OKC Thunder: How LeBron James could affect Paul George’s decision to stay
The OKC Thunder understand that they could have Paul George for one year depending on how they do during the season, but if LeBron James goes to Los Angeles that could affect George’s decision even more.
The Oklahoma City Thunder obtained Paul George in a deal that could change their season for the upcoming year but they do not know if they will have George past this season. It is known by many that George wants to play for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018 and it’s been rumored another superstar wants to go to LA too. If LeBron James decides that he is going to L.A., that will affect George’s decision even greater.
LeBron won’t waive his no-trade clause at any point of the next season. That is looked at as a positive step toward him staying in Cleveland, but he does have the ability to decline his $35.6 million player option for the 2018-19 season, which would make him a free agent.
Everybody knows LeBron is the greatest player in the world and George would have to take a long look at the prospect of playing with LeBron. Everything is not always peaches and cream when you play with LeBron James.
Chris Bosh chimed in saying that would be extremely difficult for Kevin Love to play with LeBron and that Love would have to figure it out for himself. Also, Kyrie Irving has just demanded a trade because he wants to play on his own team.
If Paul George sees these downsides, then he may just stay in Oklahoma City to play with Russell Westbrook. But that doesn’t mean everything will be easy there either. When Kevin Durant was there, sharing shots was always a problem in the eyes of the media. Durant felt that the tension between the two was caused by the media and when Durant left, the media intensified the Westbrook-Durant beef.
However, everybody felt that it was Durant’s team and that he should take the shots, but Westbrook was always ready and willing to shoot. It will be interesting to see how the Thunder go about making sure that this isn’t a problem again.
LeBron and George have had great battles in the playoffs and built respect for each other. Teaming up would make them an instant contender, but the downside is that they would be playing in the West, which is now loaded more than ever. If things go south, the Thunder might have to look into trading Paul at the All-Star break to avoiding losing him without anything in return.
If he is traded to the Lakers, at least they will be able to get something back for him. A young rising player like Brandon Ingram or some picks would help lessen the hit of losing George. Losing a player like George for nothing would be a big blow, even if it only cost them Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
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The Thunder would only do this option if they were 100 percent positive that they could not retain George for longer than this season. Having George for the season would mean they would try their hardest to get to the Finals. A deep playoff run and George seeing the Lakers unable to get players like LeBron that would put OKC in a winning position where they might get George to stay put.
In OKC, George knows that he is playing with an MVP-caliber player, but going to Los Angeles is a big risk because the team that is there might not be enough to contend. The Thunder finished sixth with them just having Westbrook on the team, but now they have Paul George so they are looking to improve.
The Lakers finished 14th in the West so if George was going to the Lakers, they wouldn’t be in a position to win now. With LeBron not waiving his no-trade clause, he may remain in Cleveland for good. There is still that chance that he declines his option and that means George would have to look into playing with LeBron, since it’s an option anyone would have to look twice at.
Next: 2017 NBA free agency tracker - Grades for every deal so far
The Oklahoma City Thunder could do themselves a huge favor by having a successful 2017-18 season, but Paul George’s decision next summer could be just as heavily influence by what LeBron James does.