Making it known that he was planning on signing with the Los Angeles Lakers next summer, Paul George essentially forced the Indiana Pacers to trade him so they could get something in return and not be left high and dry when he left in 2018. Because of this, George had no real say in where the Pacers could trade him, which is why Indiana dealt him to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
Despite wanting to only play in his hometown of Los Angeles for the Lakers, George actually celebrated getting traded to the Thunder on social media. Posting a picture to Instagram, George shared how excited he was to team up with Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City:
George also took the time to thank his fans in Indiana and the Pacers organization:
How the pairing of George and Westbrook will work out on the court remains to be seen. But both are elite players, and given their skill-sets, they should compliment each other. And at the very least, George seems excited to play with Westbrook, who after all just won the MVP award and averaged a triple-double for all of last season. That excitement, coupled with their capabilities on the court, makes the pairing of Westbrook and George already potentially one of the best duos in the league.
