NBA
Paul George To Re-sign With The Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder finally caught a huge break in free agency. Their star forward Paul George has opted to re-sign with the Thunder. The official announcement coming right before free agency began. This comes after Russell Westbrook left Hawaii to host a party earlier today held in honor of George.
Paul George has agreed to a four-year, $137M max contract with the Thunder, league source tells ESPN. Deal includes a player option.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2018
It seems this made the decision easier for him to stay in Oklahoma City. George agreed to a 4 year, $137 million max contract. With George agreeing to stay put, it very well could lead to Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder having buyout discussions.
George’s decision to stay put is a blow for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers were hoping to sign Gorge to have help for LeBron James if he decided to join them. George tarnished his chances to go to the Lakers eventually in his career, which George had previously intended to do. This began when Paul George had been traded from the Indiana Pacers to OKC in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sobanis.
Paul George took a pay cut by staying and it’s not looking like the most fiscally sound decision. His intentions to recommit with the Thunder was not a favorable decision by many NBA fans, especially Lakers’ fans. George stated that he would rather play with Westbrook than James via sources. Many fans believe George’s decision was a cowardly move. There’s also no denying that the Thunder are a free agency winner so far.
The Oklahoma City Thunder proved their gamble trading for George truly paid off. With the re-commitment of George, Westbrook will retain a unit who have learned his style of play and can develop into a better unit than they were last year. Loyalty is a very good virtue and George’s decision will improve the team and the state of Oklahoma’s morale.
