Did the Pacers win the Paul George trade?
Paul George will make his only regular-season appearance in Indianapolis on Saturday with the Los Angeles Clippers. He's played in Indianapolis four times since the Pacers traded him for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis in the 2017 offseason and has been very good: 30.0 points, 40.9%, 46.3% on 3s, 6.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 3.3 steals.
So let's look at the obvious question: Who got the better of the deal?
What did the Pacers give up?
The Pacers have since, of course, dealt Oladipo and Sabonis, too, so let's take a look at what they have given up. We'll use win shares to measure the value of each player; a statistic developed to capture all of a player's value in a single number. It's not a perfect statistic but it'll work for these purposes:
Paul George: George has created 34.5 win shares since the Pacers traded him to Oklahoma City.
Domantas Sabonis: 7.1 since being traded to Sacramento.
Caris LeVert: 2.1 since being traded to Cleveland.
Justin Holiday: .9 since being traded to Sacramento.
Victor Oladipo: .6 since being traded to Houston.
2023 second-round pick: .2; this is the median win shares total of the 50 picks taken from 46th to 50th, between 2010 and 2019. This pick -- included in the Kings' deal -- could, of course, be worth considerably more.
Jeremy Lamb: 0 since being traded to Sacramento.
Tristan Thompson: 0 since being released by Indiana.
Total: 45.4 win shares
What did the Pacers receive for Paul George?
Here is everything the Pacers have received for Paul George and the subsequent deals.
Domantas Sabonis: 32.5
Victor Oladipo: 11.0
Tyrese Haliburton: 7.9
2023 first-round pick: 5.4; the Pacers acquired this pick for Caris LeVert. This is the median win shares total of the 50 picks taken from 22nd to 26th, between 2010 and 2019. This pick could, of course, be worth considerably more.
Caris LeVert: 3.3
Buddy Hield: 3.1
Tristan Thompson: 0
Total: 63.6
Who got the better of the Pacers trading Paul George?
Win shares is hardly perfect; it's unlikely a team would trade George for Sabonis straight up but they are valued similarly. It's generally accepted you want to acquire the best player in a trade; that was George.
The Clippers also made the 2021 Western Conference finals, while the Pacers haven't won a playoff series since trading George. Another point against the Pacers.
So did the Pacers get the best of trading George? No.
But they still have three assets -- Haliburton, Hield and the Cavs' 2023 first-round pick -- that are accumulating value; a far better situation than having George leave as a free agent. Given the circumstances -- George demanding a trade, limiting the Pacers' leverage in a deal -- team president Kevin Pritchard deserves credit for his moves.
And in Haliburton, the Pacers have a true, young building block to provide hope for the future; something they didn't have in George in 2017.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Paul George trade: Did the Pacers win the deal?
