Lou Williams discusses Shai Gilgeous-Alexander being traded for Paul George.
The Los Angeles Clippers altered the course of their franchise in the 2019 offseason when they traded for Paul George.
The move was made to ensure they could sign reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who wanted to play with a second superstar upon signing with the team. George had just finished third in the MVP voting during the regular season and was viewed as one of the best two-way players in the league.
To acquire George, the Clippers gave up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, four unprotected first-round picks (2021, 2022, 2024, 2026), one protected first-round pick (2023), and two first-round pick swaps.
It was a record number of draft picks at the time, along with an established forward and a promising young guard, but it was the price that needed to be paid to get Kawhi and George.
Lou Williams Looks Back
Speaking on Underground Lounge, Lou Williams looked back on the Clippers acquiring George and giving up SGA in the deal.
"In our game you want your young star to be coachable, a worker, one of the guys, the toughest, smartest, SGA was all of those things. When that trade happened for Paul George, I swear to god.. when he called me, the first thing I asked him was ‘was Shai in the trade?’ That was the first thing I asked him. Because that’s how much I believed in him as a rookie. He was one of the first rookies that I was one the team with that I said ‘hey that boy going to be a star,'" said Lou.
Shai had just finished up his rookie season, where he averaged 10.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on a Clippers team that finished eighth in the Western Conference but challenged the Golden State Warriors in the first round, taking the defending champions to six games. Shai averaged 13.7 points in the first round series.
The Fallout
The dust truly settled on the Paul George trade when George departed the Clippers in 2024 for the Los Angeles Clippers.
The season George left, SGA won the MVP, leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the first overall seed in the Western Conference for the second straight season. He went on to win the Finals MVP as the Thunder won its first championship since moving to Oklahoma City.
During the Kawhi-George era, the Clippers never made it past the Western Conference Finals and didn't win a playoff series in the last three seasons the duo was together, failing to make the playoffs in 2021-22.
The trade is viewed as one of the worst in history, though at the time it was thought to be a smart move by the Clippers.
