Paul George has reportedly already made his decision on where he'll play next year
Remember all the talk about LeBron James and Paul George joining forces next season as members of the Lakers?
According to NBA insider Peter Vescey, George has already made his decision, and it’s not going to fly well with “The King.”
The longtime columnist, writing at Patreon.com, says George is “committed to re-signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder” following this season.
The Lakers were widely credited at last week’s NBA trade deadline for making moves which will allow them to have salary room for two “max” players next season.
That news came just two days after ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported that the Lakers were not planning on any major signings this summer, but instead focusing on 2019.
George has long been rumored to be eyeing a return to his hometown of Los Angeles, which limited his value when Indiana traded him last summer to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder got off to a dreadful start, heated up, but have recent slumped since losing guard Andre Roberson for the season with a knee injury.
As of Sunday, the Thunder were sixth in the Western Conference playoff standings, two games behind Minnesota for fourth, but two games away from missing the playoffs completely.
George and the Thunder played in Los Angels on Friday, and he received a rousing ovation.
Paul George on the cheers he got tonight at Staples: “Hopefully it’s moreso because I’m home than anything.” pic.twitter.com/KOlta0sppD
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) February 9, 2018
“Hopefully it’s moreso because I’m home more than anything,” said George, who will return to Los Angeles this weekend as a all-star game participant.
If George decides to stay in Oklahoma City, there will almost certainly be a domino effect on this summer’s free agency.
It’s doubtful that James — who many believe will opt out of his contract with Cleveland after the season — would want to play for a rebuilding Lakers team without another superstar in tow.
But we need to remember that we haven’t even hit the all-star break yet. The Thunder still have 26 games left to play.
Should the team miss the playoffs, or make the playoffs but bow out in the first round for a second straight season, team management might opt for a new strategy as to how the roster is constructed for next season and beyond.
That’s a lot of time for George to change his mind — perhaps multiple times.
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