The Houston Rockets Have Lost Out on Paul George

Unfortunately for the Rockets, someone they had their eye on has been traded to a Western Conference foe.

The Houston Rockets are officially unsuccessful on their quest to acquire Paul George from Indiana. George was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. There was no draft pick of any kind sent to the Pacers in this trade, even though they were rumored to be looking for one. This trade is an interesting one for Indiana who is looking to rebuild around center Myles Turner. Sadly, the Rockets do not get to partake in the talents of PG13 this coming season.

Ramona Shelburne of ESPN had the scoop.

Paul George has been traded to OKC, per sources

— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) July 1, 2017

This Trade Makes No Sense

It seems highly unlikely that no other team would offer the Pacers a better deal than OKC. Indiana does get a good prospect in Sabonis, but they also get a highly paid starter in Oladipo. They also do not get a draft pick to help jump start their rebuild. What was going on behind the scenes?

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Houston surely could have offered a better deal than Oladipo and Sabonis. Houston was likely willing to part with Eric Gordon and another player for Paul George. As for Boston, they have draft picks galore and all sorts of assets to give the rebuilding Pacers. What could be going through the mind of general manager Kevin Pritchard?

Maybe the Pacers just did not want to give up Paul George to a top 5 team in the league. That would make sense for all the suitors of him. Oh well, on to the next player. Now it will take 6 games for the Rockets to beat Oklahoma City in the playoffs.

What is Next for Houston?

The Rockets will still have plenty of options for the rest of the offseason. With free agency starting in a number of hours, they will pursue multiple players. For starters, the Rockets will have a meeting with Andre Iguodala at the beginning of free agency. They will also surely meet with Paul Millsap (or trade for him) and others. Stay tuned to Space City Scoop to see what happens this summer!

Houston continues its ultra aggressive approach and has now secured a meeting with free-agent Andre Iguodala, league sources tell ESPN.

— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2017