Paul George Opens Up About Famous Thunder-Clippers Trade

Paul George shared his thoughts on the trade that involved him and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Paul George Opens Up About Famous Thunder-Clippers Trade
Paul George Opens Up About Famous Thunder-Clippers Trade /
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The Oklahoma City Thunder and LA Clippers are going to continue and receive comparisons for the next few years because of the trade they made in 2019. MVP finalist Paul George was sent to the Clippers from the Thunder, and, in return, the Thunder got a war chest of draft picks, Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The trade allowed for George to go contend with Kawhi Leonard in LA while Gilgeous-Alexander got a chance to blossom into an eventual superstar and MVP candidate himself. 

Gilgeous-Alexander's emergence, along with the draft picks received by the Thunder, keeps the trade from 2019 in question. There's no real way to measure who "won" the trade, but the debate will always be there. 

After the two teams squared off on Tuesday night -- a game in which the Clippers won 128-117 behind a huge performance from George -- the question, of course, came back up. This time, it was George answering the question.

“I just think both sides won," George said. "I did think it was quite a lot that the Clippers were willing to give up. Their commitment to me is my commitment to them. Very appreciative to them for going out and grabbing me."

Since arriving in Los Angeles, George and the Clippers haven't quite accomplished what they might have hoped, but they're looking at potentially their best season coming since their arrival in 2019.

"Shai, when that trade first happened, we knew Shai was going to be really, really, good, but he's special," George continued. "I guess in a way, Oklahoma won that trade with the picks and future MVP, but both sides won."

Evidently, unless one of the two teams soon wins a championship, the comparison and debate is silly and there's no real way to measure such a thing. Both franchises are in solid positions at the moment, and they've both got the same goal with the players they feel can get them there. 


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Kade Kimble
KADE KIMBLE

Kade has been covering a wide variety of teams ranging from the NFL to the NBA and college athletics since joining Sports Illustrated's On SI in 2022.