Dealing away Klay Thompson was clearly a non-starter for the Warriors, even when the return package included Paul George. Still, George spent some time thinking about what it would be like to join Golden State.
That was before the Pacers traded George to the Thunder, of course. But George discussed a trade offer which would've swapped him for Thompson while appearing Thursday on The Woj Pod with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
George backed up a report last month (by Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report) that the Pacers offered him for Thompson, straight up, and the four-time All-Star shared his take on potentially going to the Dubs.
"I think that would have been the Chris Paul-to-L.A. situation, where (the NBA) denied that trade," George said about the trade offer. "Yeah, I was aware of it. I would've looked forward to it, just being ... in a good situation, and (having) a chance to compete for a championship. But it didn't happen."
The Pacers instead shipped him to Oklahoma City, where George will play alongside Russell Westbrook.
"It's still fun to team up with a special talent and have a chance to compete against that team," George said.
Like how George reportedly wants to unite with Thompson on the Los Angeles Lakers, a thought Thompson denied.
George further detailed his thoughts on how the Warriors have affected the league.
"We love being the alpha of our teams _ it's just not realistic that you're going to be able to do it alone," George said. "You need help in this league. Back in the day, that's what made the league. Guys were winning championships, making their team better by themselves. They had pieces and they had a lot of help. But the league was spread out. Now you've got guys teaming up; the landscape has shifted a bit. In order to compete against that, you have to have guys that can compete at the same level as you. That's really what this league has come down to. (The Warriors) shifted the landscape a lot."
