Paul George to OKC

PedroKsBambino

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I be;lieve the floor is 85%? Doesn't matter though since the only punishment for not making the floor is that you pay out the leftover money to the guys on the roster. 4/85 for Oladipo is just terrible.
Gotta remember Indy is not attractive to FAs and refuses to bottom-out. They are playing a different game than may teams.

I don't like the return for them, but I guess I get why they'd take it if they can't get a premium pick instead.
 

SoxFanInPdx

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I'm fine with this honestly. No need to trade valuable assets for a 1-year rental. Especially the picks with the way next year's class is looking. PG couldn't make it more clear that he's going to be a Laker next season.
 

AimingForYoko

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I kind of wonder what the West Coast teams with no feasible shot will do as a result of this. That conference is gonna be ugglie.
 

OurF'ingCity

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You can't hate on Danny for not negotiating against himself.
I think it's fairly clear that Pritchard wanted the best available player, not picks, and he determined Oladipo was the best realistically-available player. Not sure how smart a strategy that is but who knows what he is hearing from ownership, etc.
 

JCizzle

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I think it's fairly clear that Pritchard wanted the best available player, not picks, and he determined Oladipo was the best realistically-available player. Not sure how smart a strategy that is but who knows what he is hearing from ownership, etc.
I think Crowder and, say, Marcus is pretty damn close - especially with Marcus being two years younger. That's very possibly just green lenses though on my part.
 

PedroKsBambino

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http://www.espn.com/espn/now?nowId=21-0672625701681108161-4

That's better than this return, in my opinion. You can't hate on Danny for not negotiating against himself.
Agreed, if true. Two solid starters for Indy and three picks you can dream on. Even if those picks are low 1sts, still real value in cost-controlled years. Even if one of those three is likely to convert to 2 2nds, still more than this deal...which to me is a good player and a young player who doesn't look all that promising.

Crap, I misread---I assumed it said NOT Brooklyn pick. That is a fortunate no-take for Celts. I assume Indy thought they had a shot to re-sign George then

Have to think Indy believes Oladipo can really step up another level. I am not optimistic.
 
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DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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A few thoughts.

First, the logic that Ainge should trade away three plus assets (some with years of control) for the opportunity to have George play in Boston for one year so that the C's just might just beat Cleveland and then lose to Golden State is kind of stupid. It appears tthat George had no intentions of signing an extension or I suspect Ainge would have pulled the trigger. But as DrewDawg says, we just don't know.

Next, this should raise the odds of CauseWayward coming to Boston. Yet another team in the West got better, at least for now, and unless Gordon is also good buddies with Rubio, he is losing one of his friends from the Jazz in Hill.

Finally, the Celtics aren't out of options here. One thought (forgive me SRN) is to explore what it might take to sign Andre Iguodala while maybe exploring an individual trade for one of Crowder, Bradley or Smart.

In any event, I am ok if the C's run back the same squad in 2017-18. They may not do as well but even with Hayward and George plus a gutted bench, they weren't likely to go much further than they did this year. And it would sting if George simply departed for LA next summer and the C's had nothing to show for it.
 

PedroKsBambino

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That's what I don't get. Why not wait a week to do this move? Why now? Like that offer wouldn't be there in a week?
Presumably some other team (like the Celtics, though not for the most common permutations we've seen of their moves) gave a deadline to Indy and they told OKC it was now or never.

Alternatively, knowing some teams will offer more for George when they strike out in FA (or in Celtics case, if they get a certain guy) OKC may also have imposed a deadline.
 
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kazuneko

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Isn't the timing a little odd?
The timing seems idiotic. Ainge is handcuffed by the salary cap until he knows what is going to happen with free agency. Presumably his best offer would have come after signing a major free agent. If Ainge signs Heyward there is a good chance he thinks that George will be more likely to re-up with the Cs and he offers that LAL/Sacramento pick. I mean, why was Pritchard in such a rush? Was he worried that OKC was going to pull this garbage offer if he had waited?
 

chonce1

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I mostly agree with this, though I would like to see them get something of value for Bradley given that it seems quite unlikely they would re-sign him next year and I would think the chances of trading him at the deadline would be fairly small, but who knows.
But Ainge wasn't fine with it. They are reporting that Ainge offered 3 picks plus starters for PG and indy didn't want to do it. So Ainge clearly wanted to change shit up a lot and, for reasons I don't understand, was unable to get Indy to make the move.

It is OK to be fine with this, but lets not pretend this is part of Ainge's plan. He very much tried to get PG/GH....so he wasn't all that fine with it.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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With all the guys Pritchard could have gotten - from Love to Randle to AB to Crowder (etc.), he got Oladipo and Sabonis and no draft picks?

My only guess is that Pritchard took the entire thing personally and decided to exile PG to somewhere he couldn't win.

I think he can retire the "Pritch Slap" moniker now.

A decision that will set IND back a decade.
 

Auger34

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Gotta remember Indy is not attractive to FAs and refuses to bottom-out. They are playing a different game than may teams.

