Los Angeles Lakers: Latest free agency rumors on LeBron James, Paul George, more

Signing Paul George not a sure thing?

Okay, so here’s another one to take with a grain of salt. Then again, isn’t that essentially what a rumor is? It’s not like we haven’t heard numerous takes on Paul George’s potential future in the last month or so.

So why the skepticism? Well, the source for this is Stephen A. Smith, the ESPN talking head who loves the sound of his own voice above all else. While that may be, we can’t completely discount everything he says — the man has some reliable sources after so many years in the industry.

So here’s what he said on the Stephen A. Smith Show on Monday:

"“Folks are not so sure Paul George is coming to LA. From what I’m being told, Sam Presti and the Oklahoma City Thunder will back up the [Brink’s] truck for Paul George. They’re gonna offer him the max.”"

Now if you’ve been paying any attention to the Lakers this offseason, then you know George has allegedly flip-flopped about a dozen times now. Whether or not that’s actually the case can only be known by George and his closest confidants. Chances are he still hasn’t made a decision one way or another.

Convincing George to leave OKC won’t be easy. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still imagining what a second season alongside Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony could look like. Unless the Lakers land LeBron early, PG-13 may not be as eager to jump ship as Lake Show fans would like to believe.

All of these rumors confirm one thing for me: George coming to Los Angeles isn’t guaranteed. It’s best you temper expectations if you’re one of the folks who already has a custom George Lakers jersey in your Amazon cart.