Why we have Paul George to thank for the Pacers vs. Thunder NBA Finals

Diving into the 2025 NBA Finals: The Impact of Paul George’s Trade

As we explore the 2025 NBA Finals, it’s clear that the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers share several similarities. Both teams are spearheaded by dynamic point guards, thrive on an athletic uptempo style, and utilise pressure defense to create easy transition scoring opportunities. What’s more, both franchises have reached the NBA Finals thanks, in part, to the repercussions of Paul George’s trade phwin88 casino login. While George watches from home, having missed the playoffs with his 76ers, let’s take a closer look at how both teams capitalised on his departure to build their Finals contenders.

Indiana Pacers

There was a period when Paul George appeared destined to become a legendary figure for the Pacers. Selected as the 10th overall pick by Indiana in 2010, he enjoyed seven successful seasons with the team, earning All-Star honours four times and guiding them to the Eastern Conference Finals on two occasions ph777.com login. However, as he approached the final year of his second contract, George communicated to the Pacers that he wouldn’t be renewing his contract, compelling the franchise to trade their star player to avoid losing him without any return.

In the summer of 2017, the Pacers traded George to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo. This duo made a solid start in Indiana, leading the Pacers to five consecutive playoff appearances, although they were never real contenders. Following that five-season period, the team struggled, ultimately missing the playoffs in two consecutive years. jili register It was then that Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard made the decision to trade Sabonis to the Sacramento Kings, securing Tyrese Haliburton as the centrepiece in return. The Kings were keen to move on from Haliburton, believing De’Aaron Fox was their future star and seeking a centre to complement him. The Sabonis/Fox pairing granted Kings fans their only postseason appearance in nearly two decades.

Ultimately, it was the initial trade of George that allowed Indiana to bring Haliburton on board, laying the groundwork for a revamped team that has successfully returned the franchise to the NBA Finals.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Paul George’s reluctance to be traded from Indiana to Oklahoma City was well-known, with many believing he envisioned himself playing in Los Angeles. Despite this, after an impressive All-Star season in Oklahoma, George opted to stay with the Thunder. Nevertheless, the idea of a return to Southern California remained a top priority for him .

A year later, in the summer of 2019, Kawhi Leonard departed Toronto, where he had just secured a championship, to join the Los Angeles Clippers. However, he made it clear that if the Clippers wanted to sign him, they needed to acquire another star: Paul George jilibet casino. The Clippers engaged in negotiations with the Thunder and ultimately made a costly trade to bring George to Los Angeles, which included:

1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
2. Danilo Gallinari
3. A 2021 first-round pick that turned into Tre Mann
4. A 2022 first-round pick that became Jalen Williams
5. A 2024 first-round pick that evolved into Dillon Jones
6. A 2025 first-round pick swap, placing the Thunder at the 24th pick this season

At the time, Clippers coach Doc Rivers expressed hesitance about trading Gilgeous-Alexander, although he didn’t foresee SGA developing into an MVP-caliber player. For the Clippers, this trade signified that star players were eager to join their ranks — a significant aspect in the competitive Los Angeles market, though it ultimately didn’t translate into the expected results on the court.

For Oklahoma City, however, the transaction yielded a bounty that could very well lead the Thunder to another title with just four more wins needed.

How do you think the dynamics of these teams will evolve as they continue to build on the foundations laid by these pivotal trades?