The direct aftereffects of the now legendary 2019 Paul George trade may have officially reached an end this past Tuesday, but the LA Clippers aren't done handing valuable draft capital over to the OKC Thunder just yet.
It's perhaps a lesser-known fact that Oklahoma City holds the unprotected rights to a 2027 first-round pick swap with Los Angeles as a result of the trade that netted them James Harden from Philadelphia back in 2023.
At the time, the Thunder were merely involved as a third team in the transaction to facilitate the movement of draft capital.
While the two other clubs associated with the trade were focused on more immediate assets at the time of the exchange, Sam Presti and company were more interested in future gains.
Come this time next year, OKC will once again have found a way to personally benefit from Los Angeles' desperation deals from years past.
Clippers led Thunder to land 'Victor Wembanyama stopper' in NBA Draft
Over the years, LA's past dealings have helped the Thunder land some truly impressive, high-end talents.
From sending them Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the initial PG-13 blockbuster to landing Jalen Williams by way of the 2022 first-round pick attained in the aforementioned exchange, Oklahoma City's title-tested roster is headlined by players attained thanks to the Clippers.
Now, in 2026's festivities, they seem to have once again brought a tremendous young prospect aboard as a result of Los Angeles' trade mishaps.
With LA's 12 overall pick in this week's draft, the Thunder, who owned the rights thanks to the George deal, snatched up big man Aday Mara out of Michigan.
The 21-year-old is a highly regarded pivot who, with his menacing 7-foot-3 frame and defensive chops, has many believing he could be a "potential Victor Wembanyama stopper" at the professional level.
Considering their ill-fated Western Conference Finals bout against San Antonio, one that saw the Spurs star pop off to the tune of 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks on 48.1 percent shooting from the floor and 40.0 percent shooting from deep, it's clear that OKC could benefit from bringing on some extra frontcourt reinforcements to better their odds of containing Wemby down the road.
For weeks, Mara was rumored to be a top target amid the Thunder's pursuit to bring on exactly that, with some reporting that the organization even looked into ways to move up to make sure they secured his services in the draft.
In the end, however, the big fell right to them in the latter half of the lottery.
Inherently, the Clippers are to thank for this.
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