Lakers News: Paul George out 6-8 weeks after undergoing left knee scope

Los Angeles Lakers free agency target Paul George will be sidelined for the next six-to-eight weeks after undergoing a successful left knee scope on Wednesday, as first reported by Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports, with the Thunder later announcing the surgery.

Earlier in the day, George posted a picture of himself in a hospital bed on his Instagram story and at the time no one knew exactly what it was for.

This won’t likely change the Lakers’ feelings about George heading into the summer. With enough cap space to sign at least two max free agents, George will still be one of the Lakers’ top priorities in free agency, if not the top priority.

Through 79 games with the Oklahoma City Thunder, George averaged 21.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game in the regular season before the Thunder lost to the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs.

The latest rumor about George is that he will not be returning to Oklahoma City for a second season after a disappointing first-round showing with the Thunder. If that is the case, the Lakers are still considered heavy favorites to land the 28-year-old All-Star in free agency, according to Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post.

However, George has previously said that the lure of his hometown alone won’t be enough to sway him in free agency.

George will enter unrestricted free agency on July 1, and luckily, given the state of his knee, he doesn’t need to walk too far to sign a max contract.

All stats per NBA.com.