Thunder GM disagrees there was 'mutual' interest with George in trade
Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti on Thursday denied that finding a trade for Paul George was a common goal for both player and team, running contrary to George's comments Wednesday at his introduction with the Los Angeles Clippers.
"Let me first start off by saying I think the world of PG. I think everybody knows that," Presti told reporters, courtesy of The Oklahoman. "I know that he had used the term 'mutual.' I wouldn't necessarily agree with that because that would infer that we were wanting to trade Paul George, which I think most people would agree that that probably wasn't on the top of our offseason priority list.
"But I would say that it was not adversarial at all and I also fully respect the way that it was handled. And the fact that we were able to make it work in a way that benefited the franchise made it something that we could do."
As he and Kawhi Leonard were officially unveiled as Clippers, George said he and the Thunder had both agreed the time was right to part ways.
"I worked hand in hand with the (Thunder) front office," George said, according to The Oklahoman's Erik Horne. "We had a great relationship. I played two good years there. It was a mutual thing between both of us that the time was up and we both had ideas of doing things differently."
After a first season in Oklahoma City in 2017-18, George surprised many when he spurned the chance to go home to Los Angeles and re-signed with the Thunder on a four-year, $137-million contract. Though George's sudden trade request this summer caught him off-guard, Presti acknowledged that trying to maximize the return in any trade involving the forward next summer would have been substantially more difficult.
After trading George to the Clippers, Presti quickly began working on a swap involving the Thunder's other franchise star in Russell Westbrook, and the point guard was shortly sent to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul and a package of first-round picks.
Both of their departures mark a new era for the Thunder, which is now expected to embark on its first true rebuild since moving from Seattle to Oklahoma City ahead of the 2008-09 season.
In a personal column penned to Thunder fans Thursday in The Oklahoman, Presti said the difficult trades were essential to moving the franchise forward.
"Although this has been painful, I also believe that - given the circumstances - it was necessary," Presti wrote. "In saying goodbye to the past, we have begun to chart our future. The next great Thunder team is out there somewhere, but it will take time to seize and discipline to ultimately sustain."