Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George may be the story of this year's summer so far. It was widely known he wanted to leave the Indiana Pacers, and with only a year left on his contract, many teams were reluctant to give up a lot for a possible one-year rental. In the end, the Pacers traded him to Oklahoma City, where George joined reigning MVP Russell Westbrook.
However, there were doubts that any team, but one, in the NBA was just getting a rental. That one team was the Los Angeles Lakers, George's hometown team, as the 27-year-old All-Star made it known that he wants to go to Hollywood eventually.
However, all hope may not be lost for the Thunder.
George talked to Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins, and his answers might settle down the Paul George-to-Lakers hype.
“I grew up a Lakers and a Clippers fan,” said George. “I idolized Kobe (Bryant). There will always be a tie here, a connection here. People saying I want to come here (Los Angeles), who doesn’t want to play for their hometown? That’s a dream come true, if you’re a kid growing up on the outskirts of L.A., to be the man in your city. But it’s definitely been overstated. For me, it’s all about winning. I want to be in a good system, a good team. I want a shot to win it. I’m not a stats guy. I’m playing this game to win and build a legacy of winning. I’ve yet to do that. I’m searching for it. If we get a killer season in Oklahoma, we make the conference finals or upset the (Golden State) Warriors or do something crazy, I’d be dumb to want to leave that.”
George has a point. In the grand scheme of things, he will have a major decision to make next summer, and that decision will not rely on one parameter. While Los Angeles, as the city he grew up in, has a certain advantage over other suitors, George will certainly not make his decision bases on that alone.
As he states himself, George likes winning and other teams might be able to provide a better situation than the Lakers. In that case, George would have a bigger and better reason to go somewhere else, than continue his career in a franchise only because of its location.
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