Lakers Rumors: The childish reason why Paul George wasn’t dealt to LA

Paul George has found himself tied up in Lakers rumors despite being an Indiana Pacer. Now, as George heads to OKC, the rumors continue to swirl.

Man, what a disappointing trade this was for fans of the Los Angeles Lakers. Fans have been clamoring over Paul George for quite some now, with many Lakers rumors spelling his trade to Los Angeles. However, that wasn’t the case as George was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for young guard Victor Oladipo and young forward Domantis Sabonis.

This is a dagger in the heart of Laker fans, as George and Los Angeles seemingly have mutual interest. Magic Johnson could have worked his magic, dealt for George, and signed him to a max deal with Bird Rights. Bring in a superstar next summer, and now this Lakers team looks deadly once more.

For what it is worth, the partnership of Russell Westbrook and Paul George in Oklahoma City will be interesting. While George will likely dash after this season, the duo of Westbrook and George can wreck some havoc.

The Thunder were already scary good with Westbrook and Kevin Durant, and now with two great big men in Steven Adams and Enes Kanter, the Thunder can return to that glory. George is by no means Durant, but Westbrook has only gotten better. However, it will be interesting to see George attempt to play alongside the ball-dominant Westbrook.

The entire league wants to see Westbrook his get redemption on Durant and take down the Golden State Warriors. This move makes the Thunder that much more capable of doing so. If anything, that can be taken away as a bright side in this deal.

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Yet, it is still hard not to have a sour taste in your mouth if you were expecting George to be a Los Angeles Laker next season. This becomes a much harder pill to swallow when you discover why George wasn’t traded to LA.

According to the latest Lakers rumors, the Pacers reportedly did not want to give George what he wanted, unless they significantly won the trade. That’s right, the Indiana Pacers, out of spite, denied George going to Los Angeles simply due to the fact that it was where he wanted to go.

Plus, the Pacers did not even get an outrageous return for George. If the reports stand and the team only gets Oladipo and Sabonis, they effectively lost the trade. While both have upside, Oladipo has a massive four-year, $85 million contract. Oladipo is actually set to make more money than George next season.

With the Lakers reportedly offering the Pacers the 27th and 28th pick alongside Julius Randle, it makes this Thunder trade that much more bizarre. In a lot of people’s eyes, this deal would be far better than a deal for the overpaid Oladipo and green Sabonis.

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However, at this point, there is no point in crying over sour milk. This trade will arguably benefit the Lakers in the long run. While the latest Lakers rumors are hard to swallow, it is what the fans have to live with in LA.