Right now, everyone considers it a foregone conclusion Kawhi Leonard is headed to L.A. next summer—but then again, we thought the same thing about Paul George just a year ago. George surprised many when he re-signed with Oklahoma City. But not only did he opt against signing with the Lakers—he didn't even give L.A. a meeting. That much is stunning.
He explained why he didn't take a meeting with Magic Johnson shortly after making his decision.
The reason why I didn't (take a meeting) is that coming down to free agency and before it was about to open (on July 1), I felt really good where I was at. I felt I was in a good place with Oklahoma. I wanted to come back to L.A. That story was true. The narrative on that was true.
During a recent appearance on Drama's Short Story Long podcast, George said his decision not to meet with the Lakers left them "pissed" at him.
"L.A. was pissed at me," he said. "I didn't give Magic a shot, which I understand. But at that point, I knew I wanted to give it another shot. I didn't want to prolong it and waste people's time."
Watch the full interview below.
George signed a four-year, $137 million deal with OKC, opting to run it back with Russell Westbrook rather than return home and join forces with LeBron James.
