Paul George traded to OKC: Blockbuster deal sets up Thunder to roll again

A look at how the Paul George trade impacts OKC on and off the court now, and going forward

Title this one: the Thunder strikes back. 

Oklahoma City was dealt the cruelest of fates when Kevin Durant walked last July. It set the franchise back what seemed like a decade. First there were questions about whether Russell Westbrook would be traded. Instead, they managed to lock him into a two-year extension (with an option for a third year). Then it was about how the Thunder would take a big step backwards and could miss the playoffs. They finished as the sixth seed. Westbrook won MVP. But then it was about how this team could possibly get better. 

Well, on Friday night, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo for Paul George. No picks. No incoming burdensome salary. A middling guard and talented non-star forward with upside for one of the best wings in the league. It's an absolute steal, and it completely realigns OKC's future. 

ON THE COURT

If Westbrook's amazing season was dragged down by anything, it was the absence of someone he could deliver the ball to in order to share the load and increase efficiency. George isn't Kevin Durant, that's for certain. But he is an incredible two-way wing, who's lethally efficient both with the ball (74th percentile on pull-up jumpers) and off-ball (80th percentile on catch-and-shoot, 77th percentile on dribble-hand-offs, 68th percentile off screens). 

He melds perfectly with OKC. Westbrook can work pick and roll on the perimeter with a stretch four (Taj Gibson if they re-sign him or Rudy Gay if they clear space to add him), as George comes up to the elbow off a screen from Steven Adams. 

Can Westbrook defer to George after so many people felt he failed to do that even with Durant? Will George be comfortable as a secondary player to Westbrook, and to not have the ball that often? Those are questions, but there is a very natural fit here that is dangerous. Using George as the handoff man in dribble-hand-offs with Westbrook cutting breakneck will panic defenses. 

And a Thunder team that was already elite defensively just got one of the best wing defenders in the league. This move in no way puts them in line to challenge Golden State, they are still far, far behind. But if you wanted a weapon to throw at Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, Paul George is what you want. Moreover, OKC's blitzing pick and roll scheme becomes even more dangerous, which will create more transition opportunities, which will open up more offense for them. 

George is about as close as it gets to a perfect partner for Westbrook. It gives him a slashing, cutting, off-the-ball threat to throw dimes to, a shooter to spread the floor, a wing defender to handle tough perimeter assignments and a secondary creator to score and give him opportunities. 

For George, it's a great fit. He plays with the MVP, a force of nature who will open the floor for him like he's never experienced. He has good, competent bigs, and an aggressive front office. And in a year.... well, let's talk about that. 

NEXT SUMMER LOOMS

If this convinces Westbrook to sign his max player extension, which he reportedly was on the fence about, then OKC at least has taken a very small gamble that helped secure them their franchise player long-term. If he does not, then OKC has the most eggs  you can imagine in this season's basket. 

Imagine if Westbrook and George become close, but the Thunder come up short. Then, in free agency, they both go to the Lakers together next summer. That's in play, at least as of Friday night. But then, imagine they do win. And the Lakers, Celtics, and Cavs all missed out on a chance to trade for George. Does it get them past the Warriors? Again, no, but it puts in play a stable, long-term window of contention for OKC when they looked on the verge of exploding last summer. 

That's why this was so easy for the Thunder. 

The cost was two young players in their pipeline, who they valued, but were expendable. The reward could be two franchise stars for the duration of the rest of the decade. 

And if George leaves next year? They took their shot, and they gave up almost nothing for it. 

Notice that there were no advanced reports of this. No leaks. No talks. League sources had indicated to CBS Sports this week that the Thunder were too quiet and that usually signals their being up to something, but no one saw this coming, just as OKC couldn't have seen Kevin Durant leaving last summer.

When everyone criticized and dragged down the Thunder roster this year despite securing the sixth seed, it got lost that this was the first year of a rebuild. The Thunder were caught off guard last summer when Durant left and had no time to formulate a Plan B. After a full year, they set themselves up for this move, and pulled it off under the cover of darkness. 

Sam Presti didn't need a miracle to get the Thunder roster back to being a serious threat, at least to any team that isn't Golden State. 

He just needed time.

And now, the Thunder has rolled again.