Getty Paul George defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The 2019 trade that the Oklahoma City Thunder‘s Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and plus two swaps will go down as one of the wildest trades in NBA history.
Though it certainly looks four years later as though the Thunder won this trade by a landslide, George said he didn’t see it that way.
“I just think both sides won,” George told reporters on January 16 after the Clippers’ 128-117 win over the Thunder. “I did think it was quite a lot that Clippers were willing to give up, but their commitment to me is my commitment to them. So just appreciative that they went out and grabbed me and brought me over here. Very appreciative of Steve [Ballmer]. But both sides won.”
At the time, Gilgeous-Alexander had just finished his rookie season.
“Shai is, I think initially when that trade happened, no one saw — we knew Shai was going to be really, really good, but he’s special. And so I guess in a way, Oklahoma won that trade with picks and a future MVP. So again, great trade for both sides.”
Paul George on the trade:
“Both sides won. I did think it was quite a lot that the Clippers were willing to give up. Their commitment to me is my commitment to them… But both sides won… We knew Shai was gonna be really, really good, but he’s special. In a way, Oklahoma won…
In the 268 games played since the trade, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 25.7 points (over 31.0 points since 2022), 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals and a .496 field goal percentage. The 25-year-old was named to his first NBA All-Star game in 2022.
The Clippers’ Recent Play Leaves Much to Be Desired
With the way that the Clippers have played since they added Harden, the chance of them winning a championship seems as high as it has been. When the Clippers in the past were healthy, they were a very tough team to beat. The issue is that they were never healthy.
While it remains to be seen if they can stay healthy, there’s an argument that they’re the best team in the Western Conference when healthy. After the tough 0-6 start when Harden first arrived, the Clippers have gone 23-7.
It’s tough to trust them given the injury history of their three best players, but this recent play has been too impressive to ignore. They’re playing this way, ultimately, because of that trade they decided to make. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden wouldn’t be playing with the Clippers if it wasn’t for the Paul George trade.
James Harden Wants to Stay in Los Angeles
It was reported during the game by Chris Haynes of TNT that James Harden wants to stay with the Los Angeles Clippers. This doesn’t come as a surprise after Harden had requested the trade from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Clippers. With Kawhi recently signing an extension and George in talks for an extension, locking up Harden will likely be in the Clippers’ plans.
When asked after the game about wanting to stay in Los Angeles, Harden said the following to Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated.
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Clippers’ Paul George Shares Honest Opinion on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Trade