Paul George Defends Russell Westbrook on Twitter After Trade to Clippers

Following his reported trade to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, Paul George stood up for former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook.

After ESPN analyst Jalen Rose tweeted, "I am not accepting any Westbrook slander," George retweeted and seconded Rose's comment:

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers agreed to trade five first-round picks, guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and forward Danilo Gallinari to the Thunder for George. L.A. then reportedly agreed to a four-year, $141 million contract with Kawhi Leonard.

After the blockbuster moves were first reported, Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported that teams around the NBA were "aware of the discontent" George and Westbrook harbored.

The Thunder acquired George from the Indiana Pacers prior to the 2017-18 season, and rather than testing the market last offseason as expected, George signed a four-year, $136.9 million extension with OKC.

George finished third in the NBA MVP voting last season after averaging 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. The combination of George and Westbrook failed to get the Thunder out of the first round of the playoffs for the second straight season, however.

If George's desire to be traded had nothing to do with Westbrook, perhaps he wanted to play close to his hometown of Palmdale, California, and join forces with Leonard for a chance to win a championship.

Westbrook has now lost Kevin Durant and George as his running mates in recent years, and he will be left to lead a roster that includes Gilgeous-Alexander, Gallinari, Dennis Schroder and Steven Adams next season.