The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder and Indiana Pacers are set for a 2025 NBA Finals showdown, and there are many frequent threads between the 2 franchises. Indianapolis and OKC are two of the smallest markets within the NBA. These are the two finest groups within the league at avoiding turnovers on offense, and two of the league leaders in tempo. Neither is reliant on the three-point shot after each positioned within the backside half of the league in three-point price through the common season.
There’s one massive roster-building similarity between these two groups, as nicely, and all of it comes again to a star participant they each traded. The Pacers and Thunder every constructed their NBA Finals roster due to buying and selling Paul George. George was an superior participant in Indiana after which Oklahoma Metropolis, however buying and selling him was one of the best transfer the Pacers and Thunder ever made.
George was drafted by the Pacers with the No. 10 general decide within the 2010 NBA Draft out of Fresno State. He barely performed as a rookie, however began each sport in his second season and began to point out his long-term potential. The leap got here in his third yr, when George was named NBA Most Improved Participant and Third-Group All-NBA as he led the Pacers to the Japanese Convention Finals, the place they suffered a crushing defeat to the LeBron James-era Miami Warmth. There was George going toe-to-toe with James at 22 years previous, and proving he might be the face of Indiana’s franchise.
George was even higher the subsequent yr as Indiana gained 56 video games, once more reached the convention finals, and once more have been eradicated by the Warmth. George was named First-Group All-Protection and Third-Group All-NBA. Going into the subsequent season, George suffered one of the vital ugly leg accidents in league historical past. He missed virtually all the 2014-15 season recovering, however would return robust the subsequent yr.
George proved he made a miraculous restoration within the 2015-16 yr by once more enjoying at an All-NBA degree. At this level, although, the Pacers have been beginning to break aside, with Roy Hibbert, Lance Stephenson, Danny Granger, and David West all departing from the final convention finals workforce. The Pacers would lose within the first-round of the 2016 playoffs to the Raptors, Frank Vogel was fired, and out of the blue the rumors about George’s future have been in full swing. For some time, it felt like George was attempting to push his strategy to his hometown Los Angeles Lakers.
The Thunder swooped in and landed him as a substitute, with George serving as their de-facto Kevin Durant alternative after he left OKC for the Warriors in free company in the summertime of 2016. Oklahoma Metropolis acquired George from Indy on June 30, 2017, and he signed an enormous extension to stay in OKC a yr later. Right here’s the total deal between OKC and Indiana:
Thunder get: Paul George
Pacers get: Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis
For some time, this traded regarded like an enormous win-win.
Oladipo instantly took a star leap upon arriving in Indiana, profitable Most Improved Participant and incomes Third-Group All-NBA and First-Group All-Protection in his first season with the Pacers. Sabonis additionally took a bounce in manufacturing in his second professional season after struggling to get minutes on OKC as a rookie. By his third season in Indiana, Sabonis was an All-Star and searching like one of the vital promising younger bigs within the league.
In the meantime, George soared on the Thunder subsequent to Westbrook. PG’s second season with the Thunder in 2018-19 was the best season of his profession: he averaged 29 factors, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per sport whereas main the NBA in steals. He completed third in MVP voting, third in Defensive Participant of the Yr voting, and was named First-Group All-NBA and First-Group All-Protection.
On the finish of the yr, the Thunder traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in probably the most stunning NBA commerce of the last decade … till Luka Doncic received traded to the Lakers years later. Right here’s the phrases of the deal:
Clippers get: Paul George
Thunder get: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, Miami Warmth’s 2021 unprotected first-rounder, Clippers’ 2022 unprotected first-rounder, Clippers’ 2024 unprotected first-rounder, Warmth’s lottery-protected 2025 first-rounder, swap rights with Clippers’ 2025 first-rounder, Clippers’ 2026 unprotected first-rounder
And similar to that, the Thunder’s potential dynasty was set in movement.
Gilgeous-Alexander had a promising rookie yr for the Clippers as the previous No. 11 general decide within the 2018 draft. When he arrived in OKC, he began to blossom as a star. SGA was mentored by Chris Paul in his first yr in OKC in a stunning season that noticed the workforce win 61 p.c of its video games and push the Rockets to a Recreation 7 within the first spherical of the bubble playoffs. After buying and selling Paul, OKC wandered the tanking desert for 2 seasons. By his fourth yr on the Thunder, Gilgeous-Alexander was an everyday on the MVP poll till he lastly gained the award this season.
The draft decide haul from the Clippers additionally paid off in an enormous manner. The Thunder used the Clippers’ 2022 first-rounder to choice Santa Clara wing Jalen Williams with the No. 12 general decide within the 2022 NBA Draft in the identical draft in addition they chosen Chet Holmgren at No. 2 general. This season, Williams was named an All-Star and Third-Group All-NBA earlier than placing up a monster efficiency within the convention finals in opposition to the Wolves.
The Clippers commerce for George was largely motivated by Kawhi Leonard. Leonard had reportedly informed the Clippers he would solely signal with them in free company in the event that they paired him with a star like George. The Clippers thought they might win championships with a Leonard-George pairing, however damage points for each gamers (and particularly Leonard) prevented them from ever dwelling as much as their potential. The Clippers made their first convention finals look ever behind Kawhi and PG, however that’s so far as they received earlier than the duo broke up.
In the meantime, the Pacers used the items from their George commerce to ultimately land their subsequent famous person.
Oladipo’s prime flamed out early due to accidents, however Sabonis continued to look incredible. The one drawback was that he was a clumsy match subsequent to Myles Turner within the entrance court docket. The Pacers broke up the large tandem by fleecing the Kings in an all-time fleecing that regarded like a steal for Indiana on the time in Feb. 2022 and has solely aged higher since.
Pacers get: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield
Kings get: Domantas Sabonis, Jeremy Lamb, Justin Vacation
From the second Haliburton received to Indy, he regarded like a star. The Pacers instantly remade themselves as an up-tempo offense that might groups off the ground with Haliburton’s skill to push the tempo and particular present for feeding teammates with out turning the ball over. The Pacers wanted another nice commerce earlier than their roster was adequate to essentially compete within the East, and that occurred when Pascal Siakam arrived in a take care of the Raptors in early 2024.
The Thunder are going to the NBA Finals due to selling-high on Paul George, which returned Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and extra. The Pacers are going to the NBA Finals due to Haliburton, who they have been in a position to commerce for due to the items they received in return from their very own George commerce. The 2025 NBA Finals are going to be fantastic, and each groups owe all of it to buying and selling Paul George.
