Threats to the OKC Thunder: A guide to Paul George’s offseason
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets, as indicated by the fact they did not even receive betting odds from Vegas, are a dark horse to compete for Paul George’s services, and rightfully so. After pushing the Warriors to the brink before Chris Paul‘s tragic injury, they could very well have the “run it back” mindset.
However, a report from the eminently reliable Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN’s NBA Draft: On the Clock special indicated the Rockets will be aggressive in the pursuit of Paul George this offseason. (He also said that the OKC Thunder are in serious contention, by the way.)
The players and sense
Exploring whether adding Paul George to a team makes sense is a lot like asking whether or not pizza is good. Sure, there are types of pizza that are less good than others based on preference. For instance, a Hawaiian pizza is controversial, debated hotly, and cheesed meltingly. It’s also objectively delicious. Any person against it is against it solely on the basis that other pizza is better. Paul George is pineapple pizza.
There’s no team in or out of the NBA that would be better off without Paul George. He is, if not unique, incredibly rare in that way. His combination of on-and-off ball skills make him so. He can run the pick and roll, he can run off screens, he can dribble and pass, and he’s an elite defender. There is literally no system or team that he could not fit into.
When it comes to the Rockets, just imagine they replace Trevor Ariza (a free agent this offseason) with Paul George. Picture what happened with the Golden State Warriors when they replaced Harrison Barnes with Kevin Durant, but to a slightly smaller degree.
In the simplest possible terms, Ariza shot 28.6 percent from three in this postseason. Paul George shot 36.5 percent. That, alone, would have made a huge difference. However, PG as a tertiary ball-handler is a waste of his skills. While he is an amazing off-ball player, it’s a shame to waste his talents by exclusively running him off screens and spotting him up.
This was already a concern when Chris Paul and James Harden came together, so it would be hard to imagine PG not being marginalized in Houston.
The dollars and cents
The Rockets, as of now, are in a similar salary cap situation to the Thunder. One super-max player, one fringe star at center that demands/will demand a near-max, and one superstar free agent.
With Chris Paul’s desired max-contract looming, with Clint Capela about to demand max money as a restricted free agent, and with Ryan Anderson‘s albatross of a contract holding them back, would they even be able to add Paul George?
Rockets GM Daryl Morey has never been one to rest on his laurels. In a similarly tough cap situation last season, he managed to acquire Chris Paul. The move required a series of gymnastics, including trading for several players on non-guaranteed contracts in order to add salary that the Clippers could immediately cut.
It was a series of brilliant maneuvers, the likes of which has never been seen before, and the likes of which would be necessary again if Houston wants to squeeze in Paul George. The reason those moves were necessary is the Rockets were unwilling to include Capella or Eric Gordon in the deal, and the Clippers were unwilling to receive Ryan Anderson.
The Thunder would be in a similar position to the Clippers last season. Ryan Anderson would turn into a giant expiring contract after this year, but $20 million is a ridiculous amount to pay for a guy who can’t get on the court in the playoffs. Capella doesn’t move the needle with Steven Adams in place.
So, unless the Rockets were willing to part with Gordon, the Thunder would have little interest in making a deal.