Kevin Pritchard is smarter than all of us.
Or at least he was in July.
Remember when the Indiana Pacers general manager traded superstar forward Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder? The deal was roundly — and loudly — panned at the time.
Yes, the trade had to be made. George made it clear he wanted out of Indiana and wouldn’t be re-signing with the team in free agency this summer. But everybody thought the Pacers’ GM got swindled.
To recap: Indiana brought back shooting guard Victor Oladipo and acquired young power forward Domantas Sabonis in exchange for George, widely perceived as one of the top players in the NBA. They didn’t even receive a first round draft pick. And Pritchard pulled the trigger with rumored — and potentially better — offers from Cleveland and Denver on the table.
I remember the backlash to the trade because, well, I was a part of the backlash. I thought Pritchard dealt George too quickly, when he could have held out for better options. I didn’t think Oladipo and his contract was a great return for one of the best small forwards in the league. I thought OKC general manager Sam Presti pulled a heist in obtaining George and pairing him with Russell Westbrook, and later Carmelo Anthony.
So, yes, I was wrong. Basketball twitter was wrong. The NBA was wrong. And Pritchard was right.
Oladipo has morphed into one of the best shooting guards in the league, and without question should be an Eastern Conference all-star come February. He’s averaging 24.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. He’s turned into the slashing, do-it-all athlete the Orlando Magic were hoping he’d be when they drafted him in 2013.
Sabonis is averaging 12 points, to go along with 8.2 rebounds per game. He has provided a dynamic presence for the Pacers on the interior. He’s shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. He averages two assists per game, and he has established himself as a solid NBA starter in his second season out of Gonzaga.
Considering the position Indiana was in this summer, if Sabonis was all they got and he turned out this well, that would almost be considered a win for the Pacers. The fact that they got an all-star and a starter for a disgruntled George makes this a no-brainer.
Indiana won the trade.
Yes, George is averaging almost 20 points a game, and yes, he’s playing well for the Thunder. But small market teams never get full value for star players they are forced to trade, and this is one of the few times that isn’t the case.
Oladipo has outperformed George this season. And the Pacers, 18-14 this season and sitting fourth in the East, have outperformed the Thunder.
That said, Oklahoma City has found its footing of late. The Thunder have won four of their last five. They are 16-15 and looking better after a rough start. So they still have time to pass the Pacers.
Oladipo��s breakout season has kind of come out of nowhere. He has always been able to score, but he’s become a terror to deal with on both ends. In this case, and with Sabonis, we plead guilty to impatience.
Today’s social media-fed culture wants immediate results, and basketball judgement is no different. Oladipo struggled with his shooting and decision-making in his NBA infancy, and the basketball world was quick to label him as a bust. The same thing happened with Sabonis. The same thing happened in Washington with Otto Porter. The same thing is happening in Utah with Dante Exum, who is still just 22 years old.
Basketball players improve, some faster than others. It took Oladipo a few years to find his footing. But by that time, Orlando and OKC had given up on him, and now Pritchard and the Pacers are reaping the benefits. If anything, Oladipo should be a cautionary tale to GMs going forward. Orlando traded him for Serge Ibaka, and then traded Ibaka for Terrence Ross, who is currently averaging nine points per game.
As for Pritchard, he’s rightfully taking a victory lap. As he should. The Pacers’ GM took a ton of heat for making that deal. But he saw something in Oladipo and Sabonis the rest of us didn’t. It has turned into a deal so good for the Pacers that it should give Pritchard some immunity from criticism in future deals.
Clearly, he’s smarter than the rest of us.
NBA POWER RANKINGS <br>1. Golden State Warriors • On a 10 game winning streak, mostly without Steph Curry or Draymond Green. <br>2. Houston Rockets • 14 game win streak was snapped, but 12-1 road record is best in the league. <br>3. Cleveland Cavaliers • Beating a 10-20 Chicago team that had won eight straight is a good win for Cleveland. Imagine that. <br>4. Toronto Raptors • Development of youngsters Delon Wright, Jakob Poelt, Fred Van Vleet and Pascal Siakam have taken them to another level. <br>5. Boston Celtics • Have come to Earth after hot start, mostly due to injuries and a condensed schedule. <br>6. San Antonio Spurs • Still getting Kawhi Leonard back to full speed. When he gets there, watch out. <br>7. Minnesota Timberwolves • Trade for Jimmy Butler was well worth it. He’s been a top 10 player this season.<br>8. Indiana Pacers • Victor Oladipo should be an Eastern Conference all-star this season. <br>9. Milwaukee Bucks • Jabari Parker is almost back from his ACL injury. He could be a dynamic addition. <br>10. Washington Wizards • Finding their footing after John Wall gets healthy. That’s not surprising. <br>11. Oklahoma City Thunder • One of the best defensive teams in the league and playing better of late. <br>12. New York Knicks • They’ve turned into a dominant home team. But the road games are coming. <br>13. Portland Trail Blazers • Only team in the NBA with a losing home record that is above .500 overall. <br>14. Detroit Pistons • They started out so well, but have really fallen off since. Reality may be setting in. <br>15. Denver Nuggets • Shooting guard Gary Harris is having a career year. <br>16. Miami Heat • Staying above the water line, despite a negative net rating. <br>17. New Orleans Pelicans • The Anthony Davis trade talk won’t die until they start winning. <br>18. Utah Jazz • Struggling through most difficult December in the league, but wins over Boston and San Antonio help a bit. <br>19. Philadelphia 76ers • Surrendered a 20-point lead in loss to the Raptors. <br>20. Los Angeles Lakers • Kyle Kuzma dropped 38 on Rockets in road win at Houston. <br>21. Los Angeles Clippers • To trade or not to trade? That is the DeAndre Jordan question. <br>22. Chicago Bulls • Won eight straight before Cleveland beat them Thursday. <br>23. Brooklyn Nets • Jahlil Okafor has played in exactly one game since Brooklyn traded for him. <br>24. Sacramento Kings • Beginning to play better after miserable start. <br>25. Charlotte Hornets • Trend arrow is down; they’ve lost four of their last five. <br>26. Orlando Magic • Missing Arron Afflalo, Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier and Terrence Ross to injuries. <br>27. Phoenix Suns • The foundation of youth is there, if not the defense. <br>28. Dallas Mavericks • How long before they break up a veteran team going nowhere? <br>29. Memphis Grizzlies • What a mess. The Marc Gasol trade watch is on. <br>30. Atlanta Hawks • John Collins is one of the best rookies in the league.
