NBA Rumors: The Los Angeles Lakers Still Loom as a Potential Landing Spot for Paul George Next Season
When Paul George was traded by the Indiana Pacers to the Oklahoma City Thunder last offseason, the initial reaction of many fans and people around the league could be summed up as shocked.
The move was shocking for many reasons, with one of those being that the Thunder did not seem like the team who would pursue George. The Lakers were actually the ones expected to make a move for him.
It has been a few months since then, and the Thunder, after some early season struggles, now find themselves firmly in the Western Conference playoff picture with a chance to still catch up to some of the teams ahead of them.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
George's current stint with the Thunder has not gone perfectly, but at the very least, they have a chance to make some noise once the playoffs roll around.
The Lakers, on the other hand, have been disappointing this season. As seen on ESPN, the team is near the bottom of the standings and have a not-so-good point differential.
The Lakers have yet to play even half of their games this season, making a turnaround still possible in theory. However, they look unlikely to make the postseason and seem to have a better chance of ending up with one of the worst records in the league.
Taking into account how things have gone this season, it would not have been surprising to learn that George is now ready to stay long-term with the Thunder instead of still longing to play for the Lakers, but that may not necessarily be the case.
While speaking to members of the media recently, George was asked about something that happened last year – when it became known that he wanted to play for the Lakers.
George's response can be heard in this video provided by the Oklahoman's Erik Horne. In it, he said he had "no regrets" over what happened. He also mentioned that he simply just "stated somewhere I would like to go play," referencing those earlier events.
Of course, it is still unclear if George still has that desire to play for the Lakers, but at the very least, those comments from him are interesting.
George may be a member of the Thunder now, but him signing with the Lakers in the summer cannot be ruled out.
