Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George has a decision to make at the end of the season — re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder or become an unrestricted free agent.
In a recent interview with Sam Amick of the USA Today, George shed light on where his loyalties lie in free agency.
“I’m happy here,” George told Amick. “I’m happy with this group. At the end of the season, it’s still on my decision on what I need to do for my family. That has nothing to do with my happiness here though. I’ve been really happy. It’s a great organization to be a part of, but again, you know, I don’t want people looking at this and (saying) like, ‘Hey, because he said it’s his happiness at the end of the day (that he’s definitely re-signing).”
In the latter years of his tenure with the Indiana Pacers, George was unhappy with the Pacers’ roster turnover after they appeared in back-to-back Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014.
Amick reported that the Los Angeles Lakers are the biggest threat to sign with George, with the veteran forward being a California native. George has remained non-committal on staying in Oklahoma City.
“I don’t know if whether I’m going to LA, or what I’m going to do this offseason. But I can say I am happy about being here,” George told Amick. “I’m happy with playing with Russ, happy with playing with Melo, and this organization. This front office has shown what they can do to go get pieces and how active they are about winning.”
The Oklahoma City forward is averaging 22 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.23 steals per game. George also was selected to the All-Star Game for the fifth straight season.
George is set to headline a free agency class of 2018 along with New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James.
