George s "Cheap" finals are about to begin

James' fans can say Westbrook, Harden's fans can say Westbrook and Jokic's fans can say Westbrook, but George's fans are really not qualified to say Westbrook. Back in the 18-19 season, George was selected for one defense and one team with averaging 28 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. That was the only time George was selected for one team and one team at the same time in a single season. At that time, George's main teammate was Westbrook.

But in the following offseason in 2019, the Clippers became the big winners in the free market, and they signed Leonard naked and then got George through the trade. At that time, George only had a four-year maximum salary contract with the Thunder for only one season. At that time, the Clippers needed to be All-Star players in their year of playing, so they also gave away draft picks and potential stocks like Alexander. Even though he had a good performance in the playoffs that year, most people would not believe that Alexander would have the performance of this class now. In the 24-25 season, Alexander won the first regular season MVP trophy of his career with an average of 32.7 points, 5 rebounds, 6.4 assists per game, and led the Thunder into the finals.

In contrast, the combination of Leonard and George did not meet expectations and has long since parted ways. Although it is inappropriate to comment on the transaction at that time with current performance, the Thunder are the winners of the transaction. This is an indisputable fact. They not only gained MVP-level players like Alexander, but also many draft picks. But George's "function" is not only that. In the 2017 offseason, George was traded to the Thunder. Based on the previous suspicion of designating the next home, the Pacers did not obtain relatively high-quality chips from George's trade. As the top forward in the league at that time, the Pacers only obtained two potential stocks, Oladipo and Sabonis Jr., in George's trade, without any draft picks.

Of course, Oladipo and Sabonis Jr. both made a fortune, especially Sabonis Jr., who have now become high-quality insiders in the league. However, the walkers did not stay young Sabonis for a long time. In the mid-21-22 season, the Kings and the Pacers completed the transaction, and the core was Sabonis Jr. and Halliburton swapped. The King chose Fox, who had already made a fortune, and sent away the potential stock Halliburton. Looking back at this deal, the Kings were really losing money. Halliburton led the Pacers to the finals, and the Kings had even sent Fox to the Spurs.

So, when the Thunder and the Pacers stood on the finals stage, George was a player that had to be mentioned, and the core players of both teams were closely related to George's replacement of the team. Then, the NBA official might as well make George the commentator of the finals, which may increase the popularity of the finals. Back to the protagonist of the finals, both the Thunder and the Pacers are a bit "cheap". In the 24-25 season, the Thunder did not pay the luxury tax, and the Pacers only paid the luxury tax of $90,000.

is not that the two teams do not have maximum salary players. Alexander of the Thunder is currently a five-year contract of $172 million. He has no honors such as Best Team, Regular Season MVP, Best Defensive Player in the first four seasons of his career, so he only received a maximum salary contract with a starting salary of 25% of the salary cap. Then Williams, Chett and others are on rookie contracts again, so the biggest contract in the Thunder is Alexander, with a salary of only $38.33 million this season, and Haltenstein ranked second with $28.5 million.

Looking at the Pacers again, Halliburton triggered the Ross clause and got a maximum salary contract with a starting salary of 30% of the salary cap, but the 24-25 season is only the first season. Siakam signed a four-year, $190 million maximum salary contract, and the 24-25 season was also the first season. But in addition to the two of them, the Pacers have the most salary of Turner. In addition, Toping and Naismith have a salary of more than $10 million. Nembhard, who performed well, has a salary of only $2.19 million this season, which is more cost-effective.

In fact, the Thunder and the Pacers are relatively "orthodox" growth models. There is no large-scale introduction of All-Star players. Young players are gradually growing, and the team enjoys the ultimate "rookie dividend". The huge luxury tax pressure will make many teams gradually return to this relatively "orthodox" growth model. Compared with the fight between James, Durant, Curry and others, the "cheap" finals of the Thunder and Pacers seem to lack points of complaints and heat. But the alliance needs development and new faces. If you change your taste, it may be a bright future. Text/Duncan's Smile