The LA Clippers have turned into the gift that keeps on giving for the OKC Thunder.
Since the two ball clubs took part in the now-famous 2019 Paul George blockbuster, it seems Los Angeles has consistently been shipping out valuable assets in Oklahoma City's direction.
Whether it's been the 2022 draft rights that turned into Jalen Williams or literally the acquisition of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander himself, the Clippers have done a lot in regard to building up OKC's dynasty-pushing core.
Now, with the recent bombshell report that Kawhi Leonard had an undisclosed sponsorship with LA’s scoreboard company, Daktronics, the Thunder could seriously benefit yet again from the Clippers' misfortunes.
Clippers misfortunes increase odds of Thunder netting 2027 lottery pick
As a result of the 2023 trade that sent James Harden from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, the Thunder hold the rights to a pick-swap with the Clippers in the 2027 draft.
When Leonard was dealt to the Raptors earlier this offseason, it was already widely believed that these rights could net OKC another lottery selection next June.
However, with the already existing controversy surrounding the Aspiration scandal now being met with these new findings of hidden funds coming his way, the odds of them landing such a pick may actually skyrocket.
With the ongoing investigation into Leonard's contract situation with the Clippers, the trade with the Raptors has been put on hold. Unfortunately for LA, so too has their rebuild.
Frankly, there are many possible outcomes from this current situation, and all should bode well for OKC's lottery chances.
For wishful-thinking purposes, let's just say the deal is ultimately allowed to be pushed through and no penalties are assessed.
Considering just how competitive and deep the Western Conference is, a Los Angeles team led by Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram would almost certainly be on the outside looking in on a top 10 seed in the standings and, in turn, be a favorite to fall short of a playoff berth, thus giving the Thunder a lottery pick.
In the event that the trade is canceled and all players stay put with their respective clubs, it's already well understood that a Leonard-led Clippers is capable of hand-delivering OKC a top-14 selection, as their 2026 Play-In Tournament elimination resulted in Aday Mara's arrival to the Sooner State with the 12 overall pick in this year's draft.
Of course, considering the complexities and highly controversial nature of these accusations, there could be severely harsh penalties being handed down to LA and Leonard, with some, such as ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, advocating for the two-time Finals MVP to be "banned for a year."
If the Clippers finished in the lottery last season with Kawhi in the mix, just imagine where they'd be this coming year with him suspended.
No matter which way one chooses to look at this situation, it seems the Thunder are in a great position to come away from it all as major winners.
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