Los Angeles Lakers Fans: Paul George did team a favor!

The Los Angeles Lakers were unhappy they didn’t get to meet with Paul George, but he actually did the team a favor by not signing with them.

There are reports out there that the Los Angeles Lakers were not happy that Paul George blew them off in free agency. They were mad.

According to Paul George, the Lakers were “pissed” on Chris Pfaff’s Short Story Long podcast.

"“L.A. was pissed at me,” he said. “I didn’t give Magic Johnson a meeting which I understand. But at that point, I knew I wanted to give it another shot. I didn’t want to prolong it and waste people’s time.”"

Really dude? I see that you wanted to stay in OKC. No issue there. But don’t try and gas your ego and throw the Lakers under the bus. Prolong it?! A whole let’s say 24 hours was too long to show respect? Yeah sure. I’m sure the Lakers got over it when they signed LeBron James.

We have to understand that it was George that started the media circus in the first place. Before the trade out of Indiana, he was the one that mentioned wanting to play for the Lakers.

Check out what he said in HIS OWN ESPN documentary series My Journey…

"“I 100 percent appreciate Laker Nation for wanting me to come back home, wanting me to play in front of them,” George said (via The Oklahoman’s Brett Dawson). “I wanted to come here a year ago, prior to going to OKC, Unfortunately wasn’t traded to the Lakers. Lakers didn’t grab me. I was traded to Oklahoma, and that has been a beautiful thing for me.”"

Well, maybe YOU convinced the Lakers you wanted to come. We all know what assuming can do, but it seemed you had convinced rival executives too according to Sam Amick of USA Today Sports…

"“Rival executives will argue that his value is depressed because of the alive-and-well rumor he is headed for the Lakers, knowing full well that the Thunder don’t want to lose a superstar for the second time in three summers after Kevin Durant. The lack of leverage, if nothing else,could compel the Thunder to see this through until the summertime."

Now, taking nothing away from Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder, they gambled and won. Big! Not only did they re-sign George to a deal, they locked him into a four-year deal that is team friendly. George lost millions leaving Indiana and signing the deal he did.

But Paul George doesn’t get it. Based on how he was acting, the Lakers had every right to assume that he was coming. Kind of like that Kawhi Leonard dude in Toronto. If you have already stated you want to come to L.A. why would the Lakers trade their assets? That theory is beneficial for both sides. I’m starting to see a business model here.

Here are some things that might have happened to cause confusion. Besides the Amick report…

George appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! (Don’t they tape that show in L.A.?) to talk about the prospect of joining the Lakers. I mean that might leave a clue.

How about the reports of you SPECIFICALLY asking to be traded to the Lakers before being traded to OKC. Umm, you can’t blame the Pacers for not trying and if they did try, you can’t blame the Lakers for turning down the offers. The Pacers knew you were gone and they got the best deal they could. Hello Victor Oladipo.

But I will say something that history in the NBA shows us…

Sometimes the best deals are the ones that are never made.

Anyone remember the chaos and trade rumors around one of the Lakers icons, Kobe Bryant? Lake Show Lifers you know the one, the one with TWO retired jerseys! The player with five championships, 18 All-Star appearances and the only player that could compare himself to Michael Jordan without fans rolling their eyes?

That guy.

In 2007, after the Kobe/Shaq era was long in the rear view mirror, Kobe Bryant had grown frustrated with the franchise and wanted a trade. The Lakers were in a slide with two first-round playoff exits and missing the playoffs in the third. Back then the sky was falling in Lakertown. After five years of futility before this summer, this period would be nirvana, an improvement and a blessing.

Well in 2015, Kobe Bryant was on the Grantland Basketball Hour with Bill Simmons. He let it be known that the Lakers were ready to make a deal to ship him to Detroit for Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and a number of draft picks.

More from Lake Show Life

If the trade had gone through, Detroit would have had a squad of Bryant, Chauncey Billups, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess to make another run for the NBA Finals after an Eastern Conference loss to Boston.

The Lakers would have had to justify a roster of Hamilton, Prince, Lamar Odom, Andrew Bynum and Derek Fisher.

Then there was the trade that most Lakers fans remember…the infamous Chicago deal.

The Lakers were willing to deal Bryant to Chicago (Kobe’s preferred destination) for Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Ben Gordon and Joakim Noah. This deal had legs but reportedly Bryant wanted Deng to stay in Chicago. This was a major hangup that delayed things long enough for Dr. Jerry Buss to stop the madness and convince Kobe Bryant into staying.

Well after the madness had stopped, the Los Angeles Lakers went on to the next three NBA Finals, which included back-to-back championships over the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. What made this happen?

These two deals that did not go through. If either of these trades gets completed, there’s not much chance that they complete one of the most one-sided trades at the time with the Memphis Grizzlies turning a group of youngsters and draft picks into Pau Gasol. A trade that GMs around the league remember every time they pick up a phone for a possible deal.

Oh by the way, could you imagine all of the different scenarios the Lakers would have come up with to answer the questions of why they traded the most dominant player in the game in Shaquille O’Neal and THEN the most talented player in Bryant inside of five years? Especially after Kobe was the 2007-08 MVP? Scary thought huh?

Part of building a winning team is creating a plan and executing it. Paul George wanted his ego stroked with a trade out of Indiana. The Pacers probably wanted a huge package back and the Lakers said no.

Plus, you remember the Clarkson contract was still on the books. Cap space was high on the front office list because they wanted some dude named LeBron James. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that he was the top priority at the time.

More importantly, with these quotes being said it bears the question…

Do you really want this guy anyway?

Let’s look at George’s success as a superstar in the playoffs…not much. Need evidence? How about that elimination game versus Utah.

Paul George is happy being Robin to Russell Westbrook‘s Batman, but he wants the Lakers to treat him like Batman? This is a guy you want to hand a long-term deal to? Now you understand.

So Lakers fans after reading this, close your eyes and quietly tell Paul George…

Thank you.