Paul George ‘conflicted,’ but ‘has always wanted’ to play for Lakers

What was once seen as a foregone conclusion has become a very tough decision for Paul George. Where do the Lakers currently stand as he gets set to enter NBA free agency?

Paul George’s decision in free agency always felt more like an inevitability than anything else. Now that we’re finally in the offseason where his destiny is completely in his own hands and the Los Angeles Lakers have space for him, what was once seen as a straightforward choice has become a lot tougher to actually make.

Brad Turner of the L.A. Times went on the radio with Marcellus Wiley and Travis Rodgers of ESPN on their “Afternoons with ESPNLA” show, and offered up what he’s heard thus far about LeBron James, George and how their decisions are tied to each other.

“I’ve heard conflicting stories about Paul George for example, that he is conflicted about where he wants to go. That he wants to stay in Oklahoma City...”

That matches with other reports, and when asked about the timing of all this, Turner expanded a little (emphasis mine):

“If he doesn’t come, then there’s just no way that LeBron James is going to come,” said Turner. “The one guy I would say that doesn’t have to wait is Paul George. If he decides that he wants to come to the Lakers, then he can sign there, because that’s where he has always wanted to go. He wanted to play for his hometown team.”

Turner then went on to speculate on how a conversation would go between George and James after the former commits to the Lakers.

So, to summarize: Who the bleep knows.

George has a tough decision to make. Does he return to Oklahoma City to find out if Andre Roberson is the key to that team’s legitimacy as a title contender? Does he return to his hometown Los Angeles to team up with superstars and put the Lakers back on the map? Does he really throw everyone for a loop and go back to school?!?! Hell, just Tuesday, it was reported that the likeliness of him signing in Los Angeles was reportedly dropping.

This free agency period is going to kill us all, isn’t it?