Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Billy Donovan admits he was surprised to see Paul George request a trade from the team.
George requested to be traded to the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason in order to pair up with Kawhi Leonard. The Thunder eventually gave in, sending PG13 to his hometown in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a record-setting five picks.
Despite the slew of assets they acquired, however, Donovan can't help but think about George's trade — noting that he thought the six-time All-Star was happy with the team.
“I was taken back, because … I think Paul enjoyed his time here,” Donovan told Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman. “I do think when he first came here, there was a lot of speculation. ‘This is only going to be a one-year experiment and then he’s going to want to get back to LA.’ Paul’s obviously got a lot of ties and affinity for LA and where he’s from. I get that part of it. I get that part for his family. His mom and dad are great people. Yeah, It catches you.”
George spent the past two seasons with the Thunder, albeit with relative success. He re-signed with OKC on a four-year deal in the summer of 2018 amid rumors that he's heading to the Los Angeles Lakers.
After George was traded, OKC quickly moved on and entered a rebuild, notably also parting ways with All-Star guard Russell Westbrook in a blockbuster deal with the Houston Rockets.
Donovan is now handed the task of making the most out of the Thunder roster, though he can't be too surprised about it.
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