OKLAHOMA CITY -- Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant offered Paul George high praise for the Oklahoma City Thunder organization after George was traded to the Thunder, according to a report from Sports Illustrated.
According to the SI report from Lee Jenkins, Durant said the following to George after George was traded from the Indiana Pacers for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis:
“KD was like, ‘That place will blow you away,’” George said. “He told me, ‘They can offer what other teams can’t in terms of the people and the preparation and the facility, down to the chefs and the meals.’ He was pretty high on them. He thought it was a first-class organization in every way.”
George, who was drafted by the Pacers, had been with the team for seven seasons, but said he wanted to be traded because he didn't think the team could compete for a championship. Similarly to Durant, who left Oklahoma City for Golden State last season, George has been criticized for the way he handled his departure from Indiana.
“There’s no right way to handle it,” George said. “I get the frustration. I get why people are upset. But at the same time, I want the average fan to understand that we only get a small window to play this game and more than anything you want to be able to play for a championship. I wanted to bring that to Indiana. I really did. I love Indiana. That will always be a special place for me and I’m sorry for not holding on. But I wasn’t sure we’d ever get a team together to compete for a championship and that’s where all this came from.”
George is set to become a free agent after the 2017-18 NBA season.
To read the full SI article, click here.
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