By Marc Auker
Paul George, one of the NBA’s most prolific players, was traded to the Oklahoma City (OKC) Thunder on Friday in surprising fashion. George, a small forward, was dealt by the Indiana Pacers to OKC for shooting guard Victor Oladipo and power forward Domantas Sabonis.
George has been very vocal lately about his yearning to transition to the Western Conference and playing for the Los Angeles Lakers when he becomes a free agent after the 2017-18 season. So, rather than keeping George for what would seemingly be a meaningless upcoming season, the Pacers decided to take action and add some solid pieces to their rebuilding project.
A four-time All-Star selection for the Eastern Conference, George is joining an OKC team that went 47-35 last season, spearheaded by the NBA’s newest Most Valuable Player (MVP) Russell Westbrook. Bringing together two of the best scorers in the NBA shows just how determined OKC is to combating the Golden State Warriors for Western Conference Champion honors. If this does prove to be George’s only season with the Thunder, he will be looking to make the most of it.
Oladipo was OKC’s second-leading scorer last season (behind Westbrook) and Sabonis has a lot of upside being picked number 11 in the 2016 NBA Draft. Though it took dealing its best player, the Indiana squad has added two young, promising players to try to make a splash in the Eastern Conference for years to come.
Whether OKC can convince George to sign an extension with the team at the end of this upcoming season and forego a contract with the Lakers is anyone’s guess; but with the addition of George, the Thunder will certainly be poised to give the Warriors a run for their money.
