Revisiting Clippers trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the Thunder: Is it the worst NBA trade of all time?
After securing his first NBA MVP award this month, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to hammer home the notion that the Los Angeles Clippers’ decision to trade him in 2019 is one of the worst of all time.
When the Clippers traded Gilgeous-Alexander in the summer of 2019, they thought they had made a move that turned them into a title contender for the next few seasons. They had just signed two-time NBA champion Kawhi Leonard in NBA free agency, and the superstar forward wanted an All-Star running mate for his time in Los Angeles.
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Moving Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Galinari, and seven future round picks and/or swaps made sense for a desperate franchise trying to compete with in-city rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers. Was it an overpay? Yes. But on paper, Leonard and George would turn them into contenders. And they did, when they were healthy.
However, the reason why the Clippers’ trading Gilgeous-Alexander is among the worst of all-time isn’t so much about the failures of George and Leonard to stay healthy. But more about it, setting up a potential dynasty for the Thunder, that could still get stronger in the years ahead.
What did the Clippers trade for Paul George?
In the trade that created two very different trajectories for the two franchises, the Los Angeles Clippers got a 29-year-old Paul George in his prime and with six All-Star games on his resume. Below is a rundown of what the Oklahoma City Thunder got in return for George.
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2021 first-round pick (became Tre Mann)
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2022 first-round pick (became Jalen Williams)
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2023 first-round pick (became Jaime Jaquez Jr.)
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2023 first-round pick swap, 2024 first-round draft pick (became Dillon Jones)
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2025 first-round pick swap
Obviously, this is all hindsight, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander immediately became a building block talent for the Clippers in 2019-20. By his fourth season in OKC, he was an All-Star. He has earned All-Star honors in the two seasons since, and is now the reigning MVP. Furthermore, he has spearheaded the Thunder’s rise to elite status as a serious contender to win an NBA title next month. However, he hasn’t done it alone.
Jalen Williams is the second-best player on the roster, and he came in that deal with the Clippers. He was the player the Thunder selected with LA’s first-round pick in 2022. Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams are evolving into a modern-day version of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. They could make the Thunder the league’s next dynasty team, and they both wouldn’t be in OKC without that trade happening.
Furthermore, the Thunder have used that pick swap this year and will be on the clock at 15, instead of 30 in the NBA Draft. And they get LA’s top pick next year. That is an already strong trade return that can still get even better.
Was the Clippers’ Shai-Gilgeous Alexander trade the worst in NBA history?
Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
Was the Clippers trade that sent Gilgeous-Alexander to the Thunder the worst of all time? No. But it is probably top five after SGA won MVP. If they win a title next month, it is most certainly the top five worst ever. What is interesting in this deal is that over time, it could eventually take the No. 1 spot.
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If the Thunder do become an NBA dynasty and win two or three titles, SGA wins two or three MVPs, and Jalen Williams is a multi-time All-Star it will be very hard to argue 10 years from now that the Clippers have not only had some of the worst No. 1 picks of all time, but they will have the worst trade in NBA history.
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