Report: Larry Bird steps down as head of Pacers' basketball operations

What does this mean for the future of Paul George?

Amid a season of disappointment with a fractured relationship with Paul George threatening to send the franchise into a rebuild, the Pacers are looking at big changes to their front office, as a legend departs. 

Yahoo Sports reports that Larry Bird has stepped down as President of Basketball Operations. Bird had been in the position since 2003, outside of a one-year respite where Bird stepped down due to health reasons. Yahoo reports longtime GM Kevin Pritchard takes over as head of operations, and that Bird will continue as an advisor. 

The reasons for Bird's departure are not yet known, but the implications are big for the future. Bird had overseen drastic reconfigurations to the team since the 2014 Pacers' team's failure to get past Miami despite securing the No. 1 seed. He revamped the team in an attempt to adapt to evolving smallball trends, frustrating George with demands for him to play power forward (which he ultimately did not), bringing in Jeff Teague for George Hill and adding Thaddeus Young, creating a team whose chemistry George bemoaned all season. 

George is a free agent in 2018, and with his desires having been made known to either pull the Pacers back to contention or trade him (with the Lakers as a rumored destination), this creates an even greater sense of instability for a team trying to hang onto its franchise star. 

For Bird, he leaves having constructed multiple title contenders and building long-term, sustainable success on a limited salary in a small market. He also departs just as his long-time friend and rival, Magic Johnson, begins his track with the Lakers as President of Basketball Operations.