Paul George to Stay with OKC, Signs 4-Year/$137 Million Deal

Paul George with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018
Paul George with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2018. Photo by Jevone Moore/Cal Sport Media/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (9366774al)

Paul George will snub the bright lights of his hometown Los Angeles and try to build on his partnership with Russell Westbrook. It was revealed by multiple sources, including Yahoo Sports and ESPN, that George has agreed to sign a four-year, $137 million deal which will keep him with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

On Saturday night, Thunder organized a huge party and brought Paul George in, hoping to get a long-term commitment from him. They did so, with George taking the mic at one point and saying: “If y’all didn’t quite get it, let me say it again. I’m here to stay.”

This was rather a surprising decision for the majority of the NBA. Little over a year ago, Paul George informed Indiana Pacers that he intends to leave the organization in 2018 and sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. Knowing his wish to sign with the Lakers, teams were reluctant to give up many assets to acquire him, thinking he would be a one-year rental. Thunder, however, decided to take a gamble and sent Victor Oladipo and Domantis Sabonis to Indiana in return for George.

Unfortunately for OKC, their pitch to Paul George took a hit, since the team struggled throughout the season and were eliminated in the first round of playoffs by Utah Jazz. Still, George spoke positively about the organization the whole year, and in the recent weeks, there was a growing sense he might stay in Oklahoma, which ended up happening. Sources close to the situation said that friendship he developed with Russell Westbrook in the past year was a big factor for George in making his decision.

Surprisingly, Los Angeles Lakers didn’t even manage to get a meeting with the player. Still, it is hard to imagine they will be sad for too long since they have managed to sign LeBron James a day later.

I am a reality TV junkie. My dream since I was a kid was to be on Big Brother, but until then you can catch me binge-watching episodes each summer.