The move that changed everything in OKC and started the Thunder’s path to the Finals: some called it the worst trade in NBA history

When the Oklahoma City Thunder took the court on Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals – their first since 2012 – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the team not just as its MVP, but as the symbol of a trade that’s gone from “controversial” to “possibly catastrophic” for the Los Angeles Clippers.

Back in 2019, the Clippers gave up – take a deep breath – Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round picks and two pick swaps, all to get Paul George. That move helped them land Kawhi Leonard, who demanded a co-star. On paper, it made sense. But paper doesn’t get you all the way through the postseason.

The Clippers never made the Finals. The Thunder recently did.

That trade handed OKC not just Shai, as I’ve said the man deemed the league’s most valuable player, but a 2022 pick that took shape in Jalen Williams. One comparison being floated of those two together, OK somewhat recklessly but not entirely unfairly is that of Jordan and Pippen. Williams put up 20.3 points per game this season. He’s 23. Shai is 26.

Thunder dynasty ahead?

And there’s more to come. The Thunder used this year’s pick swap to jump 15 spots in the upcoming draft, and they still own the Clippers’ 2026 first-rounder. If you think OKC’s run ends here, you haven’t been paying attention.

In hindsight, what a wonderful tool that is, it’s not just that the Clippers overpaid. It’s that they handed another franchise the keys to a title contender – possibly even a dynasty some say. If OKC wins this series or any in the next few years, the 2019 deal moves from bad to historic.

For LA, the payments are still being paid, and painfully so for many fans. For OKC, the Finals might be just the beginning.

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