Paul George has done a ton of interviews since joining the Oklahoma City Thunder. George has admitted that he wanted to leave the Indiana Pacers because they weren’t putting together a team that could compete for a championship. He said that he might be willing to stay with the Thunder if they could prove to be a championship contender this season. Paul even said that it was Kevin Durant who convinced him that Oklahoma City was a great place to play. In a recent interview, ESPN reported that George said the trade to Oklahoma City surprised him.
The shock of going to Oklahoma City
When talking about the Indiana Pacers trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Paul George said that he was shocked at the trade at first because there was no talk of going to Oklahoma City at all leading up to the eventual trade. George said there were four or five teams that were in the discussion and were actively talking about trading for him. However, when the trade actually happened, George said he was surprised it was Oklahoma City but was also happy about it.
Last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost star forward Kevin Durant, who decided it would be easier to win an NBA Championship on a team that was already built to win NBA titles in the Golden State Warriors rather than try to beat that team with the Thunder.
With Durant waiting till free agency started to announce that he was leaving OKC, he ensured that the Thunder couldn’t replace him with another quality free agent and left them in bad shape.
Despite Durant’s attempts to cripple the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook stepped up and had the best year of his career. Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the entire season and led the Thunder to the playoffs despite the loss of one of their biggest stars before the season started.
Now, Paul George is joining Russell Westbrook and the Thunder look prepared to compete in the Western Conference again.
Paul George on his future
Before the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George, the forward said that he was going to opt out of his contract in 2018 and go play for his hometown Los Angeles Lakers. However, in his introductory interviews with the Oklahoma City Thunder, George said that his future is still up in the air.
He calls this a “fresh start” and said that he is not looking past this season. He said that he can build something in the Thunder with Russell Westbrook and they could continue building that if they have a big year.
