Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George addresses rumors that he may be moving to the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the end of his contract with current team.
With the strong rumor that Jordan Clarkson's days at the LA Lakers are soon to be over, the Los Angeles team will be able to free up their salary cap space. This means it would be capable of signing two max free agents from a class led by icon Lebron James and four-time NBA All-Star George.
The 27-year-old small forward has always been proud of his hometown in LA. He even sports a tattoo of the sign for California State Route 14, the highway that connects Palmdale with the greater Los Angeles area.
In June last year, George expressed a desire to play for his hometown. He reportedly asked his agent to tell Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard that he was planning to become a free agent come 2018. He was also to leave the Pacers, with the Lakers on top of his mind for the move.
Alas, he was sent to Oklahoma City in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
Now that the Lakers, which is currently at the bottom of the Western Conference, is looking for a legend to revive the team, the rumors are strong that George will opt out of his last year of contract with the Thunder to move to Los Angeles.
Talking to the media, George explained his previous statement, and his standing with his current team.
"All that was said was that (was) a destination I would love to go to," George said. "There wasn't, you know, a 'Hey, gunpoint to the head, send me here.' I just stated somewhere that I wanted to go play," he said.
He added that many players desire to go back and play for their home city. He, however, has found "closure" with his sudden trade to the Thunder, saying that it ended up being a "win-win" situation for both sides.
George said that at the moment, his main focus is winning for his current team.
"It comes down to just being grateful and happy where you're at," he shared. "Being out there with Melo [Anthony], with Russ [Westbrook], the talent that we have -- again, you're in that moment. You're living in that moment."
