As Paul George decided to opt out of the last year of his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder, the franchise is facing a huge potential risk if they lose him for nothing in a few days. This is despite reports that he's grown more comfortable with the franchise over the course of a year, along with developing a strong rapport with running mate Russell Westbrook.

According to Erik Horne of The Oklahoman, this could be a massive “L” for the front office, who traded for George with no guarantee that he would remain with the team, back in the offseason of 2017.

“While George is reportedly not a lock to sign with the Lakers, his departure would be the second crushing blow to the Thunder's chances at contention and a gamble-and-loss in this Warriors Era of the NBA.”

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The Thunder took a massive roll of the dice, trading two young pieces in Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to the Indiana Pacers, despite George's camp telling teams around the league he would be nothing but a “one-year rental” for any teams other than his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers remain the Thunder's biggest enemy this offseason, honing into the three biggest names available: LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, and George.

While the loss of Kevin Durant in 2016 stung plenty, this one won't be easy to forget, as it can be directly traced to the front office's aggressive motion to sweep the rug from teams like the Houston Rockets and the Lakers with the hope that this team would convince George to stay.

If it fails, it will look like a wild move that yielded next to no return, putting the team into the repeater tax and still finding itself out of postseason contention in the first round last season.