The Los Angeles Lakers were always a team that Paul George thought of signing with this summer until ultimately deciding to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s Team USA minicamp in Las Vegas, the five-time NBA All-Star admitted that he simply fell in love with the team after he was traded by the Indiana Pacers, per Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
“It was absolutely tempting,” George said. “Honestly, I wanted to come back home. But again, I got traded to Oklahoma. Loved the situation. Loved where I was at. I decided to stick around a little longer.”.
A little longer meant four more years of partnership with the Thunder, as George recently signed a four-year deal worth $136.91 million. Prior to that, George whetted the appetite of Lakers fans and got their expectations high when he declined to pick up his 2018-19 player option worth $20.7 million.
In the end, he chose to play with Russell Westbrook and in a smaller market team than move to Hollywood and form a dynamic duo with LeBron James.
“I just wanted my free agency to be over with. In my heart, I felt great about Oklahoma and I wasn't going to prolong it if I felt good about it already.”
Things were not all that rosy for the Thunder in George’s first year. While he was selected to become an All-Star for the fifth time in his career last season, George and the Thunder had trouble with consistency and was sent crashing out of the playoffs in the first round by the Utah Jazz.
Now with a multi-year contract, Paul George will have a few years more to try to help Oklahoma City have its first championship parade.
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