Paul George to Thunder
In a move that practically guarantees the Cleveland Cavaliers represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA finals, the Indiana Pacers send Paul George to the OKC Thunder in a blockbuster deal. While there was talk of the Cavs acquiring George, the Cleveland garnered little interest its only trade asset, Kevin Love.
The Indiana Pacers have agreed to trade four-time All-Star forward Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne on Friday night.
As part of the deal, the Pacers will acquire guard Victor Oladipo and second-year big man Domantas Sabonis, sources said.
The trade ends weeks of speculation regarding George, the 27-year-old forward who had committed to playing with the Pacers through the 2017-18 season but said he would become a free agent next offseason and preferred to join the Los Angeles Lakers. George is from Southern California.
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George had been linked to several teams since, including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Houston Rockets.
But the Thunder won out on the George sweepstakes, a move that no doubt leaves reigning NBA MVP Russell Westbrook happy and brings another star player from the Eastern Conference to the West. The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Jimmy Butler from the Chicago Bulls on draft night.
Las Vegas immediately took note of Friday night’s blockbuster. Oklahoma City’s odds to win the 2017-18 NBA title went from 60-1 to 40-1, according to the Westgate Las Vegas.
There was a belief by the Cavaliers that Indiana president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, when it came down to pulling the trigger on a George deal, felt more comfortable shipping him to a Western Conference team rather than an East rival — the Celtics and Cleveland both made countless inquiries — that could continue to stand in the Pacers’ way as they start a rebuild.
Steve
Steve is an affordable multifamily housing professional that is also the co-founder of Whiskey Congress. Steve has written for national publications such as The National Marijuana News and other outlets as a guest blogger on topics covering sports, politics, and cannabis. Steve loves whiskey, cigars, and uses powerlifting as an outlet to deal with the fact that no one listens to his brilliant ideas.
