises for Otto Porter and Bojan Bogdanovic.

Evaluating George's situation is complicated. He's a bona fide star who could help a number of teams compete for an NBA title. But he's also made it clear his wish is to return home to Los Angeles, which makes teams looking to acquire him now running the risk of landing him via a trade this offseason and later losing him for nothing when he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2018.

George pushing for a trade to the Wizards doesn't seem likely given what we know about where he prefers to play, but credit John Wall for shooting his shot. If you don't ask, you never know the answer.

"He has to make a decision that is comfortable to him," Wall said. "But at the end of the day, you always have to get [elite players]. You have to go out swinging. You got to get a yes or a no."

While Wall is taking every effort to recruit stars to his Wizards, is he violating the NBA tampering rule here? Well ... maybe. By definition: Tampering is when a player or team directly or indirectly entices, induces or persuades anybody (player, general manager, etc.) who is under contract with another team in order to negotiate for their services. Allegations of tampering must be supported with evidence, but in this case, he's openly admitting to contact with George, who isn't slated to become a free agent until 2018.  

That said, Wall isn't the first player to bend this NBA rule -- and certainly won't be the last.