At this point, it has become clearer than ever that the Kawhi Leonard era for the LA Clippers was the best thing that could have happened for the OKC Thunder.
The forward's arrival in Los Angeles back in 2019 literally was the driving force in Oklahoma City embarking on a complete rebuild, for his signing coincided with the behind-closed-doors agreement that Paul George would be traded to the Clippers and, in turn, Sam Presti would start from scratch with a bevy of draft picks and the arrival of promising young guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Now, seven years later, we find that LA's core has completely disintegrated, with George departing in the summer of 2024 and, just recently, Leonard himself being traded to the Raptors this offseason.
The Thunder, meanwhile, find themselves still going strong with the core they established as a result of that fateful blockbuster, and, hilariously enough, a recent list from the folks at Hoops Rumors reveals that SGA has now officially become the 10-longest-tenured active player with their respective team.
Just as the painful reminders of how disastrous the Kawhi-era was for the Clippers seemed to be fading, a list like this reopens the nearly decade-old wound.
Thunder have Clippers on the hook for one more year
Though the residual payments from the Paul George trade may have officially come to an end this past June with OKC's selection of Aday Mara using Los Angeles' 12 overall pick, the Thunder still have the Clippers on the hook for another season when it comes to their distribution of draft capital.
As a result of their third-team participation in the 2023 trade that landed Los Angeles James Harden from Philadelphia, Oklahoma City holds the unprotected rights to a 2027 first-round pick swap with the Clippers.
Considering the fact that they just missed the playoffs last season with Leonard in tow, coupled now with their recent teardown following his departure, it's widely believed that this could wind up netting the Thunder yet another high-end prospect in next summer's draft class.
Already, the franchise is doing their field work when it comes to rising young talents expected to declare for the 2027 NBA Draft, with recent reports revealing the Thunder sent scouts out to Bendigo, Australia, to see wing Dash Daniels take part in the 2026 NBL Blitz.
Being it's only September, expect to find many more names be linked to the Thunder over the next several months.
With the fact that they very well could have three picks in the first-round alone, who can blame them for getting a headstart?
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