The Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder reportedly discussed a trade centered around shooting guard DeMar DeRozan for guard Victor Oladipo and big man Domantas Sabonis in 2017, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
A trade never materialized and the Thunder sent Oladipo and Sabonis to the Indiana Pacers for Paul George instead.
“When Oklahoma City traded for Paul George, the Thunder could have done the same exact deal at that time for DeMar DeRozan,” Wojnarowski said on Woj Pod. “They could have done Sabonis and Oladipo for DeRozan. In some ways, it would have been safer because (DeRozan) was under contract. They felt Paul George was the better player and they said, ‘Let's roll the dice, we're going to convince him to stay.' “
The Thunder were able to convince George to stay in OKC long-term. George re-signed with the Thunder last summer on a four-year, $136.9 million maximum contract.
The Raptors traded DeRozan to the San Antonio Spurs last offseason in the blockbuster Kawhi Leonard trade. Oladipo had turned into an All-Star with the Pacers, while Sabonis is one of the best bench players in the NBA.
George is a far more superior player than DeRozan, so the Thunder are fortunate they were able to acquire PG over DeMar.
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