Paul George Has Knee Surgery, Faces 6-8 Week Recovery

According to the Thunder organization, Paul George underwent a left knee scope on Wednesday and will be sidelined from offseason activities for 6-8 weeks. As such, he will likely be completing his recovery process around the same time he hits the free agency market on July 1.

Via the Thunder:

“Oklahoma City Thunder forward Paul George underwent a successful left knee scope today, Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced.

The Thunder, George, and his representation collectively determined for the procedure to be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache with Thunder personnel present at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, California.”

Despite no official word of the procedure ahead of time, George sparked curiosities this afternoon when he posted an image of himself in a hospital bed to his Instagram story.

George faced a number of nagging injuries in the 2017-18 season — including issues with his elbow, hip, and a pelvic strain. Left knee soreness did cost him one game in late December, although it did not appear to be much of an issue down the stretch. He returned after the one-game absence and played in all of the Thunder’s remaining contests.

Although it seems encouraging that the Thunder brass was involved with the planning of today’s procedure, it’s not entirely surprising since he’s technically under contract until he opts-out of the final year of his 5-year, $91.5 million extension he signed with the Indiana Pacers in September of 2013. With knee scopes being fairly common and there being virtually no risk of this being an issue when the 2018-19 season begins, his upcoming date with the open market should not be impacted by today’s news.