LA Clippers coach Ty Lue recently revealed in an interview with Shannon Sharpe that he and his staff still regularly discuss the 2019 blockbuster that wound up sending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to the OKC Thunder.
During a recent appearance on Club Shay Shay, the seasoned headman discussed one of the most lopsided trades in league history, the Paul George for SGA exchange, and openly admitted that not only do the Clippers "talk about it all the time," but that he by no means expected the league's latest MVP and Finals MVP to be as good as he's become.
"Shai was a really good young player, but you didn't know he was gonna be this," Lue said.
Clippers talk Shai Gilgeous-Alexander trade to Thunder 'all the time'
Though he may not have been out in LA at the time of the exchange, as he was still serving as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lue is a firm believer that, with all the information they had at the time, such as the Clipper's desire to win-now with the summer signing of Kawhi Leonard, he, too, would have pulled the trigger, specifically highlighting how George had just finished second in MVP voting.
Perhaps the most noteworthy takeaway from this particular discussion was Lue's claim that, if it weren't for Gilgeous-Alexander's departure from the Clippers, his ascension to superstardom may never have been experienced.
"I think it was the best thing for Shai," Lue said. "He was able to grow, figure it out, have his own team. Hindsight it 20/20. You could say 'Oh, I would have never done that,' but who wouldn't have traded a first year player for a guy like PG to team up with Kawhi? Anybody would have done that. They'd be lying if they said they wouldn't.
Though there's certainly some serious credence to Lue's remarks, as hindsight clearly shows, it was the Thunder who easily ended up getting the upper hand in the trade.
Frankly, it's not hyperbole to say that without Sam Presti's decision to offload George and start anew in the summer of 2019, OKC would not have been in a position to win the 2025 NBA Finals.
In the deal, the Thunder not only received their current franchise cornerstone, but also an abundance of draft capital that helped flesh out their title-winning roster with guys like Jalen Williams (selected 12 overall in 2022 via the LAC pick), and will continue to help in doing so over the next several years to come.
As for Los Angeles, the closest they came to winning a chip during George's tenure (which ended last summer when he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency) came back in 2021, when they advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals, only to be bested by the Suns in six games.
For the Thunder and their fanbase, the Paul George trade to LA is one that will forever be celebrated and continue to age like fine wine.
For the Clippers, it's clearly a decision that still haunts their nightmares.