The OKC Thunder have had many connections to the Los Angeles Clippers in recent years. Time and time again, however, Oklahoma City comes away looking like geniuses, whereas the Clippers’ decisions have to be questioned.
This current core of the Thunder was built from the Paul George trade. George’s tenure with Los Angeles was a failure.
More recently, the Clippers had to trade former Thunder Sixth Man of the Year winner, James Harden.
There is a reason Oklahoma City has dynasty aspirations, and the Clippers are headed for a full-blown rebuild.
So, what has gone right for the Thunder, and where has Los Angeles misstepped?
How have the Thunder outmaneuvered the Clippers?
Sam Presti has been the general manager of the Thunder organization since 2007. Back then, the team played in Seattle and were called the SuperSonics. He has been one or two steps ahead of the competition the entire time.
Presti got busy right away, walking away from his first draft class with both Kevin Durant and Jeff Green as top five picks. Russell Westbrook and Harden would join the team as Oklahoma City draftees in the succeeding draft classes.
That young core led the team to an NBA Finals appearance during the 2011-12 season.
Unfortunately, the Thunder couldn’t afford to keep everyone, so they traded Harden to the Houston Rockets in 2012. Fast-forward a few more years, and all three of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden would become league MVPs, though none of them were a part of the 2024-25 championship-winning squad.
After the big three split up, Paul George would join the Thunder. While he is more known for his Indiana Pacers and Clippers tenures, his best basketball actually came in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder knew when to abandon ship, though, as they traded George to the Clippers after just two seasons.
In return, the Thunder received Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks, and two pick swaps. One of those picks was used on Jalen Williams during the 2022 draft, and in totality, the trade ended up being one of the most lopsided deals in NBA history.
George would team up with Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles, and Harden eventually joined the core, but the team never reached its full potential.
While the Thunder will be reaping the rewards of moving on from their stars at the right time and building a roster the right way, the Clippers have already moved on from both George and Harden.
George was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers in the offseason and is currently sitting out with a suspension, while Harden was just traded from the Clippers to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the current star in Oklahoma City. He appears to be on track toward winning his second MVP this season and surely won’t be going anywhere else anytime soon.
The Thunder know how to maintain a competitive roster and build for the future, so if they move on from big-name players down the road, fans should look back at what happened when they let go of Harden and George as a vote of confidence.
Perhaps even the Clippers may find themselves willing to take on some of their unwanted assets once again.