Paul George‘s postseason came to an end on Friday night when Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz knocked off the Oklahoma City Thunder. It brings to an end the year-long test balloon that was his time with the Thunder, as the franchise hoped to woo George enough that he’d stay in Oklahoma City upon hitting free agency this summer.
George said it was “too soon” to discuss his future right after the Thunder’s Game 6 loss. But the pending free agent held his season-ending press conference with Oklahoma City media on Saturday and, inevitably, his future in the free agent market came up.
The All-Star wing said that he enjoyed his time in Oklahoma City but that the prospect of playing in his hometown — you know, Los Angeles, is always an intriguing possibility.
Paul George on Los Angeles: "Everybody would love to play for their home in one way or another, but that’s not the only option."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) April 28, 2018
George has long been rumored to want to play in Los Angeles, with the Lakers being the obvious candidate if they can find room for max contracts on their roster. But George has made it clear that he’s not ruling Oklahoma City out in free agency, and has stressed that it’s hard to get a feel for how a team plays together in just a singe season.
Paul George referenced it being the "first year" a number of times in an answer reflecting about his season in OKC. Said it so many times that it almost felt intentional.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 28, 2018
Still, George was far from committed to anything.
George praises the Thunder organization when asked about free agency and then ends it with, "I can’t say anything more than that. They checked the boxes that needed to be checked."
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) April 28, 2018
No one expected him to say he’s coming back to the Thunder right away, and he’s going to explore his options and see what kind of deals he can find on the open market. The good news for Thunder fans is that they’re not out of the running. The problem is it sounds like we won’t know much of anything for a few more months.
