Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated by the Utah Jazz, what does this mean the Los Angeles Lakers.
One of the top free agent targets for the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason will be Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder. With a player option remaining on his deal, George will almost surely test free agency this summer, as he can guarantee himself more money with a new contract.
After creating a star-studded trio in Oklahoma City this summer, this season was certainly a failure for the Thunder. Being eliminated by the Jazz in six games was not what Thunder envisioned would happen this season.
While Paul George and Russell Westbrook had good seasons for Oklahoma City, the decline of Carmelo Anthony continued, as he did not play well this season. Now, the Thunder will be entering a crucial summer for the franchise with the possibility of George leaving.
The Thunder gave up a lot of talented young assets for both George and Anthony, and that is not easy to replace. After the loss, Paul George was obviously asked about his future, and he did say fresh after the loss that he would like to re-sign in Oklahoma City, but all that this is what the summer is for.
Paul George on his upcoming summer: "It's too soon. I'd love to remain a Thunder, but that's what the summer is for. We'll address that this summer."
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) April 28, 2018
The comments by George aren’t surprising, as it would have been something straight out of the WWE if he said he was going to the Lakers right after the season ended. Due to the disappointing season for the Thunder, the chances of George leaving for the Lakers or another team in free agency has certainly increased.
If the Thunder were able to have a strong season and maybe could have made the Western Conference Finals, he would have likely been more inclined to stay if he thought they could win a championship in the coming years. However, it is going to be hard for the Thunder to add more talent to how their roster is currently situated.
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For the Lakers, seeing the Thunder getting eliminated early is certainly good for their chances of landing George. Adding George to a young Lakers team would likely propel them into the playoffs and that could be enough to convince him to join. With the summer still a few months away, George will have a lot of time to think about what he wants to do.