Prior to the Los Angeles Lakers landing LeBron James in free agency, there was much chatter surrounding the possibility that All-Star forward Paul George could join him.
There was the building belief that James would talk to George about heading to Los Angeles with him this offseason. During an interview with Racheal Nichols of ESPN on Wednesday, the 33-year-old revealed that there wasn’t much of a discussion with the fellow All-Star forward about making the move. (h/t Dave McMenamin of ESPN)
As for George, James said he did not have “many” conversations about teaming up and that he supports his decision to stay in Oklahoma.
“I think Paul did what was best for him,” James said. “I think that’s what everybody should do as players. They should do what’s best for them and their family. They shouldn’t get too pressured by anybody.”
This also could indicate that George may have communicated to James early on in the process that he may have already been leaning toward returning to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He had announced prior to the start of the free agency period that he was going to remain with the team that shortly thereafter saw him agree to a four-year, $136.9 million deal.
There had been much talk over the last several months that George was heavily considering joining the Lakers. However, that seemingly never truly had a chance to lift off as he didn’t even give the franchise a chance to sit down with him in free agency.
James’ comments bring a little more clarity to how things may have unfolded with George’s decision-making process. Although it shut the door on the Lakers having a pair of All-Stars leading the way, there isn’t any lack of excitement and buzz around the city with the four-time league MVP now leading the way for the franchise.
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