Oklahoma City Thunder officially welcomed Paul George on Wednesday via a welcome party event. George said he is happy and surprised that he will now be playing for OKC.
George was welcomed by fans at the airport when he went to Oklahoma for the welcome party and he said that he has been wowed by the turn of events regarding the welcome party and being there felt like home to him. Many fans are hoping he would stay in OKC for more seasons as he signed only a one-year deal with the team.
Small forward surprised with OKC trade
The small forward and the Indiana Pacers looked for a new home for the player and Oklahoma City Thunder did not come to mind.
OKC has not been too active in the trade talks this offseason so George did not expect that they would acquire him. He said he was both surprised and happy with the trade and even felt thrilled because he wanted a “chance and an opportunity to play for something special and ultimately to try and win a championship,” ESPN quoted.
He gave a shout out to Russell Westbrook noting that he believes he can do what he hopes by playing alongside this year’s MVP. George said he believes they can take OKC to the championships.
Indiana Pacers acquired Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis after George was traded to OKC.
Initially, George expressed he wanted to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. This came after George informed the Pacers he would sign with another team if he becomes a free agent next year.
George not looking at future possibilities
During the welcome party, George was bombarded by questions regarding his plans for the future after the 2017-2018 NBA season as he only has a year left when he was traded to Thunder. He said that he is not looking past this season yet as there has been nothing accomplished and he will only address the question regarding his plans if he gets there.
He once again talked about Westbrook noting that the only thing that matters to him now is to build something with the reigning MVP. If things work out fine, they might just work together for a longer time. George pointed out that now that he is with the OKC, he hopes Westbrook won’t have to carry the team on his own. He hopes they will work together well.
OKC’s coach Billy Donovan also expressed that there are so many possibilities they can work with because the skills of George will work well with that of Westbrook, USA Today shared. George averages 23.7 points, 6.6. rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
