Let the games begin! According to a report, the NBA free-for-all market will include big fish Paul George, who will not re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This report comes by way of ESPN’s Ryen Russillo, who said Tuesday on his show that George is “gone” from OKC.
“Today is the first time I’ve heard from anybody that I trust that George is gone,” Russillo said.
Russillo has strong connections in the NBA community. So despite George saying the right things about being open to returning to OKC next season, it sure looks like the Thunder will at least have some strong competition for his services.
The trio of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony and George past season was pretty underwhelming. George had a strong season on a personal level, averaging 21.9 points, 3.3 assists, 5.7 rebounds and two steals per game. But the Thunder were fairly well manhandled by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, losing 4-2 in that series.
There are plenty of rumors that George wants to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Lakers would love to have him. It’s going to be interesting to see what transpires this summer when the offers start flying around.