It may be more than a belief however, as Adrian Wojnarowski appeared on The Chris Mannix Show and said that George’s camp is flat out telling teams that regardless of who trades for him, George will be going to the Lakers in 2018:
“Teams are trying to decide what’s the appropriate cost for a player who they’re being told, pretty adamantly by Paul George’s camp, will be a rental. No matter who you are, no matter who has checked in or who potentially will check in, they’re gonna be told that Paul George is gonna play the season out and then he’s gonna go to the Lakers, that that’s his plan.”