NBA Trade Grades: Thunder scoop Paul George from Pacers
Oklahoma City Thunder
Even if this turns out to be a one-year rental for the Oklahoma City Thunder, what a coup. It’s not often a superstar like Paul George is made available, and it’s even rarer to see him traded for such a meager return.
OKC had high hopes for Oladipo when they dealt Serge Ibaka for him and the rookie Sabonis during the 2016 NBA Draft. He was supposed to be Westbrook’s No. 2, giving the Thunder another option on the offensive end in the creation of one of the league’s most athletic backcourts.
Unfortunately, Oladipo dealt with a few nagging injuries and never stepped into that role. With that gaudy contract extension set to kick in, OKC certainly had no qualms with including him in a deal to land at least one year of PG-13.
Think about the Oklahoma City Thunder trade this way: one year later, the Thunder traded one year of Serge Ibaka for one year of Paul George
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) July 1, 2017
While Russ’ superhuman triple-double feats were impossible to look away from, a sideways glance at the standings revealed this one-man show only measured up to a Kevin Durant Thunder team in terms of pure spectacle.
Trading for George brings the substance back to the flash (though no one would ever say Westbrook’s season was meaningless razzle-dazzle, since the man carried his team to 47 wins and an MVP trophy) and addresses the team’s serious needs of wing talent, three-point shooting and a secondary scoring punch.
He’s no Kevin Durant, which means this team is still a piece away from being a legitimate contender, but this is an encouraging return to prominence for the franchise less than a year after the most devastating free agency departure in its history.
Thunder had roster with a lot of one-dimensional role players built to play around two elite stars, now they have that again.
— Kurt Helin (@basketballtalk) July 1, 2017
The threat of Paul George leaving next summer is very real. He wants to play for his hometown Lakers and the possibility of teaming up with LeBron James there is intriguing to think about.
If the Thunder are unable to extend Russell Westbrook’s contract — and according to ESPN‘s Ramona Shellburne, this trade may not affect how he approaches this possible extension — they would then face the possibility of not only losing George, but also Russ in the same summer.
Remember, Westbrook went to UCLA and if he doesn’t extend, he could opt out of the remaining $30.7 million on his contract next summer and join free agency. The Lakers just drafted a point guard in Lonzo Ball and will have their eyes set on LeBron, but if the King turns out to be a pipe dream, landing Russ and PG-13 and letting Lonzo play off the ball would certainly be agreeable.
That being said, perhaps playing with an MVP talent on a legitimate playoff contender in OKC would change Paul George’s mind. A lot can happen in one year.
Per one NBA team exec: "If the Lakers think Paul George is just going to walk away from a winner...I wouldn't count on it."
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) July 1, 2017
Even with the threat of Paul George being a one-year rental, there are some risks worth taking.
Considering what little they had to give up, considering their chances of swaying him while playing for a Western powerhouse and considering they managed to shed $4 million in salary in the process, this deal is a major win for OKC.
Grade: A