The Los Angeles Clippers were aggressive in their pursuit of a Blake Griffin trade before settling on a deal with the Pistons.

"They offered him around to everybody," said Royce Young on The Hoop Collective podcast. 

"I don't know if that's true," replied Brian Windhorst.

"I mean I know they made calls to Oklahoma City for Paul George," Young said. "I'm pretty sure they made calls to Minnesota for players, so I mean, like, they tried to get some bigger name players. It just wasn't happening."

Griffin is from Oklahoma and had long been linked to the Thunder.

George will be a free agent in 2018 and was a Clippers' fan growing up outside Los Angeles.

Paul George has been named a 2018 All-Star replacement.

George is slated to make his fifth All-Star appearance, joining teammate Russell Westbrook on Team LeBron, replacing New Orleans’ DeMarcus Cousins.

George is currently averaging 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.17 steals (ranks 2nd). In 46 games this season, he is averaging a career-best 42.0 percent from 3-point range on a career-high 7.3 3-point attempts per game. He ranks first in deflections (4.4) and third in loose balls recovered (1.7).

Andre Roberson suffered a ruptured left patellar tendon during the third quarter of Saturday's win by the Thunder over Detroit.

Roberson was taken off the court on a stretcher after his left leg appeared to give out on the receiving end of an alley-oop attempt.

Roberson is expected to miss the remainder of the season and will undergo surgery.

"He's certainly a huge loss," Thunder coach Billy Donovan said after Saturday's game. "Everyone's been able to see that since he's kinda come back to us and what he's been able to do defensively. And he's found a way to be, offensively, a really effective player for us."

Paul George said the support he received from Russell Westbrook following his All-Star snub makes his upcoming free agency decision easier to make.

"Russ is the reason why this decision is becoming even more easier to make, is the character Russ [has]," George said on Wednesday. "A stand-up guy, and he has his teammate's back."

Westbrook voiced complaints about the Warriors having four All-Stars, as well as players "complaining about getting snubbed until they get in."

"We were actually joking before he went up there, and I'm like, 'Nah, Russ, man, just let it go, let it go Russ. It is what it is, I wasn't picked,' and he was like, 'Nah, man, P, that's messed up. I'm gonna tell them something about that,'" George said.

"It was awesome for a teammate to have your back and to stand up," he said. "And to be honest, he should be a starter. He's been the MVP, been the best player at his position. He should've been a starter, but that's another story. But the fact Russ had my back, that's my guy forever, and it's more apparent what this decision needs to be made when it comes down to it."

George will be a free agent this offseason and has strongly been linked with the Lakers. George is in his first season with the Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder remain fully committed to playing out the rest of the season with Paul George.

The Thunder traded away Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis for George last June despite his status as a free agent this coming offseason.

The Thunder have made a favorable impression upon George so far this season.

The Los Angeles Lakers likely remain the team to beat on signing George.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook today were named the Kia NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Month, respectively, for games played in December. 

James ranked first in the Eastern Conference in assists (10.3 apg), third in scoring (27.5 ppg) and eighth in rebounding (8.2 rpg) as the Cavaliers went 9-5 in December.  He also tied for second in the East in steals with 1.93 per game.  The four-time Kia NBA MVP finished second in the East with nine double-doubles and recorded a conference-best five triple-doubles, including three straight from Dec. 14-17 to tie his career-long streak set in March 2009.  He notched at least 20 points in 13 of 14 games and recorded five games with 30 or more points.  The 33-year-old forward tallied at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists 11 times.  

Westbrook averaged a triple-double of 27.8 points (fourth in the NBA), 10.6 assists (tops in the NBA) and 10.2 rebounds (fourth in the West) as the Thunder went 12-5 for the month, including wins over the San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors.  The 29-year-old guard posted six triple-doubles to improve his league-leading total to 12.  He shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in seven of his last nine games for the month.  On Dec. 22, Westbrook’s game-winning three-pointer capped a 30-point, 15-assist performance in a 120-117 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.   

When Paul George was traded to the Thunder, he watched hours of tape of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook playing together. George even spoke about the Thunder with Durant but they didn't discuss playing with Westbrook.

"What happened between them two is between them two," George said. "They had a long history together. I respect the history they had together. It wasn't on my behalf to want to know. I didn't want to know. Whatever wasn't working, or whatever was working that we didn't know, media ran with it and thought they were against each other; it was between them.

"We were in a new situation, and I wanted a fresh start with Russ. Whether there was something that went bad between those two, I didn't need to have any opinion going into this. I wanted know Russ and get to know Russ for myself. And he's been an unbelievable teammate."

Paul George said he doesn't need the Thunder to win a championship as a selling point when he becomes a free agent, but he does want to see them trending in the right direction.

"I've got a lot to think about," George said. "This summer will be huge. I've got a lot to think about. If we're trending, if we're going in the right direction, if I feel there is something that we're building, and there's a foundation -- it would be kind of clueless, just stupid on my behalf to up and leave.

"I'm very conscious that we're only together for a year so far, and we continue to go in an upward trend. It's best to stick with what we have and work on building. So, I wouldn't say it's championship or bust, or championship and I'm out. It's all about building. If I like where we're building or the level that we're going at, it would be stupid to walk away from that."

George has been tied to the Lakers for several years.

Russell Westbrook was asked what his sales pitch will be when Paul George becomes a free agent this offseason.

"Sales pitch gonna be when we win a championship. Beat that pitch," said Westbrook.

George will be a free agent in 2018 and has been linked to the Lakers, who the Thunder are playing on Wednesday.

Westbrook could have become a free agent in 2018 but he's already signed a contract extension.

Paul George was asked whether he had any regrets about his wish to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers be reported before he was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder by the Indiana Pacers.

"No regrets at all. All was said was a destination I would love to go," said George. "There wasn’t a ‘Hey, gunpoint to the head, send me here.’ I just stated it was somewhere I wanted to go play. You ask 80, 70 percent of guys in the league if they would love to go back home and play for their city, play for their home. That’s all I stated that I would have loved to go back home and played for my city. No regrets. No regrets at all. I thought this trade that went down was a win-win for both sides and I’m happy for both of them.”

George will be a free agent this offseason and continues to be linked to the Lakers.