Golden State, of course, said no.
The Indiana Pacers, while scouring the market this summer for Paul George trade suitors, offered Paul George to the Golden State Warriors for Klay Thompson, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told his guest George on his latest podcast. The Warriors had no interest in the deal, but it’s sure fun to speculate about it.
Here’s the transcript from The Woj Pod, and the episode can be found here.
WOJNAROWSKI: One offer I was told was made. Indiana offered you to Golden State for Klay Thompson, Golden State said no, (and) talks didn't go anywhere. Were you aware that conversation happened and can you imagine the reaction from the league if you had somehow ended up on that team.
GEORGE: I think that would've been a Chris Paul to LA situation where they denied that trade. (laughing) Yeah, I was aware of it. I would've looked forward to it, in just to be in a good situation and a chance to compete for a championship. It didn't happen. It's still fun to team up with a special talent (in Oklahoma City with Russell Westbrook) and have a chance to compete against that team.
Obviously, it makes perfect sense why the Warriors declined the offer, and it really isn’t a difficult one. They’re reigning champions and they signed Kevin Durant to a team that won 73 games. They’re probably the favorites to win the next, what, five championships? People argued they shouldn’t mess up their core to sign Durant, but they did and got even better. But they might have reached the break even point. Do they really need to even bother getting better when they’re seemingly this far ahead of the rest of the league?
It’s a good thought exercise, though. George isn’t a Thompson-level shooter, but he’s a little closer than people might think. George generates a huge percentage of his shots from running off screens, at least compared to other elite scorers, and he also shot about 42 percent on catch-and-shoot three-pointers last year. With his 6’8 frame and repeatable mechanics, George is one of the league’s best shooters off the catch, whether he’s standing still or on the move.
Still, that’s not quite Thompson, who’s arguably the second-best shooter in the league behind Stephen Curry. George doesn’t quite have the same gravity. He is a better defender, although maybe not on point guards, one thing Thompson does quite well for Golden State. He’s better at creating his own offense off the dribble than Thompson, but there’s no need for the Warriors, who have Durant and Curry.
Given that, I’d argue that George might make the Warriors slightly worse. They’d still win around 70 games next season and probably the championship too, mind you. But Thompson is a flawless fit for what the Warriors need, and George is only close to a perfect fit.
What ridiculous sentences the Warriors force us to type sometimes.