The Clippers must have regretted it. They used Alexander and the first round pick to exchange for Paul George

On May 9, in the history of the NBA's trading, the Clippers' sensational league transaction in 2019 is still being discussed repeatedly. At that time, in order to quickly form the championship lineup, the Clippers sent potential star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), Gallinari and several first-round draft picks, and exchanged Paul George from the Thunder. This deal made the Clippers instantly become a strong contender for the championship, forming the "Kajiao combination" with Kawhi Leonard. However, six years later, when people re-examine this deal, the Clippers management may regret it - SGA has grown into a top superstar in the league, while Paul George's peak period is gradually fading, and the Clippers' dream of winning is still out of reach.

Let's bring time back to the summer of 2019. At that time, the Clippers won a great victory in the free market and successfully signed FMVP Leonard, who had just led the Raptors to win the championship. But there is a prerequisite for Leonard's joining: the Clippers must find another superstar. So, the Clippers dig Paul George from the Thunder at all costs. At that time, George had just played one of his best seasons in his career, averaging 28 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Not only was he selected for the Double First Team, he also ranked third in the MVP selection. It seems like a sure-making deal to trade a 21-year-old young defender for such a peak superstar.

But fate is always full of drama. SGA, which was traded to the Thunder, gained unlimited fire and development space in the rebuilt Thunder. His progress rate is astonishing: from averaging 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game during the Clippers, it has soared to 31.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 5.5 assists in the 2022-23 season, with a shooting percentage of 51% and a three-point shooting percentage of 34.5%. What's even more amazing is that he led the Thunder, who was originally preparing to play, to the playoffs, and was selected into the All-Squad Team in the 2023-24 season, becoming a strong contender for MVP. In contrast, although Paul George still maintained his All-Star level after joining the Clippers, his injuries became his lingering nightmare. In five seasons, he missed more than 100 games due to injury, and his repeated inaccuracies at critical moments in the playoffs made Clippers fans sigh.

From the perspective of team building, the biggest mistake of the Clippers' deal is that it has seriously overdrawn the future. In order to get George, they not only sent away SGA, the future star, but also took on the first round picks in 2022, 2024 and 2026, as well as the first round swap rights in 2021 and 2023. These draft picks later became high picks - in 2022, the Thunder chose Jaylen Williams with the Clippers' pick, and in 2023, they won the 12th pick with the swap rights. In other words, the Clippers not only lost a cornerstone of team building, but also personally gave high-quality assets for reconstruction to their competitors. The imbalance in the salary structure is another fatal injury. George and Leonard occupy most of the Clippers' salary space, making it difficult for the team to effectively strengthen. In the 2023-24 season, the Clippers' total salary was as high as US$192 million, and the luxury tax was paid 145 million, but the team still stopped in the Western Conference semi-finals. In contrast, Thunder maintains competitiveness and has great operational flexibility with SGA's super value contract (5 years of 172 million) and a large number of rookie dividends. This sharp contrast undoubtedly made the Clippers management lose their face.

Analysis of player development trajectory, SGA and George represent two completely different team building ideas. SGA's growth curve is almost perfectly in line with modern basketball's demand for the big core of ball holding: excellent breakthrough ability, increasingly sophisticated middle distance, continuously improving organizational vision, and big heart performance at critical moments. At the age of 25, he still has at least 5-7 years of peak period. Although 34-year-old George can still contribute to a performance of 20+ per game, the decline in athletic ability and the lack of defensive end are already obvious. More importantly, George has never proved that he can lead the team as the first core, which is in stark contrast to SGA's solemn lead to the Thunder back to the playoffs.

Of course, we cannot judge the transactions of that year entirely based on the consequences. The Clippers in 2019 are facing tremendous pressure to "win in the present". Los Angeles' football market and boss Ballmer's ambitions do not allow them to slowly cultivate new players. But the cruelty of the basketball world is that sometimes you know that the risks are very high, but you have to take a gamble. The Clippers bet on the future, but failed to win the present. Now that Leonard and George are entering the late stages of their careers, the Clippers have neither the championship nor the capital to rebuild. This dilemma is the sequelae left by the gamble back then.

Looking back at the time node of 2025, if the Clippers chose to keep SGA back then, how different would the situation be now? They may already have an MVP-level team-building core, retain valuable draft assets, and have a healthier salary structure. But there is no if, the Clippers must swallow the bitter fruit they planted. For the Thunder, this deal is the most successful "robbing the rich and helping the poor" in the new century - they not only gained future stardom, but also accumulated young talents that are enough to support long-term competitiveness.

This deal also taught other teams in the league: In an era when superstars become popular, patiently cultivating their own core may be the long-term solution. This is proven by the success stories of the Nuggets building teams around Jokic and the Celtics fostering Tatum and Brown. The Clippers use bloody lessons to tell us: overdrafting the future and exchanging current gambling will far outweigh the benefits. Now, they can only watch SGA shine in Oxford, while their championship window is slowly closing. This contrast is so strong and this regret is so profound that it may become one of the most worthy cases in the history of NBA trading.