NBA Draft: Thunder nearly finish Paul George trade, and it completely reshaped the franchise

The Oklahoma City Thunder were pushed into an unfortunate situation in 2019. Despite finishing in the top-3 of MVP voting and leading the team to a playoff appearance, Paul George wasn’t happy.

George, reportedly due to his relationship with then-Thunder star Russell Westbrook, demanded a trade. Once Kawhi Leonard signed a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, all the pieces started to fall into place. Leonard pushed the Clippers to add another star and George made it known he wanted out of Oklahoma City.

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That July, the deal was completed. George was leaving the Thunder to help Leonard and the Clippers try and win an NBA championship. In exchange for George, the Thunder received four unprotected first-round picks, one protected first-rounder and two pick swaps. The team also received two players from the Clippers.

It was quite the haul, one capable of completely reshaping the Thunder … but only if the team made the right moves.

Following the Thunder’s selection of Aday Mara in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, the George trade has nearly come to a close. It’s safe to say the deal worked out extremely well for the Thunder.

That’s because one of the two players acquired for George was — at the time — a promising, young rookie named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

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Here’s what the deal looked like when it was made back in 2019:

Thunder’s Paul George trade, revisited

The Clippers receive:

• Paul George

The Thunder receive:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• Danilo Gallinari
• Clippers 2022 first-round pick
• Clippers 2024 first-round pick
• Clippers 2026 first-round pick
• Heat 2021 first-round pick
• Heat 2023 first-round pick (lottery protected)
• Clippers 2023 first-round pick (right to swap picks)
• Clippers 2025 first-round pick (right to swap picks)

So, how did those players and picks work out for the Thunder … let’s take a look.

Right off the bat, the Thunder very easily won the deal. Getting Gilgeous-Alexander, who has since blossomed into a two-time MVP and a top-3 player in the NBA, was a masterstroke. Gilgeous-Alexander has been the best player on the best…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/article/nba-draft-thunder-nearly-finish-paul-george-trade-and-it-completely-reshaped-the-franchise-141102971.html

Author : Chris Cwik

Publish date : 2026-06-24 14:11:00

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