OKC Thunder: Paul George playoff failure adds credence to Presti winning trade

OKC Thunder have already won the trade

Which brings us full circle to the trade of Paul George. It’s safe to say the trade Sam Presti pulled off should be celebrated as arguably the biggest haul ever made for a player who has never proven to have the qualities required to win when it matters most.

No matter how many times we’ll revisit this trade it’s difficult to imagine any player who hasn’t been to an NBA Finals or isn’t considered a top five star ever justifying the haul Presti got for George.

In hindsight, Lawrence Frank must be having nightmares thinking about how much more effective his Clippers team would’ve performed had they retained Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Danilo Gallinari. More importantly, coughing up five first-round draft picks and two first-round draft swaps has handcuffed the Clippers for years.

Then consider the fact that when next season is completed both George and Leonard can opt-out of their contracts. In essence, the Clippers may have mortgaged the next seven years of their franchise’s future for two players who might bail from the franchise after one more season.

It’s not likely Leonard will leave, but there is a world that exists where LeBron James decides to retire at the end of next season and the Lakers offer Leonard the world. His main preference as we’ve learned is location, money, and a partner to share the workload. If James were to retire and Anthony Davis was looking to add a co-partner it’s not inconceivable Leonard could bail from his current squad to join the team across the hallway.

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The other question that has to be considered is whether owner Steve Ballmer will decide to deal Paul George this offseason to try to get something in return for him in a preemptive move in case PG13 elects to leave following the upcoming season.

His Clippers franchise will never be able to match the haul Presti got for him but it has to be a consideration given the results of this season and in particular his lack of playoff mettle.

The argument can be made that the initial trade that brought George to the OKC Thunder cost two valuable young talents as the Pacers added Domantas Sabonis and Victor Oladipo.

But, when you consider the Clippers sent a cornerstone asset and a core talent in SGA and Gallo plus the seven first-round selections (5 picks / 2 swaps) Presti got back in return for George in this recent trade with the Clippers it seems destined to be a win for the OKC Thunder brain trust.

After the Clippers playoff implosion, the pressure to win the title this coming season will be massive given George could bolt again. Thats also will put the Clippers front office in a position to have to make decisions on whether to keep him or trade him. Wrapping this trade up with a big orange bow in honor of the team  – – even prior to all those draft picks being selected the definitive winner of the Paul George trade is Sam Presti and the OKC Thunder.

Meanwhile, ‘Playoff P’ is still searching for a postseason performance that measures up to his self titled moniker. A lesson all NBA players might want to heed for future nickname choices!