Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has become the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He has been one of the top MVP candidates since the 2023-24 season, propelling the Thunder into title contention. It is difficult to imagine that SGA was once a complimentary piece in a trade that brought Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers and sent him to the OKC Thunder in 2019. In retrospect, the trade helped Gilgeous-Alexander develop into a superstar talent, and he believes the same.
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The narrative about the trade resurfaced during the Thunder’s road game against the Clippers in Intuit Dome as SGA put up 25 points, nine assists, three rebounds, and one steal during the 105-92 win. During the post-game conference, the Clippers beat reporter Joey Linn had asked him about the trade that landed him in OKC Thunder.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who is used to this question by now, had a brilliant answer. He admitted that, at the time, the LA Clippers made the best decision. Meanwhile, he has been ecstatic because of his rapid growth with the Thunder, a partnership that has brought immense mutual benefits.
SGA has no doubts that the trade has helped him become one of the best players in the league. He said,
“I had a great year here when I was here. Their front office made a trade that they thought was better for their team. So did the Thunder. And in the last 5 years, I’ve tried to focus on my development and the team’s development and try to be the best basketball player that I can be for the Oklahoma City Thunder. I’d say it worked out in my favor.”
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the Clippers-Thunder trade 5 years ago (@joeylinn_ with the question):
“I had a great year here when I was here. Their front office made a trade that they thought was better for their team. So did the Thunder. And in the last 5 years, I've tried to… pic.twitter.com/OwC8sUh8en
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 3, 2024
The Clippers traded for SGA during the 2018 draft, where he was drafted at #11 by the Charlotte Hornets, but they chose to go for a seasoned star.
On July 10, 2019, the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinri, five first-round picks, and the rights to swap two first-round picks.
SGA has risen steadily since then and, with over 30 points a game over the past two seasons, has emerged among the league’s top scorers.
The genius of Sam Presti
Sam Presti, general manager of OKC Thunder, is well-known for collecting a lot of first-round draft picks. The SGA trade displayed once more his long-term vision. These draft picks translated into Josh Giddey, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams, among other intriguing young talent.
The present core now revolves around Holmgren and Williams rather heavily. Giddey, meanwhile, assisted the team in landing a defensive maestro in Alex Caruso during the 2024 offseason. The losses of the Clippers have been the Thunder’s gains.
The partnership with Paul George wasn’t the worst, but the team couldn’t make a single Finals trip when he was there as he disappeared during many playoff games. PG-13 bolted during the 2024 offseason and the team still owes the 2025 First Round pick to the Clippers.
The SGA-George trade is the prime example of a team building its foundation through a young core and benefiting in the long run, while the other squandering its future for a short-term gain that may not have been worth it.
