The NBA Eastern and Western Conference champions of 2025 share a surprising link. Yes, they're both small market teams. But it was not going to be about a superstar rookie or a flashy draft pick.
The unlikely common denominator tying the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder together is... Paul George.
That’s he very same Paul George who was once the cornerstone of Indiana’s franchise and briefly a star in Oklahoma City has, through a series of trades, drafts, and savvy roster building, become the pivotal figure — by virtue of his departure — in constructing two Finals-bound teams.
Calm Before the Storm
George arrived in Oklahoma City in the summer of 2017, shipped from Indiana in a blockbuster deal that sent Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to the Pacers.
For two seasons, George was the Thunder’s marquee player alongside MVP Russell Westbrook, earning All-Star nods and carrying the team that only managed to two first-round playoff exits.
But George’s sights were set on Los Angeles. And in 2019, the Thunder capitalized on their leverage. The Los Angeles Clippers, intent on pairing George with Kawhi Leonard, offered a haul that OKC couldn’t refuse: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and a treasure trove of draft picks — including multiple future first-rounders.
Out of that haul, Gilgeous-Alexander slowly emerged as the team's bonafide superstar, culminating in winning his first ever MVP award this 2024-25 season where he led the league in scoring and OKC to a franchise-best 68 wins.
[ALSO READ: Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander claims 2025 MVP honors]
Meanwhile, one of those draft picks became Jalen Williams, the rising star who earned All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defensive honors this year.
OKC also hold several other picks from the George trade, providing continued flexibility to maintain and bolster their roster.
The result? A team that went from trading George to building what many now call a budding dynasty — one that surged through the Western Conference both in the regular and postseason play en route to their first Finals trip in 13 years.
Led by SGA, Williams, and the likes of Chet Holmgren, Lu Dort, and offseason acquisitions Alex Caruso and Isaiah Hartenstein, the Thunder are only four wins away from an NBA title.
Trade and Trade Until You... Succeed?
The story of the Pacers is more complex, but just as impactful.
George was drafted by the Pacers in 2010 and quickly became their franchise star, leading Indiana to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals appearances in 2013 and 2014.
Yet, after informing the team in 2017 he would not re-sign, the Pacers made the tough decision to trade him to Oklahoma City — acquiring Oladipo and Sabonis in return.
Oladipo and Sabonis blossomed into All-Stars, but their peak came with two first-round playoff exits.
When Oladipo’s knee problems began to derail his career, Indiana flipped him in a four-team trade to the Houston Rockets, receiving Caris LeVert and valuable draft picks. Meanwhile, Sabonis was traded mid-season to the Sacramento Kings in 2022, and the Pacers received a package headlined by a young point guard in Tyrese Haliburton.
Haliburton quickly emerged as Indiana’s best player and franchise cornerstone — an All-NBA point guard with a pair of All-Star nods.
The Pacers further supplemented their roster by converting draft picks obtained through earlier trades into players like Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, and Ben Sheppard, who have become key contributors in the rotation.
Siakam was recently hailed the Eastern Conference Finals MVP.
Without trading Paul George in 2017, Indiana would never have landed the assets that led to Haliburton and Siakam, the twin anchors of their current championship run.
The Domino Effect: How Trading One Star Can Reshape Franchises
The Paul George trades reveal a rarely seen dynamic in professional sports: the ripple effects of trading a franchise player years later manifesting as title contenders on both ends of the NBA.
For the Thunder, George was the catalyst — a player they received in trade — who unlocked a cascade of assets that became Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, and a stockpile of future draft picks.
General manager Sam Presti’s front office exploited the Clippers’ desperation to secure Kawhi Leonard, converting George into a superstar and foundational pieces for a new Thunder era.
As for the Pacers, trading their once franchise cornerstone was the starting point of an intricate rebuild.
Through smart maneuvering and additional trades, Indiana transformed what seemed like a devastating loss into an emerging contender led by Haliburton and Siakam — the very players acquired as direct or indirect results of moving George.
Since leaving OKC, George starred with the Clippers alongside Leonard, earning multiple All-Star and All-NBA selections, and recently began a new chapter with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Yet it’s his trade value, rather than his on-court exploits, that has made the biggest impact on the 2025 Finals.
