The Oklahoma City Thunder had one of busiest and most surprising summers in the league. And at the time, many thought they had one of the best offseasons as well, acquiring both Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.
Through the first two months or so of the season, however, things are not turning out how everyone inside and outside of the organization expected. The Thunder are just 12-14, which has them sitting all the way down in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Recently, a frustrated George said, in regards to OKC's losing ways, "it's gotta stop." With the Thunder floundering, and this trio likely only a one-season partnership, the trade whispers for George have already started to surface.
According to a report from Royce Young, executives from other teams have started to ponder the possibility of George being available. Via ESPN:
The Thunder have caught the attention of many around the league, with rival executives already wondering whether George could potentially find his way back on the trade block if things don't improve.
In addition, a general manager from an Eastern Conference team addressed the possible return OKC could get for dealing George. Via Forbes:
"The question is, what can Oklahoma City expect to get in a trade?'' said one Eastern Conference GM. "The Lakers aren't going to give up two young players for him now. And as for other teams, he'd strictly be a rental, if all the talk about the Lakers is still real."
Of course, it has only been 26 games, and there's still two months until the trade deadline, so the Thunder have plenty of time to get things on track. However, the fact that executives from teams across the league are commenting -- even anonymously -- about a potential deal for George shows that it's on the radar of important people in the league.
That doesn't mean a deal is happening, but it's clearly something that execs across the league are pondering.
