The Trade That Changed the NBA’s Future Has a Secret Past - WSJ

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/thunder-clippers-paul-george-trade-secret-history-11573770860 The long-forgotten deal that altered the course of NBA history decades later almost didn’t happen. The clock was ticking on the Seattle SuperSonics to make their first-round pick in the 1997 draft, and only at the last possible moment did they agree to move down nine spots in exchange for the Denver Nuggets’ second-round pick in 1998. “That trade went down to 5 or 10 seconds left,” said Wally Walker, the former Sonics general manager. “It was as big a game of timing chicken as I’ve experienced.” It turned out to be fortunate that Walker didn’t blink. Those five seconds would change the future of the league. That

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/thunder-clippers-paul-george-trade-secret-history-11573770860 The long-forgotten deal that altered the course of NBA history decades later almost didn’t happen. The clock was ticking on the Seattle SuperSonics to make their first-round pick in the 1997 draft, and only at the last p