Paul George to Lakers, Paul George
Apr 13, 2014; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westrbook (0) drives to the basket against Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (24) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. USA TODAY Sports / Brian Spurlock

Paul George, an unrestricted free agent next summer, has been linked strongly to hometown franchise the Los Angeles Lakers. However, George, recently traded to Oklahoma City Thunder, will admittedly remain with Russell Westbrook & Co. if his new team reaches the Conference Finals next year.

It won't be an easy task for the All-Star duo of Westbrook and George to steer OKC to the Conference Finals. The West is stacked with powerhouses Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs joined by the recently-upgraded rosters of Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

While George did not rule out the possibility of signing with the Lakers, the All-Star forward reckons he would be "dumb" to leave a situation in which the Thunder can make a run at the Warriors. George told Sports Illustrated in an interview:

“I grew up a Lakers and a Clippers fan. I idolised Kobe. There will always be a tie here, a connection here. People saying I want to come here, who doesn’t want to play for their hometown? That’s a dream come true, if you’re a kid growing up on the outskirts of L.A., to be the man in your city. But it’s definitely been overstated. For me, it’s all about winning. I want to be in a good system, a good team. I want a shot to win it. I’m not a stats guy. I’m playing this game to win and build a legacy of winning. I’ve yet to do that. I’m searching for it. If we get a killer season in Oklahoma, we make the conference finals or upset the Warriors or do something crazy, I’d be dumb to want to leave that."

Paul George to Lakers will require Super Team to be formed

While the rest of the league has been splurging dollars on free agents, the Lakers are preserving their "sacred cap space" to make a splash in NBA Free Agency 2018. Besides George and Westbrook, the likes of LeBron James, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Paul will be free agents next July.

George did not rule out the possibility of forming a Super Team in L,A. if the Lakers manage to sign another max-level free agent next year. A lot will also depend on the performance of the Lakers' promising duo of Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram.

“It’s too early for L.A. It would have to be a situation where the ball gets rolling and guys are hopping on. This guy commits, that guy commits. ‘Oh s---, now there’s a team forming.’ It has to be like that.” But the same is true for virtually every locale outside of Oakland. “I’m in OKC, so hopefully me and Russ do a good enough job and make it to the conference finals and love the situation, why not recruit someone to come build it with us? I’m open in this whole process.”

Paul George, one of the best two-way wings in the league, averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his seventh season for the Indiana Pacers. He was drafted 10th overall by the Pacers in 2010.