20 things to look forward to this NBA offseason

2. Is Paul George headed to L.A.?

When a team pays a $500,000 fine for prematurely expressing interest in a free agent, imagine what happens when it’s finally allowed to meet with said player.

Such is the case with Paul George and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Lakers received that hefty fine from the league office this past August for contact between general manager Rob Pelinka and George’s agent, which “constituted a prohibited expression of interest in the player while he was under contract.” They may have been emboldened by USA Today‘s Sam Amick, who reported both around the 2017 trade deadline and following the end of the 2016-17 regular season that George was “hell-bent” on eventually joining the Lakers.

Since then, the Indiana Pacers traded George to the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he had the opportunity to form a Big Three with Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony Steven Adams. Though the Thunder met their demise in the first round of the playoffs against the Utah Jazz, George was effusive with his praise for the organization during his exit interview.

“They honestly check the boxes where I needed those boxes to be checked from what a player wants and needs out of a front office, out of a medical group, out of teammates, out of coaching staff,” he told reporters. “I mean, honestly, they can’t say it anymore (than) that. They checked the boxes on what needs to be checked.”

Whether that’s enough to keep him in OKC for another year is anyone’s guess for now.

Next: 1. Where does LeBron James go?