Kevin Durant Told Paul George Thunder 'Will Blow You Away' After Trade

Oklahoma City Thunder offseason acquisition Paul George said Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant gave a ringing endorsement of his former franchise when the two talked after George's trade to OKC.

Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated passed along comments from the longtime Indiana Pacers standout, who reached out to several past Thunder players to get an idea about the organization.

"KD was like, 'That place will blow you away,'" George said. "He told me, 'They can offer what other teams can't in terms of the people and the preparation and the facility, down to the chefs and the meals.' He was pretty high on them. He thought it was a first-class organization in every way."

Durant spent nine years with the Oklahoma City franchise, including its final season as the Seattle SuperSonics, before leaving to join the Warriors last July. His arrival allowed the star-studded Dubs to capture their second title in three years as they beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

George said he's come to understand the backlash Durant, and previously LeBron James when he left the Cavs for the Miami Heat, received after joining contenders. He lamented the Pacers' inability to build a championship team, which is what he seeks most at this stage.

"There's no right way to handle it," he told SI. "I get the frustration. I get why people are upset. But at the same time, I want the average fan to understand that we only get a small window to play this game and more than anything you want to be able to play for a championship. I wanted to bring that to Indiana. I really did. I love Indiana. That will always be a special place for me and I'm sorry for not holding on. But I wasn't sure we'd ever get a team together to compete for a championship and that's where all this came from."

Durant was criticized for joining a team with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green rather than competing against it. The 2017 Finals MVP explained to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated in May it was the right decision, regardless of the outside noise.

"I made the 100 percent correct decision, win or lose," he said. "I feel like this is the place I was supposed to be. I appreciate everything I've done before this. But I'm here now, and I feel like it's a great spot for me to be. This is where I am supposed to be at this point of my life. I'm taking it on and conquering every part of it. I'm enjoying every single step."

George will hope his first, and potentially only, year in Oklahoma City is as successful as Durant's debut campaign with the Warriors. The OKC star can decline a player option to hit the free-agent market next offseason.

He'll team with reigning league MVP Russell Westbrook to give the Thunder one of the league's most dynamic one-two punches. Whether they'll have enough depth to contend with Golden State as well as the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs is a major question mark, though.