One of the most interesting storylines in this NBA offseason was that of Paul George. The player's future was in the balance as he had one year left on his contract with the Indiana Pacers before his player option.By the end of next season, George could have left the Pacers for nothing due to his player option, which would have been a huge loss for the team, so they did everything they could to make sure that didn't happen. On July 6, he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.Many thought the Los Angeles Lakers instead of the Thunder was the most likely landing spot for the four-time NBA All-Star this offseason, and it could still happen if he opts out of his player option in 2018. One report has suggested he was close to joining another team before Oklahoma came in.According to Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN's The Jump, the Cleveland Cavaliers were very close to acquiring George at one point before the NBA free agency began. A deal was in place and there were only a few extra details that needed to be sorted out before the deal was completed.However, the reason why we're seeing George play for the Thunder next season instead of the Cavaliers is due to the fact that the Pacers pulled out of the offer with Cleveland.Wojnarowski said: "Koby Altman was very close to a deal on June 30 for Paul George. It was so close, in fact, that Indiana was about to give permission to Paul George to get on the phone with Dan Gilbert. Indiana backed out of it and did the Oklahoma City deal."

Considering what the Pacers eventually gave up George to the Thunder for, the Cavaliers must be furious that they missed out on the player considering how close they actually were to signing him to their team.

However, if they were desperate for the four-time All-Star, they would have gone all out to get him, which would have most likely meant sending Kevin Love the other way to Indiana.

During last season for the Pacers, George averaged 23.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.