Earlier this offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder made a huge splash move with the acquisition of All-Star Paul George from the Indiana Pacers.
However, it came with a huge risk involved given that George can walk away after this upcoming season due to the opt-out clause he possesses in his contract that will allow him to become an unrestricted free agent. Even with that being the case, general manager Sam Presti sees the 27-year-old's talent weighing that pending situation.
Presti on trading for Paul George despite his unknown future: "There's only a few guys on this earth that impact the game at that level."
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) September 22, 2017
George has developed into one of the premier talents in the NBA that has the ability to impact the game greatly on both ends of the floor. In fact, he's arguably one of the best two-way players in the league that many could argue as him belonging in the same breath with players such as Kawhi Leonard and Jimmy Butler in that regard.
It is a huge gamble that the Thunder are taking, but they are banking on the pairing of George and reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook becoming the new duo that can lead the team back into championship contention next season. There is an opportunity for the Oklahoma City to build something special with these two as the primary building blocks.
Ultimately, it is something that will have to play out to see if it was worth the risk of acquiring a star player with an uncertain future beyond the 2017-18 season.
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