Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Trade Rumors: Team Not Planning to Trade Paul George Despite Their Struggles
With the All-Star trio of Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony leading the way, the Oklahoma City Thunder were supposed to be among the best teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) this season. However, things haven't gone exactly as planned in the first two months of the 2017 season.
The Thunder have struggled out of the gate, and it didn't take long for people to speculate that it would only be a matter of time before they place George on the trading block since he could opt out of the final year of his contract and become a free agent in the 2018 offseason.
However, Bleacher Report's Ken Berger has reported that the Thunder don't have any plans to trade George — at least for now.
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"According to a league source with knowledge of the team's thinking, the Thunder were under no delusions that George was committing to anything beyond this season when they shipped Oladipo and Sabonis — products of the Serge Ibaka trade with Orlando — to Indiana for the four-time All-Star. Furthermore, the source said, the team has shown no inclination to entertain trade discussions," Berger said in his report.
Still, the Thunder would have to seriously consider moving him before the trade deadline in February if they don't want to see another All-Star walk away from the franchise without getting anything in return. Don't forget, the wounds are still fresh from Kevin Durant's departure in the summer of 2016.
"Can the Thunder afford to lose another marquee All-Star for nothing in return? That is something even the Thunder's massively secure general manager Sam Presti has to factor into his decision-making process," Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler said.
Of course, anything can happen in the next couple of months. Who knows, the Thunder may go on an impressive winning streak. If that happens, maybe George will open to the idea of staying with the team long-term.
In any case, Kyler doesn't think the Thunder are going to make a decision until late January.
