Twitter Erupts as Paul George Is Traded to Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder stunned the Association on Friday night when they reportedly acquired Paul George from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis, per ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne and USA Today's Sam Amick.        

Just hours before the start of the free-agency moratorium period at 12:01 a.m. ET, the news shook the NBA landscape and provoked observers all over Twitter to comment on the blockbuster. 

ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst provided some background on why Indiana didn't net a huge haul in return, with an eye on the summer of 2018: 

There was also an outpouring of reaction from NBA players, including thoughts from Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert: 

Aside from the sudden imbalance of power, the other big takeaway from OKC's out-of-nowhere maneuver was just how well general manager Sam Presti did to snag George without giving away coveted assets: 

There was also an intense focus on the Boston Celtics, who pursued George, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, but evidently couldn't best the Thunder's offer. 

As a result, there was an outpouring of jokes at the expense of Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge: 

Here's a look at the best of the rest: 

Now armed with a pair of All-Stars in George and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder will set their sights on the Western Conference's elite next season. 

The question, though, is whether that tandem will mesh to such a degree that Westbrook can convince George to stay in OKC instead of bolting for the Los Angeles Lakers—long considered his preferred landing spot—in the summer of 2018. 

If nothing else, that subtext should make for a fascinating 2017-18 campaign as the NBA continues to operate as the best soap opera around.