The Paul George Trade is Still Paying Dividends for the Pacers

Paul George began his career as an Indiana Pacer for seven seasons, but was traded to OKC, and then again to LAC. Indiana made this move after the 2016-17 season, and still seeing excellent value four years later. They originally acquired Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo in the deal. The big man out of Gonzaga is fifth in triple-doubles this season and has become a perennial All-Star-caliber player. Oladipo also got his first nod too as a member of the Pacers.

INTERESTING FACTS

Domantas Sabonis is the only player with 75+ PTS/50+ REB/30+ AST over a 3-GP span since 1976
1st player with 20+ PTS/10+ REB/10+ AST by halftime in the last 25 seasons
3rd player with a 1st-half triple-double in the play-by-play era (1997), joining Nikola Jokic and Russell Westbrook
Most career triple-doubles (13) in franchise history since the Pacers joined the NBA in 1976-1977

Odds vs. PHI: IND +171 (Spread +5.0)

MAIN TAKEAWAY

THE PAUL GEORGE TRADE IS STILL PAYING DIVIDENDS FOR THE PACERS

COLORS KEY | FULL PACERS OUTLOOK

Indiana went on to use the Paul George trade to create even more assets. They received Caris LeVert for Victor Oladipo as a result of the James Harden-Nets trade, and LeVert has blossomed into an elite scorer. He had a team-high 24 points and the dagger with under a minute left to give Indiana a clutch win on Tuesday for their play-in seeding. Indiana wasn’t the only team to benefit from a Paul George trade, however. OKC traded him after two seasons and received plenty of draft capital, fueling an exciting rebuild.

The Thunder now have the largest stockpile of draft picks this league has ever seen, as well as a young and talented Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They’ve turned Paul George into an extremely bright future for the franchise. Time will tell if, like Indiana, the trade will pay dividends in the long run. Four years later, it looks like George’s move from the Pacers has come into full effect, as they are set up with two players aged 26 and under that can represent this franchise for years to come.