The 2019 blockbuster swap of Paul George for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is already universally recognized as an all-time heist for the OKC Thunder. However, now six years removed from the exchange, it seems that Oklahoma City is en route to once again reaping the rewards from this ever-giving gift of a deal.
Along with the two aforementioned players, this infamous trade also involved the rights to a whopping seven first-round picks being shipped to the Sooner State, one of which will give OKC the right to swap picks with the LA Clippers during next June's draft.
The exciting reality of this particular selection is that it has unprotected status attachments, meaning the Thunder can choose to flip their pick for Los Angeles' regardless of where it winds up.
Fortunately, based on how things are going for the Clippers, this could realistically lead Oklahoma City to landing yet another top-billed young prospect come June.
OKC Thunder could end up with high-end draft pick thanks to Clippers
As things currently stand, the Clippers sit soundly in the 11 seed in the Western Conference standings with a record of 4-9 and have gone 6-1 over their last seven games.
On top of this, health ailments for the league's oldest team (average age of 33.2 years) are already beginning to pile up, as high-profile talents such as Bradley Beal (hip fracture) and, most notably, Kawhi Leonard (ankle sprain) have already succumbed to chomps from the injury bug and are slated to miss extended action as a result.
If the season were to end today, Los Angeles would comfortably have a top-10 selection, and, based on the way recent history has gone (Ex. the 10 seeded Mavericks last year), a realistic shot at landing the top pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Of course, due to the pick-swap stipulation, the Thunder are really the ones who are in the running for these luxuries, not the Clippers.
Because of this, come season's end, there's actually a realistic scenario where Oklahoma City becomes one of only three teams to win 70 or more games, the first team since 2018 to repeat as NBA Champions, and land a top-flight prospect a la AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, or Cameron Boozer along the way.
While it may still be early in the campaign, with the way things are going, many experts, including ESPN's Vincent Goodwill, are doubtful that Los Angeles can find a way to climb their way out of this hole they find themselves in, especially considering just how challenging the Western Conference landscape is.
With this, the odds of them missing the playoffs and heading into the lottery are only increased, which, in turn, may lead Sam Presti and company to yield yet another massive reward from the 2019 PG-13 for SGA transaction.