Paul George could stay with Thunder after good 2017-18
By John Buhler
Paul George might be playing on an expiring contract in the 2017-18 NBA season, but he hasn’t ruled out staying long-term with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After seven years with the Indiana Pacers, All-Star small forward Paul George finds himself playing the last year of his contract (assuming he opts out after the season) with the Oklahoma City Thunder. George may have wanted out of Indianapolis, but that had more to do with the Pacers’ inability to put a solid supporting cast around him than anything.
Even in a good, short-term situation with the Thunder, the growing consensus is that George will want to sign a long-term deal with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 NBA free agency. Trading for George was a gamble for Thunder general manager Sam Presti, but might end up being worth it. There is a chance that George does stick in Oklahoma City beyond 2017-18.
In Lee Jenkins’ article for Sports Illustrated on Tuesday, July 11, George is quoted as saying about playing in a winning situation, “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.”
It’s good that George is approaching his free agency with an open mind. The native Angeleno may have his eyes set on coming home, but Los Angeles’ two teams already have small forwards of the future. Brandon Ingram is about to begin year two of his NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Los Angeles Clippers just sign-and-traded for Denver Nuggets wing Danilo Gallinari.
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Keep in mind that reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook is a native Angeleno himself. The Thunder floor general played his college ball at UCLA. Both may eventually want to play professionally in their native Los Angeles, but it would hard to walk away from a winning situation on the rise potentially in Oklahoma City. It really all comes down to the on-court chemistry between George, Westbrook and the rest of the Thunder in Oklahoma City.