This is a big week for players making emotional returns against their former teams. In addition to DeMarcus Cousins returning to Sacramento on Thursday night, Paul George is playing his first game against the Indiana Pacers since he was traded this summer, though the game will be played in OKC.
Ahead of the matchup, George opened up about the tumultuous offseason in which he successfully forced himself out of Indy. It was a bit of an ugly process, with George making it clear he didn't want to play with the Pacers past the end of his contract, which made them work out a trade so they didn't lose him for nothing.
Many people in Indy were not pleased with how it went down, and in talking about the events, George, too, admits he has some regrets. "Things could have been done a lot better," George said. Still, he says he is happy with how things worked out in the end. Via the Indianapolis Star:
"First and foremost, I want to give thanks to Indiana as a state, for embracing me and my family for seven years of being there," said George during a one-on-one interview. "I learned so much being there. They taught me so much.
"Obviously, I'm human. Things could have been done a lot better. The process, that whole ordeal could have been done a lot better. I'll share some of that responsibility. But at the end of the day, I did what was best for myself, what was best for my family. I had to move on. It was the right decision for myself. I'm happy. I'm happy with what the results were."
It's never easy to want to make a big change like George did this summer, especially when all parties involved have strong emotions about the decision. And when that's the case, feelings can get hurt, and things get messy. That's what happened with George leaving Indiana. Of course, things could have been handled better in the moment, but there's really no big events like this where that's not the case.
