NBA Free Agency 2018: 5 offseason targets for the Oklahoma City Thunder

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK - APRIL 25: Paul George #13 of the Oklahoma City Thunder brings the ball up court as Joe Ingles #2 of the Utah Jazz applies pressure during game 5 of the Western Conference playoffs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on April 25, 2018 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images) /

6 of 6

Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

1. Paul George

The Paul George experiment in Oklahoma City was a fascinating one last year. Theoretically, George is a perfect complementary player for Russell Westbrook. He’s a killer jump-shooter that doesn’t constantly need the ball in his hands to be effective. At times throughout the year the Thunder looked great on both sides of the ball, making the Westbrook-George tango work. But the fit was never really seamless. With Westbrook activating hero ball mode, especially later in the year, OKC couldn’t establish a healthy offensive ecosystem.

Next: 30 best NBA poster dunks of all time

Despite these issues, the Thunder don’t have much of an option here. If they want to stay relevant and not devolve into the 2017 one-man show Thunder they have to re-sign PG and hope that Billy Donovan can sort out the team’s offensive woes. As I’ve noted above, the financial cost of bringing back PG would be staggering. But if they lose George, they have no way to replace him. Their wing depth will be shot and they’ll still have an ugly salary sheet. Of course, the decision is ultimately Paul George’s. Given his past comments about wanting to play in Los Angeles, he might well have one foot out the door already. OKC will have to hope that’s not the case.

Home/Oklahoma City Thunder