OKC Thunder: The pitch to convince Paul George to stay

What can the OKC Thunder say to convince Paul George to re-sign as an unrestricted free agent this summer?

Now that the Oklahoma City Thunder are out of the playoffs, the players can take a little time off before doing what they need to do to get ready for next season. Paul George decided to get a knee scope done on Wednesday.

George plans to opt out of the final year of his contract, which is worth $20.7 million, and decide to test unrestricted free agency.

Paul George is the Thunder’s top priority this summer, and they would love to have him back with the way that he can play on both ends of the floor. George is a microwave that can take over a game with his scoring ability and while also being able to shut down the best defender on the other team.

Here are three things the Thunder can include in their pitch to George to help convince him to stay:

We have an MVP in Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook has averaged a triple-double in two consecutive seasons. Nobody has ever done that before. He also has an MVP award, which nobody in the NBA can say right now except LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry and Dirk Nowitzki.

Anytime you have the ability to play with an MVP-caliber player, you have to think twice about leaving.

Their knack for turning defense into offense is complementary too, as George and Westbrook were second and fifth in steals per game, respectively.

With 25.4 points a game for Westbrook (good for ninth in the league) and 21.9 points a game for George (17th), the Thunder had one of the best offensive and defensive tandems in the league.

An MVP could be in Paul George’s sights if he gets a bigger role in the offense as the No. 1 option. A pitch for a bigger role could be what gets George on board, because if he decides to come back, that means he and Westbrook could have more time to develop into one of the best one-two punches in the league.

We can give you peace of mind

OKC is a small city and a small market. Paul George has never been the kind of player that wanted the spotlight or the attention.

As of 2016, OKC has a population of 638,367. L.A. has a population of 3.9 million.

Going home also means more distractions because of people you know. That, added to the bright lights of Hollywood could be a distraction.

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One thing George likes to do is fish, which he does regularly. The guy can literally be found in NBA 2K18 fishing in a quiet, peaceful lake with your “MyPlayer.”

When the Thunder were struggling, they were not scrutinized as heavily as they should’ve been. That’s even with three superstars that are as big as Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

Westbrook’s triple-double average for the season was not even monitored as heavily as it was last year.

George and Melo had subpar seasons, but they went under the radar during the whole season. Anthony’s shooting slump was only talked about for a while. George had a stretch where he couldn’t find his shooting form during the end of the season. That wasn’t made too much of a big deal either.

If George goes to L.A., the scrutiny he would face would be much more severe than anything he has ever experienced in his career.

We’ll give you more offensive help

The Thunder needed more help offensively. Whether the Thunder trade or keep Carmelo Anthony, they will need to do something to pick up a sixth man.

If the Thunder have a team that has a even greater chance to win than last year with George on the team, it may be impossible for him to leave a situation like that.

The Thunder were able to finish fourth in the West, even though they had a subpar season. That was two spots higher than they finished the year before.

During the first quarter, the Thunder rest Westbrook and Anthony, leaving George out there essentially alone. Getting a sixth man can help generate more offense for the Thunder.

The Thunder finished in the top 10 in total offense, but in field goal efficiency they only finished 17th.

Letting Paul George loose could solve some of those problems. George has never had a season where he averaged 25 points per game. The Thunder may have to tell George that they will give him the ball to get him to sign again.

Next: Full two-round 2018 NBA Mock Draft

The Thunder will have to find a way to do something to get more help for Paul George if he’s going to come back.