Oklahoma City's Paul George speaks to the media during exit interviews for the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Integris Thunder Development Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., Saturday, April 28, 2018. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman

In Oklahoma City on Thursday, Thunder general manager Sam Presti led a group of front-office personnel that worked into the late hours of NBA Draft night.

Halfway across the country, some other Thunder staffers were living it up at a surprise birthday for Paul George.

It’s part of continued communication between George — who can opt out of the final year of his contract on July 1 and become a free agent — and the team that traded for him last summer.

“Paul and his representation, we built a relationship built on transparency, trust and collaboration,” Presti said at his post-draft news conference. “I’m happy to say that that’s continued during the period of time that the season ended to now, which I think speaks a great deal about Paul George and just who he is as a guy. It’s just how he operates. Things don’t change.”