Seven years ago today, the Los Angeles Clippers officially completed the trade that was supposed to change everything.
Paul George arrived in Los Angeles to join Kawhi Leonard, giving the Clippers the superstar pairing they believed could deliver the franchise’s first championship. Oklahoma City received Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and two future pick swaps. At the time, the price was enormous but understandable: Leonard’s decision to join the Clippers was tied to the team acquiring another star, so Los Angeles was effectively trading for George and securing Kawhi at the same time.
Seven years later, “enormous” no longer feels strong enough.
Viewed through the full trade tree, Oklahoma City turned the deal into Gilgeous-Alexander, Gallinari, Tre Mann, Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, Nikola Topić, Thomas Sorber, Aday Mara and an additional protected 2027 first-round asset created through a later transaction involving one of the picks. Some of those names came through subsequent draft-night trades rather than directly with the original selections, but they all belong to the same sprawling chain of assets that began with George leaving Oklahoma City.
The painful part for the Clippers is that Oklahoma City did not merely win the trade on paper. The Thunder used it as the foundation of a championship machine.
Gilgeous-Alexander developed from an intriguing young guard into the face of the franchise, the 2025 and 2026 league MVP and the Finals MVP of Oklahoma City’s first championship since the franchise relocated. The Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers in seven games in the 2025 NBA Finals, with Shai at the center of everything. One of the players the Clippers surrendered as part of their all-in move eventually became the best player on a title team.
That alone would make the trade brutal.
Then there is Jalen Williams, selected 12th in 2022 with a Clippers pick. Williams developed into an All-Star-level two-way wing and a central member of Oklahoma City’s championship core. The trade therefore did not only hand the Thunder their franchise superstar. It also helped give him one of the perfect young co-stars to grow alongside.
The rest of the return shows how mercilessly Oklahoma City continued squeezing value from the original package. Tre Mann became part of a later transaction. Cason Wallace emerged from maneuvering connected to the trade tree and developed into a valuable defensive guard. Topić became another long-term development piece. Sorber was selected 15th in 2025, although a torn ACL prevented him from playing during his scheduled rookie season. Oklahoma City then used the 12th pick in the 2026 draft to select Aday Mara, adding another young big man to an already absurd collection of talent.
Meanwhile, the Clippers never reached the destination that justified the gamble.
George spent five seasons in Los Angeles. The team reached the Western Conference Finals in 2021, the deepest playoff run in franchise history at the time, but injuries repeatedly disrupted the George-Leonard partnership. The Clippers never reached the NBA Finals, never won a championship and ultimately lost George in free agency to Philadelphia in 2024 without receiving anything in return.
That does not mean the original decision was completely irrational. The Clippers were not simply choosing George over Shai and a pile of picks in a vacuum. They believed acquiring George was the condition required to land Leonard, who was coming off a championship and Finals MVP run with Toronto. For a franchise desperate to escape the Lakers’ shadow and compete immediately, the temptation was obvious.
But trades are ultimately judged by results, not by how exciting the introductory press conference felt.
The Clippers received five injury-plagued seasons, one conference-finals appearance and no championship. The Thunder received the player who became their MVP, the co-star who helped him win a title, a deep collection of young talent and enough remaining assets to keep strengthening what already resembles a superteam.
That is what elevates this from a trade the Clippers merely lost to one of the worst trades in NBA history.
Los Angeles made the deal to create an instant championship team. Oklahoma City used the return to create the younger, deeper and ultimately successful championship team instead.
Seven years later, Paul George is long gone from both franchises. Kawhi Leonard is no longer the reason anyone talks about the deal. The final pieces have almost finished moving through the system, and the verdict has become impossible to avoid.
The Clippers traded for a championship window. The Thunder took that window, rebuilt the entire house around it and raised a banner.
