What the Paul George trade means for the LA Clippers

The LA Clippers managed to sign Kawhi Leonard away from Toronto and the Lakers, but perhaps the bigger surprise was trading for Paul George.

All week long, LA Clippers fans have been refreshing their Twitter feeds every second in hopes of seeing any sort of rumors or information related to Kawhi Leonard. Once news broke that he had chosen the Clippers, the app was lit aflame. So if you weren’t there to see it, imagine how it had to look once news broke that the Clippers were also trading for Oklahoma City Thunder star Paul George to pair with the two-time Finals MVP.

Of course, the price for adding George was steep — the LA Clippers sent Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari and an absurd amount of draft picks to the Thunder in exchange for him — but considering the details, it’s seems as though the Clippers really traded for both stars.

Leonard’s signing was contingent on the Clippers acquiring another star, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The two stars reportedly met in Los Angeles earlier this week, and Wojnarowski noted that Leonard likely would not have joined the Clippers if they were unable to acquire George.

In adding George, the Clippers will get a second star that many never saw coming. George had just finished up a career-best season with the Thunder, averaging 28.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals per game. At the NBA Awards, he finished third in MVP voting behind Houston’s James Harden and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.

George, a six-time All-Star and four-time All-Defensive teamer, will combine with Leonard, Patrick Beverley and the rest of the Clippers team to form what could be the league’s best defense during the upcoming season. And because of the excellent team-building that LA’s front office has done, they’ll be well-equipped on the offensive end as well, with players like Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell standing out from the bench and an elite three-point shooter in Landry Shamet starting at shooting guard. Of course, that’s all in addition to the offensive firepower that Leonard and George will bring to the team.

The hardest part of this whole process for the LA Clippers will presumably be trading Gilgeous-Alexander, a stellar rookie that finished on the NBA’s All-Rookie second team. He’ll get an opportunity to succeed behind Russell Westbrook, and could potentially start if the Thunder are shopping the former league MVP.

The Clippers will now get their chance to go toe-to-toe with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers, re-igniting a rivalry that’s been dead for some time. Of the two teams, though, the Clippers will likely be the favorites to win it all given their depth.

With two of the best two-way players in the league suiting up for the LA Clippers next season, it’s clear that the team’s goal is playing dominating basketball on both ends of the floor.