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OKC Was Surprised And Caught Off Guard By Paul George’s Trade Request
Last summer, Paul George signed a four-year deal worth $137 million with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and surprised everyone, as most people believed he was Lakers bound.
George then said he loved playing alongside Russell Westbrook and for the Thunder. He went on to average career-highs across the board with 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists, and ended the season being third in MVP voting.
When George re-signed with the Thunder last summer, his teammate and (then) friend, Russell Westbrook was very happy about George coming back to OKC and threw him a big party.
He likely won’t throw a party now, as PG’s trade request hit Westbrook out of the blue, just like the entire Thunder organization.
According to reports, the Thunder were “caught off guard” by George’s trade request and wanted to trade him as quickly as possible to avoid a Anthony Davis-New Orleans Pelicans like situation.
Per a league source, the Thunder were caught off guard by Paul George’s desire to play with Kawhi Leonard after a strong recruiting effort from Leonard. The whole situation unfolded in recent days.
— Brett Dawson (@BDawsonWrites) July 6, 2019
Paul George asked the Thunder for a trade within the last few days, and according to sources OKC felt it had no choice but to find a deal to reboot, rather than risk a bad situation all year long with an unhappy star
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 6, 2019
