How Thunder-Clippers trade, featuring Paul George and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, holds up
The Thunder hosts the surging Clippers, winners of eight straight, at 7 p.m. Thursday at Paycom Center.
Russell Westbrook will be cheered in his return to Oklahoma City and James Harden will be booed. As for Paul George? Every fan in Thunder blue should thank PG for requesting a trade to Los Angeles, because look at what it bore.
A refresher on what Sam Presti and Co. squeezed out of the Clippers in July 2019 …
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Thunder-Clippers trade of 2019
Thunder trades: Paul George
Clippers trade: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, 2022 first-round pick, 2024 first-round pick, 2026 first-round pick, first-round picks via Miami in 2021 and 2023 and the rights to swap picks with the Clippers in 2023 and 2025.
So George for Gilgeous-Alexander — a top-five player in the league two years running — and five first-round draft picks. The Thunder already won the trade. At this point, OKC is running up the score.
Here’s where the Thunder’s haul from the Clippers stands today.
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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Fifth in the MVP race last season with an even stronger MVP case through 25 games this season. He’s the face of the franchise and a full fledged superstar.
Danilo Gallinari: A full-time starter in his one season in OKC who averaged 18.7 points per game on 41% 3-point shooting for what was a surprise playoff team. The Thunder sent Gallinari to the Hawks in a sign-and-trade, which netted the Thunder a 2025 protected second-round pick.
2021 first-rounder (via Miami): Ended up as the 18th pick, which the Thunder used to select guard Tre Mann. Mann has seen his minutes decline in each of his three seasons. He’s not a regular in OKC’s rotation.
2022 first-rounder: This Clippers pick conveyed at No. 12, and the Thunder struck gold by drafting Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams. J-Dub finished second to Paolo Banchero last season for Rookie of the Year. This season he’s averaging 17.1 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He’s the Thunder’s third-best player behind Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren and has the potential to be a star in his own right.
2023 first-rounder (via Miami): So this one is a little complicated. The Heat owed the Thunder a lottery-protected first-round pick in 2023 which was set to stay under those same lottery protections through 2025 before becoming unprotected in 2026. But OKC and Miami renegotiated those protections. The Thunder took on KZ Okpala’s contract and sent a second-round pick to Miami, which freed up a roster spot for the Heat. In return, the Heat pushed back the protections on the pick. It’s now lottery protected for 2025 only before becoming unprotected in 2026. Basically, the Thunder wanted to maximize the chances of the pick becoming unprotected. TBD on how it shakes out. Had the pick not been renegotiated, it would’ve conveyed to the Thunder as the 18th pick in the 2023 draft. Miami instead kept that pick, and the Heat didn’t miss by drafting Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Still to come: 2024 first-round pick (unprotected from Clippers), right to swap with Clippers in 2025, 2025 first-round pick (lottery protected via Miami, becomes unprotected in 2026 if it doesn’t convey in 2025), 2025 second-round pick (protected via Atlanta), 2026 first-round pick (unprotected from Clippers).
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Thunder vs. Clippers
TIPOFF: 7 p.m. Thursday at Paycom Center (Bally Sports Oklahoma)
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Thunder-Clippers trade of Paul George and SGA: Where it stands today
