Report: 3-way George deal with Cavs, Nuggets fell apart Friday

A three-way trade that would have sent Paul George from the Indiana Pacers to the Cleveland Cavaliers fell apart at the last minute Friday, according to ESPN's Marc Stein and Mike Wise.

George was instead moved to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a stunning deal for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. The trade will be made official July 6.

Word had leaked out that the Cavs, Pacers, and Denver Nuggets were discussing a three-way trade as early as last week, and apparently talks had continued. The deal fell apart for good Friday when Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard killed it, reports Wise.

It's conceivable Pritchard didn't want to trade his best player to another team in the Eastern Conference, although the return the Pacers ultimately received for George has been roundly ridiculed.

The Cavs had been linked to George as conventional wisdom indicated they wanted to add another superstar after losing the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors. However, Cleveland has been operating without an official GM since parting ways with David Griffin on June 19. It's believed that owner Dan Gilbert is handling much of the offseason tasks.