The Westbrook/George era is here to stay in OKC (AP Photo)

It's official, Paul George is staying with the Thunder. 

The roller-coaster that began over a year ago, when George stated that he wanted out of Indiana for the Lakers, has finally come to a close. For the Lakers, their confident approach in holding out for this summer's free agency, instead of trading for him a year ago, has proven costly. The Purple and Gold weren't even able to get a meeting with the Palmdale native. 

The Woj bomb makes it official, PG stays. (Adrian Wojnarowski/Twitter)

For the Thunder, the gamble they took last summer has paid off wonderfully. Though many thought that had they won the trade that sent Victor Oladipo and Damantas Sabonis to the Pacers, George's pending free agency and interest in the Lakers had palms sweaty. However, the trade allowed the small-market team to pitch for a whole year, which seems to have made all the difference. The deal itself is a dream for the Thunder, as Brian Windhorst notes:

"If you're gonna take a multi-year deal, you'd wanna take a two year deal, because if he took a two year deal Rach, he could get to ten years service time, and then come back on the market and get a big raise. Taking a three year deal... this is basically him giving a giant hug to Oklahoma City. " 

via ESPN's "The Jump"

Whilst the announcement was made in fun fashion, during a party hosted by Russell Westbrook, now the question remains if George will regret this decision, given his apparent desire to become an NBA Champion.

It was party time for Thunder fans as George made it official (Gabe Ikard/Twitter)

With George signed, as well as Jerami Grant, who agreed to a new three year deal with the Thunder, OKC's payroll could cost over $300 million dollars with luxury tax payments included. This also leaves no space for potential moves to improve the squad, given Steven Adam's remaining 3 years/$77.4 million dollar deal, and Carmelo Anthony's final year, set at $27.9 million. 

This means that we can expect to see virtually the same team that was knocked out in the first round last season by the Utah Jazz. Time will tell if the Thunder are able to win it all, but if this doesn't pan out, George will have failed in multiple aspects, both in securing a max deal that could pay him in excess of $170 million, and also in his other goal in securing a title. His saving grace is that he can opt out of this new deal at age 31, hopefully with another opportunity to make a move in his prime. 


Nevertheless, with Andre Robertson set to return from injury, perhaps this Thunder lineup can make a serious splash next season, especially with a year together under their belts. One should now ask if a coaching change from the incumbent Billy Donovan is the next step in getting the best of this group? 

Only time will tell if this decision is a stroke of genius or of idiocy. Fans in OKC can party tonight; however, if the championship is the goal, the celebrations may soon be short lived.

Did Paul George make the right decision? Leave a comment!