Paul George is no longer with the the Pacers. Only hours before free agency started, Indiana pulled the trigger on a trade sending George to the Thunder, according to ESPN. The Thunder will now get one year to convince George to stay before he's a free agent in 2018. With the current MVP, Russell Westbrook, playing with him that could potentially be enough to stay around depending on how his season goes.
The Pacers will receive Victor Oladipo and former first round pick Domantas Sabonis in exchange for George. This is the second time Oladipo will be traded in as many years. Both players are considered young prospects with high potential and they're the exact type of guys the Thunder would want for a rebuild.
Paul George has been traded to OKC, per sources
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2017
Hearing Oladipo and Sabonis going to Indy
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2017
The Thunder are huge winners in this trade, because even if the rental fails they managed to prove they can get superstar level talent to Oklahoma City. If this turns into Russell Westbrook signing an extension to try and convince George to stay longer than a year then the deal becomes an even bigger win.
The Pacers on the other hand lose their star, but they gain a decent return in young prospects. Indiana has a long road ahead of them to rebuild on, but they at least got something back in return for George. That in itself should be considered a victory.
