In what has been one of the biggest moves so far during this busy offseason, Paul George being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder was somewhat a surprise. Before dealing George who made it clear his future wasn’t in Indiana, the Pacers considered every option and ultimately decided a package of Victor Olapipo and Domantas Sabonis was the best return they could get.
The Pacers talked to plenty of teams during the process of shopping George and according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on his podcast today, one of those teams were the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Golden State reportedly turned down an offer that would’ve landed them George in exchange for two-way shooting guard Klay Thompson (h/t Kyle Boone CBS Sports):
“There were a lot of trade discussions — I think probably every team in the league checked in with Indiana about you in that window when you were available. One offer I was told was made was that Indiana offered you to Golden State for Klay Thompson, Golden State said no, and talks didn’t go anywhere.”
George said he was aware of talks between the Warriors and Pacers but he believes if a deal were to have been finalized, it wouldn’t have gone through anyways because of the NBA, citing the controversial Chris Paul to LA trade from years ago. Following from Thunder Beat Writer Fred Katz:
Paul George to @wojespn's re: Indiana talking to Golden State about him: "Yeah, I think that would’ve been the Chris Paul to L.A. situation" pic.twitter.com/occfnd72jQ
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) July 13, 2017
Adding George to arguably the best team in NBA history would’ve made the Warriors even more terrifying than they already are. You have to respect their decision to hang on to Thompson though as he has worked as the perfect compliment to Steph Curry and Kevin Durant and has been a key part of the Warriors success for years. Plus, it still remains likely that George is a Laker at this time next year so giving up a player of Thompson’s value would’ve been a huge gamble no matter how you slice it.
