The Clippers lost Paul George for nothing after trading so much (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander!) to originally acquire him
How bleak is it for the Clippers considering what they gave up to get Paul George?
Paul George will reportedly sign with the Philadelphia 76ers, officially marking the end of his tenure with the L.A. Clippers.
The Clippers ultimately paid a premium price to acquire George from the Thunder in 2019. While it was perhaps a necessary gamble because it helped the team also acquire Kawhi Leonard, it is wild to consider just how many assets the front office surrendered in this deal five years ago.
Even the organization released a statement acknowledging as much:
“We traded a lot to pair Paul and Kawhi, and in exchange, we had five seasons of contention. Even though we fell short of our ultimate objective, we appreciate the chances we had with Paul.”
Looking back, Danilo Gallinari was the main piece that made the deal work financially. But he was hardly the most important part of this move.
Some fans may forget that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander began his career with the Clippers. He was drafted at No. 11 overall and played his rookie season in Los Angeles before he was named All-Rookie Second Team.
While he wasn’t yet who he is today, he was the centerpiece of the deal for the Thunder. Knowing what we know now, Gilgeous-Alexander already has more trade value than George. But that wasn’t all that the Clippers gave up to make this happen.
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Also included in the deal was a loaded collection of first-round picks, some of which have been more favorable than others. It seems the most valuable was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, which was used to pick Jalen Williams.
After earning NBA All-Rookie First-Team during his debut campaign with the Thunder in 2023, he had a breakout season with the Thunder last year and has proven himself as one of the most impressive young players in the NBA.
Oklahoma City also received the No. 18 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, which was used on Tre Mann, who was later rerouted to the Hornets as part of the trade for Gordon Hayward.
Other assets from L.A. in the deal included the No. 26 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft (which was recently used to select Dillon Jones from Weber State).
The Clippers also owned what became the No. 18 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft (used to seelct Jaime Jaquez Jr.), though Oklahoma City turned that into a protected 2025 first-round pick or an unprotected first-round pick in 2026 from the Heat.
That means Oklahoma City is still owed a first-round pick from Miami, the rights to swap picks with the Clippers in 2025, and a first-round pick from the Clippers in 2026.
Meanwhile, the Clippers are left with nothing back in return for George.
They still have Leonard and James Harden on the roster, but the odds of them contending next season do not look strong.