Paul George has a new home, and Russell Westbrook has a new star teammate.
The Indiana Pacers have agreed to trade George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, said two people with knowledge of the details. The stunning deal gives Westbrook, the newly crowned NBA MVP, some serious help next season and makes the already rugged Western Conference even more daunting.
The two teams came together on the trade Friday just hours before the free agent market was set to open.
The entire league expected George to be on the move after he informed the Pacers of his plans to leave as a free agent next summer. That forced Kevin Pritchard, who was recently elevated to take over basketball operations after Larry Bird’s abrupt resignation, to find a trade before losing him for nothing. Pritchard called George’s decision “a gut punch,” but didn’t panic. He resisted offers on draft night, when many analysts said he would get the best package, and waited until just before the free agent market’s opening bell.
Paul George traded? No surprise.
To the Thunder to team up with Westbrook? That was a stunner.
The trade was first reported by ESPN.
George could have been in line for the so-called “Supermax” extension — a five-year pact worth about $205 million — with Indiana this summer, had he been voted onto the All-NBA team this offseason.
He wasn’t, though if he is an All-NBA player next season — which is certainly possible with the numbers he could post playing alongside Westbrook — George would be eligible for a huge payday again. And the irony there is that if he is set on joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, as has been reported for some time, George would miss out on that massive extra windfall.
George is the second Eastern Conference All-Star from this past season to join the already-loaded Western Conference in the last few days. Jimmy Butler was traded by Chicago to Minnesota on draft night.
Curry gets paid with record deal
OAKLAND, Calif. — One of the NBA’s biggest bargains until now, Stephen Curry is about to receive his massive payday.
Golden State general manager Bob Myers said Friday the Warriors will finalize a contract with the two-time MVP once the free agency moratorium ends July 6.
“We intend to enter into a Player Contract with Stephen once the Moratorium Period ends,” Myers said.
Curry’s agent, Jeff Austin of Octagon Sports, first told ESPN that the deal will be worth $201 million over five years, a record for the NBA.
Timberwolves replace Rubio with Jeff Teague
MINNEAPOLIS — It didn’t take the Minnesota Timberwolves long to find a replacement for Ricky Rubio.
Just a few hours after trading Rubio to the Utah Jazz, the Wolves agreed to terms with free agent point guard Jeff Teague on a three-year deal worth $57 million. A person with knowledge of the situation tells The Associated Press the deal includes a player option for the third year.
Teague averaged 15.3 points and a career-high 7.8 assists for the Indiana Pacers last season. He shot 35.7 percent from 3-point range and is a better jump shooter than Rubio. The Wolves were looking to upgrade their shooting after trading for Jimmy Butler last week.