I don't like the return for them, but I guess I get why they'd take it if they can't get a premium pick instead.
All due respect, this started when you said that because of his contract Oladipo was a more valuable piece than anything the Celtics reportedly offered. Oladipo doesn't have a favorable contract. I am not going to say it's terrible but it is definitely not a bargain. Crowder and OladiPo are very similar players who are locked in for the same amount of years....and one makes 14 million a year less than the other. It's really not even a question that Crowder is more valuable.

I've been pretty steadfast in maintaining that the Celtics offer was/would be what Goodman reported (Crowder, another starter who I would guess is Bradley, and 2-3 1st round picks that aren't the BKN/LAL picks).

Looking at that offer, plus the reported Kevin Love offer (which is also a 10 times better offer than the shit sandwich Pritchard just accepted), the only logical thing I can come up with is that Indiana was determined to trade him out of the Eastern Conference.
It's either that or they are run by severely incompetent people
 

OurF'ingCity

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It is OK to be fine with this, but lets not pretend this is part of Ainge's plan. He very much tried to get PG/GH....so he wasn't all that fine with it.
I think you are taking an unnecessarily narrow look at things in a way that Ainge and most GMs wouldn't. Yes, I'm sure DA wanted PG if the price made sense, but it's not like they sat down at the beginning of the offseason and said, "OK, either we get George and Hayward or we're screwed." I'm sure they have tons of contingencies mapped out, one of them being that they essentially stand pat and hold their assets for the future.
 

Cesar Crespo

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How much of Oladipo's game was handcuffed because of Westbrook? He had much better assists rates in Orlando. Kinda curious how he'll fare in Indiana.
 

kazuneko

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Question: How much money can OKC free up in the salary cap to sign another star? You'd have to think that all of a sudden Oklahoma native Blake Griffin would be seriously interested in his hometown team. More worrisome, OKC could also use a SG now, and you'd have to think their situation would be interesting to Gordon Heyward as well...
 

PedroKsBambino

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All due respect, this started when you said that because of his contract Oladipo was a more valuable piece than anything the Celtics reportedly offered. Oladipo doesn't have a favorable contract. I am not going to say it's terrible but it is definitely not a bargain. Crowder and OladiPo are very similar players who are locked in for the same amount of years....and one makes 14 million a year less than the other. It's really not even a question that Crowder is more valuable.

I've been pretty steadfast in maintaining that the Celtics offer was/would be what Goodman reported (Crowder, another starter who I would guess is Bradley, and 2-3 1st round picks that aren't the BKN/LAL picks).

Looking at that offer, plus the reported Kevin Love offer (which is also a 10 times better offer than the shit sandwich Pritchard just accepted), the only logical thing I can come up with is that Indiana was determined to trade him out of the Eastern Conference.
It's either that or they are run by severely incompetent people
Yes, and as I explained I think Dipo's a better player and contract for Indy given their needs and situation. They have him an extra year, and while there's a RPM case the other way I think he's a better player today, and he definitely has more upside. Those things have real value---not enough to justify this deal mind you, but more than you seem to feel. I love Crowder's game but you are overrating him for Indy's needs.

I agree Kevin Love was a better return---best I can figure on that is either that offer wasn't real, or they have an insanely high (as opposed to just 'high but defensible') view of Dipo.

I'm certainly not defending the deal generally, though I do think people are not really putting themselves in Indy's shoes---the owner won't bottom out, you can't realistically sign FAs, etc.
 

edoug

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Question: How much money can OKC free up in the salary cap to sign another star? You'd have to think that all of a sudden Oklahoma native Blake Griffin would be seriously interested in his hometown team. More worrisome, OKC could also use a SG now, and you'd have to think their situation would be interesting to Gordon Heyward as well...
Griffin is staying in LA.
 

Cellar-Door

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Question: How much money can OKC free up in the salary cap to sign another star? You'd have to think that all of a sudden Oklahoma native Blake Griffin would be seriously interested in his hometown team. More worrisome, OKC could also use SG now, and you'd have to think there situation would be interesting to Gordon Heyward as well...
none. They're over the cap.
 

Jimbodandy

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Looks to me like Indiana's goal is to make the playoffs and keep butts in the seats. We're trying to understand why this helps their long term plan. Maybe their long term goals are that simple. I'd be pretty pissed if some mix of Brk 18, Crowder, Bradley, and Brown/Tatum went out the door for one year of PG and maybe a wink wink deal. Oh well, we're on to Haywud.
 

amfox1

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Also, there was a belief by the Cavs that Indiana general manager Kevin Pritchard, when it came down to it, felt more comfortable shipping George to a Western Conference team rather than an East rival -- Boston and Cleveland both made countless inquiries -- that could continue to stand in the Pacers' way as they start a rebuild.
Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff Writer
 

luckiestman

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How the fuck do you take Oladipo for 20 million a year over Love? Do they like Sabonis that much. Do they refuse to trade PG to an East team. This looks absurd right now. I feel like information must be missing