Los Angeles Lakers: 3 potential trade proposals for Paul George

Trade No. 3

I think this would be the ideal for the Lakers, who part with two players they plan on getting rid of anyway and a young, quality big man. It’s not a huge haul for the Thunder, but I don’t think they have a ton of leverage at this point anyway.

Why? Well first off, George appears eager to play for the Lakers. If that truly is the case, other teams will be hesitant to pull the trigger on a trade knowing he may not re-sign. Why invest significant assets in a short-term rental, unless you know it’ll end in a championship? Plus, it’s not like the Thunder had to give up a king’s ransom to get George in the first place.

All they sent to the Indiana Pacers was Victor Oladipo (coming off a wildly inconsistent season) and Domantas Sabonis, who was coming off a solid-yet-unspectacular rookie campaign. Both were quality pieces, but neither was a star. While the outlook has since changed, the Thunder didn’t know they were giving up that much value at the time.

Are Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle comparable to Oladipo and Sabonas? Not necessarily, but that’s why Ivica Zubac is thrown in. The financials work, George ends up with the Lakers, and the Thunder manage to recoup something from a trade that hasn’t yielded the expected results.