Maybe we’ll get to see more than one season’s worth of this Oklahoma City Thunder squad after all.
General manager Sam Presti has been rightfully lauded for piecing together a Big Three of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, seemingly on the fly. But this troika is viewed by many as a one-year placeholder. George holds a player option and is constantly linked to the Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony holds an early termination option and might want to hit the open market with his three banana boat brethren. And Westbrook, until recently, had his own player option.
Things have changed, even if only slightly, in the aftermath of the point guard’s five-year, $203 million extension. It doesn’t guarantee everyone will be in Oklahoma City beyond 2017-18, but it does make the Thunder a more appealing landing spot to their newest incumbents.
George, the biggest flight risk between him and Anthony, said as much after the news broke, per ESPN.com’s Royce Young:
Paul George says Westbrook’s decision will “absolutely” factor into his. “When that time comes, the decision will be easier to make.” pic.twitter.com/eqUyd37oSy
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) September 30, 2017
Some level of “duh” is involved here. George is obviously more likely to re-sign with Oklahoma City next summer if he’s guaranteed to have a top-10 star as his teammate. That hasn’t been up for debate. And with Westbrook’s own future no longer up in the air, the question becomes: What else must the Thunder do to ensure George returns?
As of now, on paper, they have a case to be the second-best team in the Western Conference, assuming the Big Three dynamic works out. Would reaching the Western Conference Finals be enough to sell him? Would any semi-competitive seven-game series with the Golden State Warriors do the trick?
It’s tough to tell. One would think it should, but if George really believes every team is miles behind the reigning champs, jumping ship to the Lakers remains on the table. Losing in Los Angeles might be more enjoyable, to him, than losing in Oklahoma City. LeBron James’ free agency factors in here, too. If he shows genuine interest in the Lakers, and they carve out enough room for both, the prospect of leaving the Thunder gains even more traction.
Basically, a lot can happen between now and next July. And though we cannot be sure which way George will inevitably lean, Westbrook’s extension does render Oklahoma City’s case a lot stronger.
