Paul George on his time in Oklahoma City so far: ‘I’m happy here’

Paul George has been a perfect fit next to Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City’s backcourt and has put together an All-Star campaign next to the league’s defending MVP. And he’s happy doing it, according to a report from USA Today’s Sam Amick.

Still, he isn’t ruling out leaving the Thunder in free agency. A day after the Lakers leaked they were shifting their focus to the 2019 free agency class, George said he might consider them if they have space for him.

“Well, I mean I’m happy here,” George said. “I’m happy here. I’m happy with this group. At the end of the season, it’s still on my decision on what I need to do for my family. That has nothing to do with my happiness here, though. I’ve been really happy. It’s a great organization to be a part of, but again, you know, I don’t want people looking at this and (saying) like, ‘Hey, because he said it’s his happiness at the end of the day (that he’s definitely re-signing).’

“I don’t know if whether I’m going to LA, or what I’m going to do this offseason. But I can say I am happy about being here. I’m happy with playing with Russ, happy with playing with Melo, and this organization. This front office has shown what they can do to go get pieces and how active they are about winning.”

The Thunder are set to play the Lakers on Thursday, so it’s worth noting that these questions are timely.

There’s a chance George might leave this summer, but the Thunder knew that when they traded for him. Despite a slow start, they’ve shown they can compete with the best of the best from around the league and are 3-1 against both the Rockets and Warriors.

Rather than waiting for the offseason to give George a pitch on Oklahoma City, the Thunder signed up for a chance to give him a season-long pitch through their success. It seems to be working with him saying that he’s “happy” playing in Oklahoma City with the current core they have.

They’re 31-24 and are still improving as they continue to learn from each other. There’s evidence this team can work — but It’s up to George to figure out whether it’s compelling enough for him to stay. Either way, the Thunder have done their part.

Despite what the Lakers have said over the last few days, if George comes knocking at their door they’re going to open it up. Their deviation from their original plan is just them making sure they’ve got contingencies in place just in case things don’t work out.

They’ve done well developing their young players, but they won’t turn a superstar down. It’s just a matter of whether they get the opportunity to say yes.