Paul George: “I didn't do nothing that was...I worked hand in hand with the Thunder front office. We had a great relationship. I played two good years there. It was a mutual thing between both of us that the time was up and we both had ideas of doing things differently. I don't think there's nothing wrong with it and I think there should be a mutual and pretty even thing if both parties can be on the same page. At the end of the day, they've got a career as far as the team and the players have a career as well. As long as there's a mutual respect between the both, there shouldn't be nothing wrong with it."
Sam Presti: “I know he used the term ‘mutual’. I don't necessarily agree with that.”
Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti made headlines a day after Paul George and Kawhi Leonard were officially introduced as Los Angeles Clippers, with Paul’s former employer saying he didn’t agree with some of the sentiments George was using during his press conference.
When alluding to the blockbuster trade that sent George to the Clippers for Danilo Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and five first rounds picks, George seemed to be implying that both himself and the Thunder were actively shopping the move, and that is was completely a ‘mutual’ decision to go ahead with one of the biggest trades in league history.
Presti on the other hand, told local media that he didn’t agree with that point of view, and although he said there was nothing ‘adversarial’ about the offseason between himself and PG-13, he says it was far from ‘mutual’ that the team would go out of their way to trade an All-NBA player who could end up in the Hall of Fame.