As the NBA season winds down and the playoff picture comes into focus, the lingering uncertainty of the offseason begins to color our view of the postseason.
LeBron James‘ pending free agency, for example, give Cleveland Cavaliers fans plenty of uncertainty about the future of the franchise. The injury-ravaged Boston Celtics, meanwhile, will have a softer lens through which to view their playoff fate. With much of their team under contract next season, this year could merely be a missed opportunity rather than an end of a window.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, however, fall more into the former category than the latter. It acquired Paul George in a contract year and added Carmelo Anthony as part of an arms race to turn Russell Westbrook’s Thunder into a true competitor out West.
That hasn’t necessarily happened the way many hoped, with OKC currently in sixth place in the Western Conference. But Paul George has said nothing is set in stone for his free agency, and he hasn’t ruled out the Thunder even if they don’t win it all this year.
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“This wasn’t a championship or bust kind of thing coming into this for me ,” George told reporters on Friday. “It’s just an opportunity for me to see what it’s like to be here and just to naturally fall in love with it. And it’s been that. It’s been a lot of love here.”
George has said that he’s happy in Oklahoma City and he can see himself there past this year, something he reiterated on Friday.
“I can see myself being here. I’m happy here. I’m happy with the organization. I’ve been happy with my teammates,” he said “I recognize it’s not what we want it to be but I think I’ve enjoyed just learning and being around these guys. So my answer’s still the same. I’m not going to let playoffs or how we finish this season persuade or indicate where I’m going to go this offseason.”
Still, much like James and the other potential free agents this summer, little indication has been given about what these players will actually do. Perhaps who actually does win a title can change where players wind up, but right now, the future of free agency is just as uncertain as the future of the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
