The Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder took very different paths to their NBA Finals matchup. But for both teams, the journey to conference championships began with trading Paul George.
George has had a fantastic NBA career, making nine All-Star Games, six All-NBA teams and four All-Defensive teams. He’s reached the conference finals three times with two different teams and won a gold medal in 2016 at the Olympics. As good as he’s been, trading George has laid the foundation for both 2025 Finals teams, albeit many years later.
The Pacers drafted George with the No. 10 pick in 2010 out of Fresno State. After some very good years ended with three straight playoff losses to LeBron James’ Miami Heat, George broke two bones in his right leg while playing for Team USA and missed nearly all of the 2014-15 season. After the 2016-17 season, Indiana traded George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
Indiana traded Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton, and after Oladipo suffered his own devastating injury, the Pacers traded him for Caris Levert, who was then flipped for two draft picks that became starting guard Andrew Nembhard and backup point guard Ben Sheppard.
For the Thunder, they weren’t even shopping George in the summer of 2019, one year after he signed a long-term extension in OKC and weeks after a season where he finished third in the MVP vote. But when Kawhi Leonard signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, he convinced George to request a trade.
Thunder GM Sam Presti was disappointed, but he got a haul. The Clippers sent the Thunder future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the trade, along with seven first-round picks or swaps. One of those picks turned into All-Star forward Jalen Williams. Even after a 68-win season and a trip to the Finals, the Thunder the No. 15 and No. 24 picks in this June’s draft courtesy of the George deal.
This is no slight to George as a player, as he’ll almost certainly make the Hall of Fame when his illustrious career eventually ends. However, this year’s Finals teams have two starters each, three of them All-Stars, simply due to trading George.
Should the Philadelphia 76ers consider trading George to keep their own championship dreams alive? History would tell us it’s not the worst idea.
