The Pacers and Thunder are up 2-0 in their respective NBA Conference Finals series. With a likely NBA Finals clash, Paul George might be why it’s happening.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have comfortably gone up 2-0 against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals.
While it’s taken some late-game heroics from Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers have also grabbed a commanding 2-0 lead against the New York Knicks.
Barring an unlikely comeback from the Wolves or Knicks, the NBA Finals matchup looks set. OKC and Indiana will likely fight it out for the ultimate prize.
And if this does come to pass, one NBA star who is no longer on either team has been instrumental in ensuring that both franchises have made it this far.
Paul George rose to prominence with the Pacers as a superstar during his time there. He had some successful seasons with the Thunder, too, finishing 3rd in MVP voting in 2018-19.
And even though he left both teams via trade, what they got in return for him has allowed both franchises to rebuild their rosters and become serious championship contenders.
In the summer of 2017, the Pacers traded George to the Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis.
They developed both, and eventually, Sabonis became a key piece in the Haliburton trade with the Sacramento Kings. Hali is now the main man in Indiana and leading this Finals charge.
As for the OKC Thunder, they got two good seasons out of PG before trading him to the Los Angeles Clippers. This netted them 2024-25 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a slew of first-round draft picks.
One of those picks became Jalen Williams. SGA and JDub are now the first and second options on one of the league’s best teams. The Thunder have been smart; they secured 3 MVPs with just one 2008 pick.
He is not the player he once was, but PG still got himself a max contract from the Sixers. Reports suggest, however, that Philadelphia is looking to trade George after a failed season.
While Jake Fischer has suggested that the Sixers won’t break up the Embiid-George duo, it’s hard to imagine what they can achieve with this current core.
The team has the No. 3 overall pick. Should they choose to package that alongside the 35-year-old, they could potentially get another big star to play with Embiid and Maxey.
If the Pacers and the Thunder are any example, that’s exactly what Philly should do if they want to make a championship run soon.
