Los Angeles Lakers: The Ultimate Guide to the 2018 Offseason

The Case For Paul George

PG13, infamously called, is a man filled with many words. Here is a quote from PG13, himself.

"“You ask anybody, and who wouldn’t want to play for their hometown team? Who wouldn’t want to go home and win a championship for [them]?"

Paul George has come a long way. Many teams passed Paul George in 2010 after averaging 17 points per game in his final season at Fresno State. Paul George led his Pacers to two Eastern Conference Finals duos against the Miami Heat superteam. But it seems as if the narrative changed.

George wanted out of Indiana, seeing that the franchise had nothing to offer him. He preferred Los Angeles, his hometown city in his resident state. Kevin Pritchard then traded him to Oklahoma City for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, on what seemed like an underwhelming package. It ended up being a steal for Indiana, as they acquired both a superstar in the making and a building asset.

On the other end, the Thunder rode through a substandard season. As Zach Lowe of ESPN stated:

"“They were scary [before the season started]. Could they finish third was a thing! And now… they’re far from third. Maybe there’s just nothing to figure out; sometimes, there’s just nothing to figure out.”"

Russell Westbrook is a polarizing NBA player in terms of how he values statistics [i.e. steals rebounds, stat pads, etc.]. George does not play under those terms with Los Angeles. If he comes alone, he would be the solitary scoring force as well as become the face of the team and a city. Magic Johnson will happily give the keys of a man who he reportedly tampered with during the offseason. That is a win-win-win for Paul George, and it could be a win-win-win for the Lakers.