It has been several months since All-Star forward Paul George made the decision to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder instead of test the free agent market. There has been a huge assumption that George would have entertained the idea of joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the time that has past since the move, George has repeatedly voiced that he had initially desired to make the move to the Lakers this past summer. According to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, the 28-year-old once again reiterated that notion stating that he would have joined Los Angeles had the Indiana Pacers not traded him to the Thunder.
“It was 50-50 on deciding whether I wanted to come back home or if it was smarter to be in the situation I am in now,” George told The Undefeated. “But it wasn’t overstated. I wanted to play in L.A. That is where I wanted to go. Had that trade never went down, had I played one more year in Indy, I would have been in a Lakers uniform.”
It is a stance that George has held firm to since his decision to re-sign with the Thunder on a four-year, $137 million deal. He has stood with the mind frame that his one year with the franchise had changed his perspective on the entire matter that pushed him to stay.
In fact, George had made the choice to not even venture in the free agent market at all agreeing to the deal before it began and didn’t even take a meeting with the Lakers. This was something that he clearly felt strongly about staying with the team.
Beyond that, this is a subject that been beaten down to the point where George’s comments on this matter at this point don’t add any more to the situation. Los Angeles is now moving forward in a new era with LeBron James leading the way while holding out hope that the team can lure in another marquee free agent next summer while seeing how their young core group develops this season.
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