Finals MVP should go to someone who isn't even a part of the series. Paul George should be praised by fans of the Pacers and Thunder.

The Thunder and the Pacers can trace their superstars and their cores back to trades involving the nine-time All-Star wing.

Or, more specifically, what they got back when trading Paul George away. While George watches the NBA Finals from the same couch where he watched the entire playoffs (his 76ers didn’t even make the play-in), here is how both of these teams used trading George away to set up the foundation of their Finals teams.