Paul George on Carmelo Anthony trade to Thunder: 'This feels like a championship team'

Sam Amick | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Knicks agree to trade Carmelo Anthony to Thunder The New York Knicks have agreed to trade Carmelo Anthony to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second-round pick.

OKLAHOMA CITY – As Paul George sat back in his dining room chair on Saturday afternoon, a gray Nike shirt on his back and the Carmelo Anthony trade on his mind, he pondered what it all meant for an Oklahoma City Thunder team that has recovered so nicely from the loss of Kevin Durant last summer.

“This feels like a championship team,” George told USA TODAY Sports. “I'm in a good place. I know Russ (Westbrook) is in a good place. Melo is motivated more than ever…You put us three together, who all have something to prove still, (and) we're going to be a special team. We have a young group, a lot of talent here, an unbelievable coach (in Billy Donovan), (and) as you see, a front office that's willing to do whatever it takes to improve the team. It just has all the makeups to be a great organization and a chance to put championships together.”

That sound you hear is the Thunder faithful putting its collective heart on the line – again.

No one knows better than Thunder fans how hollow words can be this time of year, when prospective free agents like George share glowing reviews that just might change by the time July 1 rolls around. This league belongs to the Golden State Warriors, after all, with Durant’s decision to depart setting the stage for the kind of dominance that wasn’t supposed to be challenged anytime soon.

But then Anthony stunned the league at large, agreeing to waive his no-trade clause with the New York Knicks to come to the Thunder after spending these past few months fixated on the Houston Rockets as his only viable option. And all of a sudden, in spite of all those league-wide rumblings that George was destined to sign with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers next summer, the Thunder find themselves as contenders for the Western Conference crown again while upping their odds of convincing George to stay beyond this season.

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The Team USA ties played a significant part in the Thunder’s ability to land the 10-time All-Star, as Westbrook played alongside Anthony during the gold medal run in the 2012 Olympics in London and George was his teammate during the 2016 Rio Olympics in which they also won gold.

“Well Russ and Melo, they've had a relationship far longer and way before me and Melo had a relationship,” George said. “Those two have been on USA teams, and then when I got the chance to play with Melo on the USA team. I expressed (and) he expressed how much we wanted to play alongside each other in an NBA uniform. And then when we both were presented this opportunity this summer, and knowing Melo wanted to opt out and wanted to move on, we've connected. We talked, and he expressed again - 'Hey, I would love to come join you guys and be a part of what you guys have got going there.' And then from there, it's a no-brainer. We run with it, and it came to life.”

As early stages go between a star player and his new team, it doesn’t get much better than this.

It was one thing to land George on June 30, when the Indiana Pacers sent him their way for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis as a would-be co-star for Westbrook. It’s yet another to land Anthony less than three months later in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a 2018 second round pick, with the Thunder instantly forming the kind of super team that just might be able to give the Warriors an unexpected push.

Fans and media will take a temperature on this situation all season long, and with good reason. Many questions loom.

Will Westbrook sign the five-year, $207 million extension that the Thunder have had in front of him for some time now, or will he let the Oct. 16 deadline come and go in order to keep his options open next summer? Will this new Thunder team click - with Anthony making the most of his new life as a third option while Westbrook and George lead the way - well enough that they all want to return in free agency next summer? Or will another heartache, a la Durant, ensue for an organization that sees this as a second chance of sorts? While the contracts for Westbrook and George expire next summer, Anthony has an early termination option on the final season of his deal (worth $27.9 million) and could opt for free agency.

For George, who spent his first seven NBA seasons with the Pacers and was routinely open about his frustration with their inability to surround him with star talent, this is a welcome change of pace.

“I'm real excited,” he said. “It just goes to show how a small market can stay aggressive in the trade place, and can really do whatever it needs to do for the players' sake to give them the best chance to win, man. It's pretty impressive that Oklahoma has now three superstars, and gave this state a legitimate chance to win a championship.

“The most beautiful thing about it is (that) this organization (lets) all their players know what's going on. There's nothing under the table. There's nothing hidden since I've been here so far. So I was aware of what was going on. I was extremely happy. I was pushing for this opportunity to play with (Anthony). I'm extremely happy…The first year I get here, we already have three superstars on the team. It just goes to show what's possible with different organizations.”

Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick.