After months of speculation and rumors, on June 30, 2017, the Indiana Pacers traded superstar forward Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. At the time, the Pacers were blasted for essentially giving away an All-NBA player for free, while the Thunder were praised for landing a star for cheap.
Nearly nine months have elapsed since then, and we are almost to the end of the NBA regular season. How has this deal treated each team, and which side came out on top?
The Thunder are 45-33, and currently possess the sixth seed in the Western Conference. Their overall performance has been somewhat disappointing, and that can be attributed to an NBA cliche; there is only one basketball.
Russell Westbrook won the 2016-17 MVP award after an incredible season in which he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists while shooting 34% from three-point range. He attempted 24.0 field goals and had 10.2 field goals per game. The Thunder's second-leading scorer that year, Oladipo, averaged 15.9 points on 13.9 attempts per game as Westbrook tried to do more than any player ever.
Westbrook's numbers and efficiency have taken a hit this year down to 25.4 points on 21.1 field goals and 7.0 free throw attempts. His three-point percentage is 29%, and his free-throw percentage is 73%, down 10 points from last season. Westbrook is not the only scoring option for the Thunder anymore, but despite the decreased amount of attention defenses are able to devote to stopping him, his efficiency numbers have worsened.
George, however, is having a trademark excellent year. In his final season with the Pacers, he averaged 23.7 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 39% from three-point range. This season, he is attempting about one fewer shot per game, putting up 21.8 points and 5.7 rebounds. He is taking about one more three-pointer each game, and his percentage has increased to 41%, which is excellent for the Thunder's offense.
Oklahoma City rounded out its “Big 3” by trading center Enes Kanter, forward Doug McDermott, and a 2018 second-round pick to the New York Knicks for Carmelo Anthony. Anthony had been the subject of rumors involving Cleveland, Portland, Houston, and others, but the Thunder were the best fit. Anthony has made the most sacrifices for the group of stars, and he's having the worst season of his career because of it.
After averaging 22.4 points per game on 18.8 field goals and 4.9 free throws per game, Anthony has become the third wheel for the Thunder after being the clear first option for his entire career. This season, he is attempting just 15.3 field goals and 2.6 free throws per game, scoring 16.6 points. His career low for points per game came in his second season, when he averaged 20.8 over 75 games with the Denver Nuggets. He is also shooting a career low 41% from the field. He has never shot worse than 43% over his 15 years in the NBA. He also missed making the All-Star team for the first time since 2008-09.
While the big three continues to work out their power struggle, the rest of the Thunder roster is lackluster. Steven Adams is a fine center, who complements the rest of the starting lineup quite well. Andre Roberson is one of, if not the NBA's best perimeter defender, but his abysmal shooting limits his effectiveness. He went down with a knee injury in January, and the Thunder struggled to find a suitable replacement until Corey Brewer was bought out by the Los Angeles Lakers in February.
Brewer has been fairly effective in his nine games with the team, averaging 11.7 points while shooting 38% from three-point range, a massive improvement over his 19% rate in Los Angeles. After that, the bench is bare. Patrick Patterson is the most notable role player, and he's taken a huge step back from last season.
Despite their struggles, the Thunder are capable of fielding one of the most talented and versatile starting lineups in the league. They will be a tough opponent for any Western Conference team in the playoffs.
On the court, for this season at least, the Thunder certainly improved their team with the trade. But George has the ability to opt out of his contract after this season, and he will most likely do just that. Like most marquee free agents, George's name is consistently linked to the Lakers. He will want to be with a team that has a chance to make the NBA Finals, and while Oklahoma City fits that description, there is no guarantee he will re-sign with the team. If he does, the Thunder were able to get an All-NBA superstar for a starting guard and a young forward and then retain him on a long-term contract. A pretty good deal. If he leaves, they will have given up a promising big man and a young All-Star for a one-year rental. It all depends on what George decides to do.
When the Pacers made the move to part with George, they were chastised for not getting back fair value for the superstar. They were supposed to be entering into a rebuild, and were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NBA. The opposite has been true. They are currently 46-31, and own the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. After parting with George, they are remaining very competitive and appear to have an extremely bright future.
Role players such as Darren Collison, Thaddeus Young, and Bojan Bogdanovic have provided good complimentary scoring to the Pacers' star, and the entire Indiana roster is deep. Third-year center Myles Turner hasn't quite taken the step that many expected him to, but he continues to be one of the NBA's better big men at just 22 years old.
In 24 minutes per game, Domantas Sabonis has averaged 11.7 points and 7.9 rebounds, while shooting 52% from the field, 36% from deep, and 74% from the free-throw line. For a 6'11” 240 lbs. big man, these are impressive numbers. He is also just 21 years of age. He looks like the perfect compliment to Turner, and should help to form a fantastic front-court duo for the next decade.
After scoring 15.9 points on 13.9 field goal attempts per game last season in Oklahoma City, Victor Oladipo was traded to Indiana. Throughout the first four years of his career, he was known as a decent young player, with a respectable three-point shot and good slashing ability, but nothing special.
Once he became a Pacer, however, Oladipo became the #1 option for the first time in his career, and he has excelled because of that opportunity. He is averaging 23.3 points on 18.2 shots, a 47% field goal percentage, 37% from deep, 5.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and a league-leading 2.2 steals per game. He deservedly made his first All-Star team this season, and if he continues to play like he has this year, it won't be his last. He is nearly 26, and approaching his athletic prime. He is under contract through the 2020-21 season at $21 million per year, so he figures to be a big part of Indiana's future plans.
Despite the initial reactions, the Pacers appear to have benefited greatly from this trade. They've added two good young players who fit their team, and are in the thick of the playoff race. The Thunder are keeping pace in the highly competitive West, due in large part to George's play. The trade was worth it for Oklahoma City, and their focus will be on re-signing George in the offseason. Considering that George was a lock to leave Indiana after the season, the fact that they were able to get two young impact players for him gives them the win, at least for now. This is an example of how all trades should be; mutually beneficial.
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