Ever since All-Star forward Paul George was nearly traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers last summer, he and LeBron James have been linked. Throughout the season, fans and experts alike discussed the possibility of George and James signing with the same team as free agents in the 2018 NBA offseason.
Now that the offseason has arrived, and the two are set to become free agents in just over a week, the two could seemingly become teammates in Cleveland, Los Angeles, or anywhere else. According to a recent report, however, James and his camp believe that George will elect to re-sign with the team he played with last season, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“Remember when George was so hell-bent on joining the Lakers? Well, that was before he found his way out of Indiana and into an Oklahoma City situation that might suit him well after all,” Sam Amick of USA Today wrote.
“Even with the Thunder coming just two losses away from missing the playoffs, and then falling to Utah in six games during their first-round matchup, there is all sorts of optimism in Oklahoma City that George will re-sign. Conversely, there’s pessimism in James’ camp that George would leave Oklahoma City. George has raved about the Thunder since the beginning, making it clear to USA TODAY Sports in September that the organization had earned his confidence from the start.”
It seems that the Thunder managed to convince George that Oklahoma City could certainly become his longtime home.
It is unclear whether or not George re-signing with the Thunder would impact what James ultimately decides to do in free agency. It has been a widely held belief within the basketball world that the Los Angeles Lakers would attempt to bring James, George, and Kawhi Leonard to Los Angeles this offseason. According to recent developments, however, it looks like Leonard and George could be staying put with their current teams.
Hopefully those developments convince James to do the same and re-sign with the Cavs.
