Timantha wrote:AirP. wrote:Timantha wrote:This all started with Paul George not Harden imo. He signed a 4-5 year max with OKC and then asked for a trade to the Clips after one year
I'd be willing to bet OKC gave him a verbal agreement to try to move him where he wanted to go(it helps out both parties, OKC gets to resign him and he gets to go where he wants to go), they basically did the same thing for CP3.
I don't think it was their first choice. They probably wanted to be competitive and build around Russ and PG. Kawhi basically changed that OKC franchise by recruiting PG to LA. Also, the package the Clips gave back then was a historic package (Shai, Gallinari + all their picks and swaps). It was good enough for OKC to start a rebuild. When it comes to the Nets, no team currently is desperate for a 34 yo KD. The Clips were willing to offer everything cause they would get Kawhi in FA too. The James Harden to BKN trade also complicates things because the Nets don't control their picks. If they had their picks, it makes trading KD easier because they can just force a rebuild with the draft assets they acquired
As someone who lives in OKC, nobody here thought they'd be competitive past the first round nor had any chance of building upon what they currently had and absolutely no chance at a championship with those 2 guys. In my opinion, him extending in OKC was about P.George getting paid in place he enjoyed(he's loves fishing), OKC could retain an asset where'd they get more then nothing and if P.George wanted to go somewhere else they'd try to make it happen. Presti just happened to have the leverage that this would be a 2-player acquisition for the Clippers since it would also net them Kawhi. If this were your normal situation OKC would have opened up the bidding to get the most from P.George vs the whole NBA (outside the Clippers) saying oh wow... he was available. IMO, he was only available to where he wanted to go.
It may have been more of if you sign with OKC we'll send you to a team you'll ok and not just to the higher bidder because we've seen OKC utilize that at least 1 other time with CP3 to keep him happy the year he was in OKC with a bad roster. Presti has found a way to keep high level assets happy enough to take in players who don't want to be on a bad roster only to reroute them where they want to be. I would not be surprised if KD had an illegal verbal arrangement with "someone" in Brooklyn too but the owner isn't going along with it. It seems REALLY odd for that KD signed for 4 years instead of doing a 1&1s like LeBron would do to keep the franchise placating him or he'd walk. I get the money is nice but he was getting paid no matter what and for him it definitely wasn't worth losing control with a franchise.
