8p9s Roundtable: New team, who dis? Paul George returns to Victor Oladipo’s city
By Ben Gibson
Victor Oladipo and the Indiana Pacers host Paul George and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse since the trade.
What was your initial reaction to the Paul George Victor Oladipo/Domantas Sabonis trade?
Will Furr: I thought it was terribad. Sabonis had NOT looked good as a stretch 4 in OKC, standing in the corner and waiting for Russell Westbrook to do his thing. Victor Oladipo had looked meh in OKC, standing on the wing waiting for Russell Westbrook to do his thing, and had 80 million dollars still coming his way.
Rumors of Gary Harris (who I liked, and who got annihilated by Dipo just a few days ago) and the number 13 pick, and of possible Boston/Cleveland packages that could’ve theoretically been better on paper than the Dipo/Sabonis haul made it tough to swallow. The timing of it all was curious, and made things even worse. Rumors that Danny Ainge might give up the farm for PG if Gordon Hayward signed in Boston cut deep when PG was traded just days before the Free Agency period opened, and days before Hayward became a Celtic.
I was pissed off that Pritchard had rushed the deal and not waiting to see what movement happened in free agency.
Dylan Hughes: “Uhhh, okay.” It was fairly disappointing, as rumors had circulated for a while and players I liked more were mentioned as a possibility. If the Pacers waited for Gordon Hayward to sign with Boston, could they trade George for Jaylen Brown, a first round pick (potentially from Brooklyn?) and some win-now filler like Jae Crowder or Avery Bradley? Garry Harris and the 13th pick (became Donovan Mitchell) were on the table at some point. I didn’t hate it, but it didn’t feel like they maximized George’s value.
Kevin Kaspar: If my reaction were a cocktail, it would be a strange mixture of relief, sorrow, anger, and optimism.
I spent the majority of the offseason defending Paul George, hoping that he may, in fact, stay with the organization. However, in the back of my mind, I knew he was gone. Initially, I hoped for a young talent, and a handful of draft picks for George, much like the trade that Danny Ainge “offered” at the 2016 trade deadline.
However, when Paul George leaked he would be leaving the franchise at the end of the 2017-18 season, all hope was lost for a haul of that caliber. Quite frankly, I was just happy Pritchard was able to get him out of the locker room before the season began so everyone involved could start fresh. And, my, oh my, are the Pacers fresh.
Tony East: I wrote about this! I can’t remember the exact grades for each team but I think I gave the Pacers around a C- and the Thunder a B+, making them the clear winners for me at first. I loved Oladipo from my IU ties and liked Sabonis as a prospect, but I was frustrated with the no draft pick at the time. Combine that with it being the time where Dipo was considered “bad money” and I found it to be a clear misfire trade.
Jonathan Matthes: I loved it and wrote so thrice back in the summer, including the day of the trade. I loved Sabonis coming out of Gonzaga and thought he would pair well with Turner. Then I thought Vic would thrive in an offense that placed him at the forefront of the attack. Plus I think trading for draft picks and role players is both overrated and kinda stupid; but when you can acquire young players that are both promising and still have room to grow: perfect. I’ll take it every day and twice on Sunday.