Report: Paul George to opt out of Thunder contract, 'seriously interested' in two teams
For whatever faults the NBA may have, the league has done an extraordinary job of keeping its fans engaged almost year-round.
Even in the doldrums of the offseason, and months before any meaningful basketball will be played, NBA fans are eagerly anticipating how free agency will turn out.
Now a big part of that is LeBron James, whose pending free agency is likely to shape the league as a whole in the immediate future. But there’s still plenty of intrigue regarding players not named LeBron James.
One such player is Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George. The five-time NBA All-Star carved out a tidy little role for himself as Russell Westbrook’s sidekick to the tune of 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in his first season as a member of the Thunder.
George, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Indiana Pacers before being traded last year, has never experienced free agency.
That looks poised to change now.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, George has notified the Thunder that he will not be opting into the final year of his contract. The player option that George is declining would have been worth $20.7 million in the 2018-19 season.
Of note, he could still change his mind as he has until 11:59 p.m. ET Friday to make a formal decision.
George, 28, has been one of the better two-way forwards in the NBA for the majority of his career. There aren’t too many players in the NBA who can average more than 20 points per game while also defending the other team’s best perimeter player on a nightly basis.
All the more remarkable is George has rebounded from an absolutely horrific injury in 2014 where his leg broke and seemingly moved in about a dozen different directions at once.
Looking at George’s ability to both score and play defense at a relatively high level, it’s no surprise that a number of contending teams are interested in his services. Unfortunately for the majority of those teams, George has zeroed in on two teams already, according to Wojnarowski.
First, he is “seriously interested” in returning to the Thunder.
George has developed a rapport with the mercurial 2017 NBA MVP Westbrook and is unlikely to be guaranteed a teammate nearly as talented wherever he goes.
The Thunder also have the financial advantage of being able to offer George an extra year on his contract, with a max value of five years and $176 million. If George were to go anywhere else, he wouldn’t be able to sign longer than a four-year contract.
But for whatever interest George has shown in staying in Oklahoma City, it has hardly been a secret that he yearns to play for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
In fact, the whole reason George was traded to the Thunder was because he informed the Pacers front office that he intended to sign with the Lakers this offseason. It’s unlikely that a single year in Oklahoma City has completely dissipated his interest in the Lakers.
The Lakers have the cap space to lavish George with a max contract. The issue with the Lakers is the fact that George would be banking on another star acquisition for the team to contend for the playoffs. Youngsters Josh Hart, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma have all shown intermittent flashes of talent but are still a far cry from All-Stardom.
The Lakers have been linked to both LeBron and San Antonio Spurs star Kawhi Leonard. If George, Leonard and James all somehow end up in Hollywood, that could be a legitimate Golden State Warriors killer.
With the Lakers still in relative flux, some experts believe George is likely to sign a one-year deal with a player option for a second with the Thunder. Not only would the move preserve future flexibility, George would be eligible for a higher max contract in 2020 due to reaching 10 years in the NBA.
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