The 2007 commerce that finally set the 2025 NBA Finals matchup
Within the waning moments of Recreation 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, 4 gamers performed a pivotal position: Indiana Pacers guards Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard, Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Thunder ahead Jalen Williams.
After Williams (off a Gilgeous-Alexander go) missed a 3-pointer that might have given the Thunder a 9-point lead with 2 minutes and 16 seconds to go, Nembhard hit a 3 of his personal over Gilgeous-Alexander on the next possession.
Later, within the recreation’s decisive sequence, whereas Oklahoma Metropolis was clinging to a 1-point lead, Gilgeous-Alexander missed a pull-up jumper with 11 seconds to go. The Pacers scooped the rebound, acquired the ball to Haliburton, and the star guard hit the game-winning shot with 0.3 seconds left on the clock.
All 4 gamers (Haliburton, Nembhard, Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams) have been key cogs of their groups’ success over the past couple seasons. And all 4 could be traced again to a transaction from the summer season of 2007, when a 30-year-old Sam Presti, basic supervisor of the then-Seattle SuperSonics, made a commerce that helped set the stage for the 2025 Finals.
Right here’s how the Sonics’ sign-and-trade of ahead Rashard Lewis helped construct not one, however each of this yr’s NBA Finals members.