Paul George participated in his first full practice this season with the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, beating his personal goal of March 1 by several days.

"Felt good. Felt really good," George said, "to be able to go through a full practice now and go up and down, it's a big step for me."

George does not yet have a firm date for his return from a right leg injury.

"I'm still hopeful," George said. "That's the date that I wish to return. (But) long ways away, still got some steps and some hurdles to overcome. That's still a goal of mine."

Frank Vogel said Thursday was the next step in the process for George.

"We want him to come back when he's ready to come back. He's eager to get out on the court, but he's not going to do it before he's ready," Vogel said. "We understand once he's medically cleared to play in a game, then there's going to be: Is he ready to play in a game? And that could be a few more weeks beyond that. It's really going to be something we monitor almost on a daily basis and hopefully it progresses as well."

The Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz and Detroit Pistons are all interested in Reggie Jackson ahead of the deadline.

Jackson will be a restricted free agent in the offseason after he rejected a four-year, $48 million offer from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Denver Nuggets don't plan on trading Ty Lawson at the deadline, according to sources.

Lawson missed practice on Wednesday returning from the All-Star break.

Reports also indicated that Brian Shaw was interested in trading for George Hill, but the Denver Post reports that the Nuggets were never actually interested in any Lawson for Hill swap.

Reggie Jackson's agent has requested a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder before the deadline.

CAA’s Aaron Mintz made the request in the past seven to 10 days.

Jackson will be a restricted free agent in the offseason.

Sam Presti has made no commitment to moving Jackson, but has been willing to gauge the market and listen to pitches on potential deals as always, sources said.

Jackson’s role has been diminished, especially since the arrival of Dion Waiters in a January trade. Jackson has averaged 12.4 points, 4.2 assists and four rebounds for the Thunder this season.

Chris Broussard of ESPN reports the Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets, Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets are all interested in Jackson.

Paul George is looking toward a mid-March return from his leg injury.

George has made significant progress of late.

George could return as soon as March 14 against the Boston Celtics.

The Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trail Blazers enter the All-Star break as the only three teams in the NBA ranked in the top-10 in both offense and defense.

Fourteen other teams are in the top-10 in either offensive or defensive efficiency.

The Chicago Bulls ranked second in defensive efficiency last season and 28th on offense, but they are currently 9th on offense and just 13th on defense.

Teams that contend for a championship in the NBA typically are in the top-10 in both categories, or are particularly dominant on one end of the floor.

The current top-10 in efficiency differential consists of the Warriors, Hawks, Clippers, Mavericks, Blazers, Grizzlies, Raptors, Spurs, Rockets and Cavaliers.

The old/young distinction is based on the average age of players who play 15 or more minutes per game.

Paul George is hopeful of returning this season though he remains uncertain it will actually happen.

"I always talk to Larry (Bird) about the situation. He always tells me how bad I look, being out there, so for him saying March, I was just playing off that," said George, referring to a one-word tweet "March?!" he sent out after Bird's comments Tuesday.

"Ideally, that's a great time where I want to be there. I'm obviously a long ways away from it because I've got so many steps that I've got to take. But that's when I want to be back."

George had not taken questions since late November, when he was just doing some light shooting work.

Team doctors told the Pacers it would take seven months for George's injured leg to heal completely, making a return in March plausible.

George's activity has picked up. He is participating in some one-on-one drills and has increased his shooting tempo at practice. George went even further Thursday by saying he is able to do everything except contact work. He hopes that changes in the next several weeks.

"At that time [March 1], I'd like to be full-on practicing with no limitations, going out and being incorporated in all of our practice sessions and doing it through the whole duration of practice instead of just spot minutes and getting thrown into the mix," George said.

The Indiana Pacers are hopeful Paul George will be able to return this season from breaking his leg over the summer. George could be back as soon as March.

Larry Bird told reporters Tuesday that if George is cleared by doctors and ready to play, he would like to see him back on the floor.

"It seems like every week Paul is getting better and better," Bird said. "So if we do have an opportunity to get into the playoffs and [George] can get some games under his belt and get ready to go next year ... I always say if a player is ready to play, they gotta play.

"We're not going to hold him back if he's able to go out there and play. When you're out like that, you lose something. ... I still think it's important if he's able to play, he should be out there."

Seven-foot-two center Stanko Barac, the 2007 draft acquisition of the Indiana Pacers, is pursuing an NBA deal, league sources told RealGM.

Barac, 28, was traded from the Miami Heat to the Pacers with the 39th overall draft pick in 2007. He recently signed with Cedevita in his native Croatia for the remainder of the season, but hopes to move into the NBA should the possibility come to fruition.

In his four games with Cedevita, Barac has averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 62.5 percent from the field.

The Pacers control Barac’s status in the NBA, and have monitored his play overseas with nothing imminent, sources said. They had tried to sign him to a multiyear, multimillion-dollar contract several years ago. At the time, Barac was under a lucrative deal with Efes of the Euroleague and elected not to leave.

In past seasons, several NBA teams have looked into Barac as an intriguing player with his size and skill. Barac suffered a herniated disc last season, but he’s since fully recovered and strengthened his body.

Barac has played professionally overseas with Baskonia, Valencia, Efes and now Cedevita.