The Indiana Pacers' decision to trade Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder was one of the shock deals of a busy offseason in the NBA.

Despite reportedly receiving more attractive offers, the Pacers accepted a package from OKC that saw them receive Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in return.

With PG13 informing Indiana that he didn't plan to re-sign with them when he enters free agency in 2018, the franchise was left with little option but to offload him.

But the deal they struck was still surprising for a player of George's ability. It has been widely reported that the small forward has his heart set on a move to the Los Angeles Lakers next summer, but that didn't deter the Thunder from acquiring him, even if it could just be for one year.

Speaking about his future, the All-Star has stated that he isn't willing to look beyond this season and I still fully focused on helping Oklahoma City compete with the best teams in the Western Conference.

The 27-year-old is looking forward to representing his new team and having a better chance of challenging for a title, something which he was unable to do in recent years in Indianapolis.

As well as collective success, George is aiming to do big things on an individual level too. At his current age, he's entering the peak of his career and in a recent interview with NBA TV, he outlined his desire to be crowned as the MVP this year.

"Man, I'm going for it," George said. "Every summer I train to do it, and it just seems every summer I add something new and I learn something about myself. This summer I really wanted to attack the weight room and strengthen my body, strengthen my core.

"I can definitely say that was the next step, to be able to sustain the wear and tear throughout the whole season. So, I'm going for it; I'm going for that hardware."

The current holder of the award is, of course, his new teammate Russell Westbrook. The prospect of seeing the duo line up together on a nightly basis is a tantalising one, especially for OKC fans.

The pair have spent time working out together this summer and George believes he can provide some much-needed support for the triple-double machine and carry some of the team's load.

"I told him I'm here to help give him a boost," he said. "Hard to make a guy who averaged triple-double better."