Thunderous Intentions
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Thunder in the News: Paul George gets much-needed attention

By Tony Heim

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: Paul George #13 of the OKC Thunder dribbles past Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 30: Paul George #13 of the OKC Thunder dribbles past Otto Porter Jr. #22 of the Washington Wizards during the first half at Capital One Arena on January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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OKC Thunder forward Paul George
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK- JANUARY 25: Paul George #13 of the OKC Thunder looks on during the game against the Washington Wizards on January 25, 2018 at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Layne Murdoch Sr./NBAE via Getty Images) /

The OKC Thunder broke their winning streak last night? We’ll talk about that in a bit. First things first is figuring out what’s going to happen with Paul George this offseason.

Maybe it was the fact that my attentions were turned to last night’s State of the Union address. Or maybe it’s because we haven’t experienced a Thunder loss in quite some time. Either way, I shrugged last night’s L off in a matter of minutes. Why? There’s simply too many other things surrounding this team for me to stew over a simple loss.

The All-Star snub that helped OKC’s case

I HATE admitting when I’m wrong. But when it entails Paul George’s increasing chances of staying in Oklahoma City I’m all for it. As Royce Young details, George may have never experienced Russell Westbrook going after other players/teams on his behalf. Just read Royce’s piece please – you’ll forget about last night by the fifth paragraph.

"It had the look of a defining moment in the relationship."

Is ownership ready to front a $250-$300 million bill?

And this is when it gets tricky. History says the Thunder’s ownership group is not interested in paying a hefty luxury tax bill to keep a contender together. Bleacher Report’s cap extraordinaire Eric Pincus examines Oklahoma City’s salary situation and the many options that could come to fruition this summer.

Want my thoughts on what’s eventually going to happen? Melo is going to agree to an extension that reduces his salary next season and George is going to re-sign in Oklahoma City.

"If George is the priority this summer, the key may be in Anthony making it possible."

Grading last night’s performance

And finally, after much deception, I end by forcing you to re-live last night. The Thunder’s last game in January was a product of an 82-game season: a struggle. As Thunderous Intentions staff writer Ted Dower details, neither team’s shots were falling, leading to a street fight of a matchup. Ted does an especially good job of keeping it real for all of Thunder Nation. Considering I’m the “bias but reasonable fan,” I appreciate his efforts immensely.

"The game was ugly from start to finish, with both teams shooting below 40 percent from the field and less than 30 percent from three."

That’s it for today’s issue of Thunder in the News! January may be over, but that won’t stop us from updating you daily on the most important OKC happenings. See you back here tomorrow!

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