Danny Ainge was patient, he wanted to secure Gordon Hayward first. Magic Johnson was patient, he believes Paul George will eventually come to him (maybe that still happens, but it’s less likely). The Cleveland Cavaliers desperately tried to make a deal but didn’t have the pieces to get a trade done, even when dangling Kevin Love.
Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti was not patient, he made his move.
The Thunder have traded for Paul George, sending Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to the Pacers to help start their rebuild. The trade may not formally be consummated until July 7 (after the signing moratorium), but it’s done. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN broke the news.
Paul George has been traded to OKC, per sources
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2017
Hearing Oladipo and Sabonis going to Indy
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2017
Numerous other reports have confirmed this. It’s a bit surprising in that Indy had been demanding picks in every other deal but settled without one in this trade. Before you bash Danny Ainge, remember the Pacers asked for the Brooklyn pick and the Laker pick next year, plus Jae Crowder in a deal. They took far, far less from OKC.
First, for the Thunder, this is the kind of move that will make Russell Westbrook want to sign that super max contract extension the Thunder are expected to throw at him at the stroke of midnight.
Second, the Thunder roster of expensive, somewhat one-dimensional role players — Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, Andre Roberson if they can retain him in free agency — was built to go around two elite stars. Their flaws were evident last year when it was one star and those role players were asked to do more. While Paul George is no Kevin Durant, the Thunder have two stars again.
George gives the Thunder another good ball handler and shot creator, plus someone who can defend on the perimeter. It will take pressure off of MVP Westbrook, and we should see a more diverse offense from them. This is a Thunder team that will be very good and, if things go right, could be in the second tier of a Western Conference suddenly looking very deep as teams line up to challenge the Warriors.
Will George, who has told people he wants to go to Los Angeles, stay in Oklahoma City when he’s a free agent next summer? Maybe. Depends on how this season plays out. How good do the Thunder look? How do the young Lakers look? There are a lot of variables at play, and George to LA has never been the done deal some tried to sell it as. This is a smart roll of the dice by the Thunder, who didn’t give up too much.
For Indiana, welcome to rebuilding around Myles Turner. The problem is, this package seems like not enough, but Sabonis is a potentially good player about to get all the run he wants. Apparently, Pacers head man Kevin Pritchard is high on Oladipo, who has four years and more than $80 million left on his contract. It’s just step one in a long process for them, but it seems more a stumble than a step.