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 team in the NBA and still has a few years left in his prime before he presumably loses a step.

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Most trade analysis would end there. Getting a future franchise icon and potential Hall of Famer out of the deal makes it a clear win for the Thunder … but the rest of the deal is worth breaking down.

Gallinari put up one solid year of production with the Thunder before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks for a conditional 2025 second-round pick.

In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Thunder used the Heat’s pick on Tre Mann, who was later dealt to the Hornets for Gordon Hayward, who averaged 5.3 points in 26 games with the Thunder before retiring.

In the 2022 NBA Draft, the Thunder used their own first-round pick to take Chet Holmgren at No. 2 overall. Ten picks later, the team used the pick it acquired from the Clippers to select Jalen Williams.

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After nearly winning the Rookie of the Year award in his first season, Williams has developed into an All-Star player and a tremendous second banana behind Gilgeous-Alexander.

The Thunder did not swap the Clippers’ 2023 first-round pick, rendering that irrelevant to the George trade. The Heat’s 2023 first-round pick was later amended, and pushed to a future year.

The Clippers’ 2024 first-round pick was shipped out of Oklahoma City in the Chris Paul for Westbrook deal.

Various swaps and amended picks resulted in the Thunder taking Thomas Sorber in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Sorber has not played in the NBA yet due to an ACL injury. The team also used the pick it acquired in the Gallinari deal to select Brooks Barnhizer in the second round. Barnhizer didn’t see much playing time as a rookie, averaging 1.7 points per game.

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Additionally, the Thunder traded the Clippers’ 2025 first-round pick to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for a protected 2027 first-round pick from the San Antonio Spurs.

Finally, the Thunder used the Clippers’ 2026 first-round pick on Mara.

Thunder get SGA and Jalen Williams from Paul George trade

That’s a lot to digest. But if you really wanted to break it down by who’s left on the Thunder, you get the following return for George:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (in the original trade)
• Jalen Williams (drafted by Thunder in 2022)
• Thomas Sorber (drafted by Thunder in 2025)
• Brooks Barnhizer (drafted by Thunder in 2025)
• Aday Mara (drafted by Thunder in 2026)
• A 2027 Spurs first-round pick (which is protected)

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There were a lot of other moving parts in the deal, obviously, but those are the players still rostered by the Thunder. And depending on what happens with that 2027 Spurs pick, there’s even more to come.

The jury is still out on many of the players acquired by the Thunder in the deal. Sorber, Barnhizer and Mara haven’t proven themselves in the NBA just yet. It’s possible they turn into useful pieces moving forward. It’s also possible they don’t become anything.

Even in the latter scenario, it’s tough to argue against the George trade. The Thunder got Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams out of the deal. That’s a franchise-altering haul.

The Clippers, meanwhile, enjoyed five strong seasons from George, but no championships. In the process, the team mortgaged away its future picks and watched as George left for the Philadelphia 76ers ahead of the 2024-25 NBA season.

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Worst of all, the Clippers traded away Gilgeous-Alexander. Regardless of how well George performed in his five seasons in Los Angeles, that’s a decision that will continue to haunt the franchise for many, many years to come.