According to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, the Oklahoma City Thunder gave Paul George the option of a future trade. That was when he signed with the club in 2018.
Thunder general manager Sam Presti had the idea of keeping Paul George. The leverage was in favor of George and not the OKC organization.
Traded to OKC
George was traded to OKC in June of 2017 in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
The hope was for PG13 and Russell Westbrook to get the Thunder deep into the playoffs. George struggled in the two seasons with OKC. The Thunder lost in the first round both years.
George signed a four-year, $137M max contract with the Thunder in July of 2018.
Dealt to the Clippers to Join Kawhi Leonard
It looks like PG took Sam Presti up on his trade offer. Paul, a 6x All-Star, got traded to the LA Clippers. That same night the Clippers signed Kawhi Leonard.
Heading to OKC in exchange for PG was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, three first-round picks, two first-round choices, and the right to swap first-round picks in 2023 and 2025.
With anything less than a championship a disappointment for Clipper fans, Los Angeles didn’t even end up making the conference final.
The Clippers blew a 3-1 lead to Jamal Murray and the Nuggets in the second round of the playoffs.
Pandemic P
PG and teammate Patrick Beverley called out Damian Lillard on Instagram a couple of weeks into the NBA bubble. The Nuggets eliminated the Clippers in seven games. George became a subject of mockery.
Many fans have been calling him “Pandemic P” in mockery of his self given nickname “Playoff P.” Fans also often comment “Cancun on 3” under his posts.
Some fans even went as far as to say, “that’s the only ring (he will) ever see,” after George announced his engagement yesterday.
Patrick Beverley and Paul George will look to back up their talking next season and lead LA to a deep postseason run.
