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In the opening hours of NBA Free Agency, the Indiana Pacers traded Paul George to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a package of Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. According to Trail Blazers beat writer Jason Quick, the Thunder weren’t the only ones after the All-Star forward. The Blazers not only made an offer to Indiana, but in Quick’s assessment it was better than the one that was eventually accepted.
Blazers tried to get in. They made offer to Indy last Monday that was better than what Pritchard took from OKC. https://t.co/Um7Pn8VJbT
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) July 1, 2017
Blazer’s Edge’s David MacKay reached out to Quick for more details, but he was unable to provide any.
Understand blowback of fans saying "reveal the offer" but I just can't. But, in my opinion, Portland's offer was better. It included picks https://t.co/Ye4gTpp6AK
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) July 1, 2017
While the specifics of the offer may never be known, this was not the first report about it. Last week, Quick indicated that the Blazers’ offer did not move Indiana’s needle.
Source says what Blazers have offered for Paul George "doesn't move the needle" for Pacers.
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) June 22, 2017
The 27-year-old George played seven seasons in Indiana, making four All-Star appearances. He was voted to three All-NBA third teams and three All-Defensive teams. He successfully recovered from a horrific broken leg sustained during a 2014 Team USA scrimmage, coming back to average more than 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in each of the past 2 seasons.