Byron Scott was never a fan of the Lakers' young roster when he was Los Angeles' coach. He publicly blasted them and was notoriously fickle about giving them consistent minutes. With Kobe Bryant on a retirement tour it seemed like Scott was more interested in trying to give Bryant a happy farewell rather than develop the younger players. Eventually, Scott was fired and replaced by a more development-minded coach in Luke Walton. 

It has been a year since Scott was removed as Lakers coach, but his opinions about their young roster do not appear to have changed. He never thought it was enough to win games and if given the choice he says he would trade a lot of the youth on that roster for Paul George.

Before getting the pitchforks ready, Scott clarified this opinion of his in an interview with LakersNation. 

"Magic has said Paul George's name on a few occasions, so I'm just going by what I hear. I think Paul George has pretty much said he would love to play in L.A., so I'm just putting two and two together and I think it would be great for the city. I think it would be great for Paul George who grew up idolizing and rooting for the Lakers to be able to go back and play for a team that he loves. It would be a big splash for Earvin.  

What Scott thinks about the Lakers' young players only matters because he coached them and had a relationship with them that seemed very non-supportive. He never seemed to buy into them and was more interested in veterans. However, what Scott says about George wanting to play in Los Angeles does fit the rumors that have been surrounding him for a few months now. He also sounds like he's more interested in this being a big moment for Magic Johnson than whether it makes sense for the Lakers long term.

While Johnson surely appreciates the support from Scott, he said Thursday at the combine that the Lakers would rather keep their cap room this summer than make any huge moves. That doesn't make a trade out of the question, but it didn't sound like Johnson was ready to make a move for George.