The LA Clippers traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks, and two first-round swaps to land Paul George in 2019, and things just got worse as Thomas Sorbe went to OKC with the 15th pick. LA also had to swap firsts with the Thunder, which pushed OKC to 24 and the Clips back to 30. The Thunder won the championship with SGA taking home regular season and finals MVP. If that wasn’t hard enough to watch, Clippers fans now endured more pain on draft night.
The PG13 era in Los Angeles never went as planned. The Clippers ultimately let him walk in free agency after five years. It seemed like a regrettable move, but George regressed in his first season with the 76ers. It may have been the perfect timing if forgetting the sunk cost of what LA paid to land him.
This will forever be one of the biggest hauls in NBA history. The Clippers were getting an unquestioned superstar, but it never made them a serious title threat. Instead, it was LA parting with the future MVP and a mountain of draft capital that set the Thunder up for their current run.
Clippers feel more pain from the nightmare Paul Georg trade
This trade is a total disaster for the Clippers. They had to go all-in to get Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to come to Los Angeles, but it never quite worked out. LA won just three playoff series in five years and never made it past the conference finals. Here are the full details of the deal with the draft picks replaced by the player selected.
- Clippers received: Paul George, Yanic Konan Niederhauser
- Thunder received: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, Tre Mann, Jalen Williams, Jamie Jaquez Jr., Dillon Jones, Thomas Sorber, Nique Clifford, 2026 first-round pick swap
Yes, the Thunder selected Jalen Williams with one of the draft picks meaning their two All-Stars both came from this deal. Sam Presti looks like an evil genius for agreeing to this trade. He keeps turning the draft picks into more assets and has OKC built to contend for the championship for at least the next half-decade.
The Clippers dreamed that Paul George and Kawhi would lead them to the championship. Instead, they set the Thunder up to go on a dream run. Credit LA for being bold, but it did not work. The pain will get worse with a pick swap in 2026 that OKC is certain to use after another dominant season.
The LA Clippers are still in contention and would love a shot to knock off the Thunder in the 2026 playoffs. OKC just keeps getting better, but LA is dangerous. It may be the Clips' only shot at silencing the heat from this trade. The franchise had to do it, but that doesn’t make it any better. Sadly, it is the price of star chasing in the NBA.