Paul George officially acquired by Oklahoma City Thunder
PHOTO CREDIT: okcthunder/twitter
It is official. The deal is done. The NBA star Paul George is going to Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to the Indiana Pacers.
Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced the deal. In fact, no one saw it coming, but the Oklahoma managed to finalize the blockbuster trade with the Pacers.
“We are excited to welcome Paul George to the Thunder family and the Oklahoma City community. Paul is a tremendous fit for our organization on and off the floor. He represents all the positive traits of an elite competitor, and we have long admired his relentless pursuit to improve and his ability to impact on-court success. His skill set is dynamic and at the forefront of the evolution of the game, yet he combines this with traditional and historical values and will. We are fortunate to have an incredibly unique player wear the Thunder Blue and know he will help us as we continue to build the legacy of the Thunder in real time.” Said Presti
The four-time All-Star was drafted 10th overall by Indiana in the 2010 NBA Draft and spent over seven seasons with the team where he averaged 18.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.65 steals and 32.8 minutes in 448 games which 400 of it were started by George.
During the 2016-2017 NBA season, the 6’9 small forward started all 75 games with Indiana and he averaged a career-high 23.7 points on a career-best 46.1 percent by his 622-of-1348 field goals shooting from the field and 39.3 percent from the three-point territory including 6.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.59 steals
Meanwhile, the Thunder said that George will be wearing jersey No. 13 on the court and he will be teaming up with NBA MVP Russell Westbrook.
On the other end, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard give thanks to the three-time member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team George and wished him good luck.
“It was difficult both on a personal and professional level. Everyone here knows what Paul meant to this franchise; he was both a tremendous human being as well as player here for seven years. We thank Paul and his family for their contributions to the Pacers and wish him well.” Pritchard said in a statement issued by the team. ”
Pritchard are also looking forward for their newly acquired players from the Thunder.
“We feel very strongly about the potential Victor and Domantas bring to our team and what they mean for the future of the franchise. Both are highly competitive, highly skilled and both are winners. That is why both were lottery picks. That is why we sought them out to be part of this deal.” Pacers general manager added
Oladipo is averaging 15.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 33.2 minutes in his 67 games appearance for Oklahoma City during the 2016-17 season while Sabonis averaged 5.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist in 20.1 minutes of his 81 games during the rookie season.
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