Not so fast, Lakers, Paul George considering his unfinished business in OKC

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 12: NBA athlete Paul George arrives to the Epic Games Fortnite E3 Tournament at the Banc of California Stadium on June 12, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 12: NBA athlete Paul George arrives to the Epic Games Fortnite E3 Tournament at the Banc of California Stadium on June 12, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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Will Paul George give the Oklahoma City Thunder another chance?

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George has an enormous career choice to make this summer, and it could even cause LeBron James to pick a different path.

George will be an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t opt out of his contract by Friday. It’s been rumored for over a year that he’ll head back home to California and join the Los Angeles Lakers, but it appears that the Thunder are still in the mix.

George said in the first segment of a three-part mini-series on ESPN that he was “excited” about having choices this summer.

He is apparently strongly considering a two-year deal with a player option to stay in Oklahoma, and that would allow him to opt out of the contract after its first year. Then we can start the carousel all over again next summer.

“I hope I make the majority of the people happy,” George told NewsOK. Adding:

"But ultimately it’s my decision and I want to be the happiest I can be with that decision. And I’m excited. I’m excited to go through this journey. It’s a lot of things that go into it — trying to find the right fit, what’s the best place for me to raise my kids. A lot is playing into this, so it’s a bit overwhelming."

The Thunder didn’t meet the expectations many had for them this season, but George seemed to love playing alongside another star with Russell Westbrook’s talent. If LeBron or George decide to stay with their current team next year, then it would be difficult to imagine one of them going to Los Angeles without another All-Star joining them.

The Philadelphia 76ers are also looming as a potential destination for George, because it would just make sense from a basketball perspective. A lineup consisting of PG-13, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington, Dario Saric and Joel Embiid would be quite formidable at both ends of the floor.

You can sense though that George feels like he has unfinished business in Oklahoma, and that could throw quite a monkey wrench into LeBron’s plans.

“Here they have made a huge risk in trading for me,” George said. “Knowing I have one year on my deal. But I felt I didn’t finish as strong as I could have. Just knowing you left something on the table, even to this point now, it weighs on me.”

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We’ll know more on Friday after George decides to enter free agency or not, but in the meantime there will be plenty of rumors to keep busy with in the always hectic NBA offseason.