Erik Horne of The Oklahoman recently conducted an interview with Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti. As most hoops fans know, the Thunder were eliminated from this season's playoffs in the first round — defeated by the Utah Jazz in six games. Now, with the offseason on the horizon, the discussion has inevitably turned to Paul George and whether or not he will remain with the team.

George, who turned 28 on Wednesday, can become a free agent this summer. He was asked about the impending situation just moments after Friday’s season-ending loss to the Jazz. While his intentions are unclear at this point, the five-time All-Star had some promising things to say about his first season with the Thunder.

“Your first season in Oklahoma City is over,” a reporter said to George during his post-game media availability. “What would you say about that season and what about the prospects of re-signing with the Thunder?”

“It was an amazing season,” George replied. “(It was) really a learning experience — playing off of Russ (Westbrook), playing off Melo’ (Anthony), Steve-O (Steven Adams). It was great. There was a lot to be happy about. The fans, the city, the organization… everything has been unbelievable.”

“It’s too soon (to think about free agency),” George continued. “You know, I would love to remain with the Thunder, but that’s what this summer is for. So we’ll address that in the summer.”

In April, George noted that his mentality coming to Oklahoma City was not “championship or bust.”

“This wasn’t a championship or bust kind of thing coming into this for me ,” George told Dime Magazine. “It’s just an opportunity for me to see what it’s like to be here and just to naturally fall in love with it. And it’s been that. It’s been a lot of love here.”

During his interview with Horne, Presti noted that George has been a tremendous fit for the Thunder.

“With respect to Paul, I feel like he's been here a little longer than one year,” Presti said. “He's such a tremendous fit for our organization and community.”

“The opportunity to potentially have (Russell) Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams, all three of those guys in their prime years, is extremely exciting for us,” Presti continued.

George had a solid season with the Thunder. In his 79 games played, the former No. 10 overall pick (2010) racked up averages of 21.9 points on 43.0 percent shooting from the field (40.1 percent from beyond the arc), 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.0 steals in 36.6 minutes per game.

Whether or not George will be with the Thunder next season remains to be seen, but it sounds like Presti, his staff and the community as a whole were happy to have him. Be sure to keep your browsers locked on ClutchPoints for more updates on this topic as they become available.