Clippers Accused Of Organizational Malpractice For Lopsided Paul George Trade, Letting Him Walk For Nothing

Matt Fitzgerald·
CULTURESPORTS
·
Paul George
TNT

The Los Angeles Clippers were met with deserved praise when they swung the blockbuster trade for Paul George back in 2019. That move was designed to get the moribund franchise over the hump, as PG would team with Kawhi Leonard for the NBA’s best superstar wing tandem and lead the Clippers to at least one championship, if not multiple.

That didn’t come to pass. In fact, Kawhi leaving the Raptors after one title-winning season to go home to LA was probably the wrong move for him as well.

What’s undeniable is that, in retrospect and as history will see it, Oklahoma City Thunder GM Sam Presti fleeced the Clips on that landmark PG deal.

It’s mind-bending to contemplate the NBA butterfly effect of the Paul George trade. Never mind that Kawhi was mulling a move to the Lakers in free agency before that blockbuster deal went down.

George really could’ve gone anywhere when he demanded to get out of OKC. Presti was “stunned” by the trade request. Fast forward to a half-decade later, and the Thunder are set up to flourish thanks to the additions of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams (via Clippers draft picks) and a bevvy of other young studs. They just had the best record in the West this past season.

Meanwhile, what more can you say about the Clippers other than they’re still in their heads and are reeling from losing George to another contender in the 76ers?

LA wasn’t willing to fork over another max contract to George. They were “far apart” during their last round of negotiations.

When you look at their subsequent moves, though, was it really the smart move to cut ties with George, especially with no sign-and-trade compensation in return?

Hurts even more for the Clippers when you factor in that the crosstown rival Lakers fared far better in the same span despite LeBron being well into the latter stages of his career.

Basketball Twitter can be an unforgiving place at times. If George goes to Philly and the 76ers finally get out of the second round for the first time in Joel Embiid’s career, that’ll be viewed as a success at least through the first season. In order to truly validate his legacy, however, PG needs to be the difference-maker who delivers a Larry O’Brien Trophy for the Sixers, lest his stint there be viewed as another relative disappointment.

Oh yeah, and when a very appealing sign-and-trade package did arrive on the Clippers’ desk, courtesy of the Golden State Warriors, they outright rejected any iteration of a deal.

The audacity! Refusing such a significant haul for George to stop the bleeding on some of the damage the initial trade caused. And to give players like admitted domestic abuser Kevin Porter Jr. a lifeline? For who for what?

As has been the case for most of their troubled history, the Clippers can’t seem to get out of their own way. The Paul George fiasco that preceded his tenure, persisted while he was in LA, and continued to the bitter end, is merely the latest example of that.

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